Kentucky

A musical production that is being featured in the internationally renowned Humana Festival has brought together a rather unusual scenario – members of a New York City acting company performing a play about Evangelical Christians.

"This documentary-style drama explores a city, Colorado Springs, the unofficial home of the American Evangelical movement, where questions of religion, public vs. private life and the shifting lines between church, state and society are brought to the surface in a range of subtle and dramatic ways," states a public announcement released nearly a week after the Mar. 7 opening of “This Beautiful City.”

The production – a result of hundreds of interviews around the Colorado Springs area – is part of what Director Steven Cosson describes as an effort to represent and better understand the differences between Evangelical and non-Evangelical Christians on issues of faith, religion, and separation between church and state. more >>

Bringing the abortion debate up to date with modern technology, a Kentucky legislator introduced a bill last week that would require women seeking an abortion to first undergo an ultrasound and be offered a view of the results.

Republican Sen. Jack Westwood, who opposes abortion, proposed a measure to the state General Assembly last week that mandates doctors to perform ultrasounds on women seeking abortions and allow women to see the images.

"I think this has a real good chance," Westwood told The Associated Press. "I don't see how anybody would be opposed to allowing a woman to have as much information about what's going on in her body as possible." more >>

Members of the Kentucky megachurch whose pastor asked them to support Britney Spears “the way Jesus loves her” are sending out the first few batches of letters carrying messages of love and encouragement.

Southland Christian Church has made contact with someone in Spears’ organization to make sure she would see the messages, according to church spokeswoman Cindy Willison in a report by the Herald-Leader.

Church officials haven’t counted the exact number of letters but are sending them out in batches, said Willison. more >>

U.S. District Judge Joseph Hood barred the Kansas state government from displaying a large Ten Commandments tablet outside the Capitol in 2000 and 2006 but ruled this past week that a framed Ten Commandments display could go up as part of a larger historic exhibit.

The display of the Ten Commandments in the King James version will be included as part of the "Foundations of American Law and Government Display” comprised of 10 framed historic documents including the Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, the “In God We Trust” national motto, the Declaration of Independence, and the preamble to the Kentucky Constitution.

The judge’s order last Monday came in response to a request by the administration of Gov. Ernie Fletcher to have the exhibit, described as having a predominately secular purpose, posted in the Capitol Rotunda. Hood clarified that the previous injunction did not apply to this display but declined to rule on the constitutionality of the display. more >>

A 60,000 square-foot museum that teaches about the literal six days of Creation has proven to be more popular than expected, surpassing its projected first-year attendance in less than six months since its opening.

The Creation Museum in Petersburg, Ky. welcomed its 250,000th visitor on Friday, reported Ken Ham, founder of Answers of Genesis, the evangelical group behind the $27 million facility.

“We praise the Lord for this,” said Ham in his Nov. 3 blog entry on the organization’s website. “I still remember the mocking of certain people in the secular world that the Museum would fail as people would not be interested – and some in the Christian world who said it would be a white elephant!” more >>

A megachurch in Kentucky is collecting letters of love and support to send to pop singer Britney Spears amid her reported problems with drugs and alcohol and her custody battle with her ex-husband.

Upon the urging of senior pastor Jon Weece through a sermon, members at Southland Christian Church in Lexington will gather letters bearing messages such as “Britney, Jesus loves you," "The congregation of Southland Christian Church loves you as Jesus loves you," and "We are praying for you,” according to the Lexington Herald-Leader.

"Take a few minutes and write a note to Britney Spears," Weece said in a sermon and in a Sept. 19 blog on the church's Web site. "No preaching. No criticizing. Just love. As a church, let's love Britney the way Jesus loves her." more >>