Massachusetts

Oral arguments were heard in a Massachusetts Superior Court on Monday over a lawsuit filed by an atheist couple who believe that their children are being discriminated against because the Pledge of Allegiance – which is said every day in Mass. public school classrooms under state law – contains the phrase "under God."

"The daily recitation in public schools of a pledge declaring that the nation is 'under God' is discriminatory toward atheists and humanists," David Niose, president of the American Humanist Association and lead attorney for the plaintiffs in the case, stated.

"No child should go to school each day to have the class declare that her religious beliefs are wrong in an exercise that portrays her and her family as less patriotic than believers." more >>

The merger of two dominant mission associations in North America culminated Monday with the public unveiling of Missio Nexus, which is now the largest evangelical mission network in North America.

Missio Nexus, formed through the marriage of CrossGlobal Link and The Mission Exchange, will represent 35,000 evangelical missionaries deployed in every country by more than 200 agencies and churches.

Top evangelical leaders across North America convened for a special service held Monday in Boston that celebrated both the debut of Missio Nexus and the 200th anniversary of North America's first ordained missionaries. more >>

Top evangelical leaders across North America are joining a special service Monday in Boston to celebrate the 200th anniversary of North America's first ordained missionaries. The event also marked the official debut of Missio Nexus, which will be the largest evangelical mission network in North America following the historic merger of CrossGlobal Link and The Mission Exchange.

The Missions Bicentennial service and celebration is taking place at Tabernacle Congregational Church in Salem, Mass., the location where on February 6, 1812, the first missionaries being sent from a North American mission agency were commissioned.

The ordaining of Adoniram Judson and four other missionaries for overseas service represented the beginning of a new era in history when America joined the global mission movement. After their ordination in Salem, Judson, along his wife Ann and other missionaries, set sail in February 1812 to bring Christianity to India. more >>

Actor Mark Wahlberg has never shied away from professing his Christian faith, and in a recent interview, the Hollywood star discussed his daily reliance on God and an important decision he had to make when he found himself in jail as a youth.

Speaking to Anderson Cooper on Dec. 29, 2011, the 40-year-old actor talked about his upbringing and the gang life he stumbled into at a young age. When he was only 16, he robbed a pharmacy, attacked a number of people inside, including a security guard, and was charged with attempted murder and sentenced to jail at Boston's Deer Island House of Correction, the Catholic Herald reported.

“You grew up in a tight-knit neighborhood in Boston, you could have gone the wrong way, you did time in jail at one point, [but] you turned your life around. How did you do that?” Cooper asked the actor.  more >>

Despite the fact Apple co-founder and Silicone Valley pioneer Steve Jobs was a college dropout, the Harvard Business School and the Harvard Business Review are singing his praises, all the while still considering him something of an extreme paradox.

The Harvard Business Review has created a special section specifically dedicated to the legacy of Steve Jobs, featuring writers from across the nation and Harvard students and professors weighing in on his influence and innovations. The business school also created a blog in the name of Steve Jobs.

Since Jobs lost his battle with cancer this past week, the world has witnessed an outpouring of appreciation for him that has surpassed levels typically reserved for popes, presidents and heads of state. more >>

Surveys that ask young students about their sex life, among other personal issues, will no longer be administered without parental consent at a Massachusetts school.

Fitchburg School Committee passed this week a new policy that says surveys will only be given to students who have permission from their parents to take it.

John W. Whitehead, president of The Rutherford Institute and who represented a concerned mother, called the new policy a victory for parental rights. more >>