Minnesota

A spokesman for the University of Minnesota is apologizing on behalf of the school after its mascot, Goldy Gopher, mocked the prayer ritual of a member from the opposing team during a recent football game.

"It certainly wasn't his intent to offend anyone or trivialize their religion," stated Dan Wolter, director of the university’s news service, days after the incident.

“On behalf of Goldy and the University of Minnesota, I want to apologize to the Penn State player involved and anyone else who may have taken offense from this incident,” he added in a statement. more >>

Hundreds of Reformed believers passionate about preaching the Scriptures and making Christ known have convened in Minneapolis for three days of talks centered on the life and teachings of 16th century reformer John Calvin.

Lamenting that many churches today have lost confidence in the truthfulness and authority of the Bible, Julius Kim, associate professor of Practical Theology at Westminster Seminary in California, called Christians to heed Calvin's voice.

"In many of our churches the Bible has been functionally rejected in place of what we could gain from some sort of rational exercise on the one hand or some sort of emotional experience on the other," Kim said at the national conference, hosted by Desiring God Ministries, on Friday. more >>

What college students learned from their biology teachers in high school influences whether they accept evolution or creationist views, according to a recent study by professors at the University of Minnesota.

University students whose high school biology class covered creationism – in some cases alongside evolution – were more likely to accept creationist views upon entering college, the study found. Those whose high school biology teachers taught evolution but not creationism were more likely to accept evolution in college.

The study, "Rejecting Darwin: The Occurrence & Impact of Creationism in High School Biology Classrooms," is published in the May issue of BioScience, the journal of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS). more >>

Hundreds of pastors gathered in downtown Minneapolis were encouraged to take up evangelism as a joyful privilege rather than a guilt-driven burden.

While sharing the Gospel is a major challenge for Christians, many pastors themselves admit to struggling with some of the same challenges people in their congregations face when it comes to evangelism.

Culture tells people that evangelism is manipulative and that anyone who shares the message of Jesus Christ is imposing their beliefs on others, notes one prominent pastor. And many Christians buy into that idea. more >>

Popular ministry leaders with a proven track record of reaching youths offered suggestions on how to communicate Christ to the younger generation last week at the 2008 Mission America Coalition gathering.

Evangelists and youth outreach leaders, panelists agreed, have to start texting with cell phones and participate in the technology that the younger generation is so heavily reliant upon.

“They don’t expect us to live there,” said Mark Fey, director of Christian Worldview and The Truth Project for Focus on the Family, “but they expect us to show up there.” more >>