Missouri

Around 65,000 youth and young adults flooded the Gateway Arch Grounds in St. Louis on Sunday to hear the sounds of Christian rock, hip-hop, and rap artists, as well as messages delivered by evangelist Franklin Graham.

“This has been a fantastic day. We’ve seen a lot of kids give their life to Christ. There’s been a sea out here of people,” reported Graham as counselors on the ground met with the several hundred people who expressed their decisions for Christ.

After kicking off the inaugural Rock the River Tour last month with nearly 11,000 young people in Baton Rouge, Graham and his team from the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association made their way up the Mississippi River to their second of four stops to provide youth an opportunity to respond to the Gospel, be encouraged by trained peers and then related back to local caring churches. more >>

The world's largest Pentecostal denomination has appointed a new general secretary less than one week after the man who previously held the post resigned over "ethical misconduct and an inappropriate interaction."

The appointment of Dr. James Bradford, pastor of Central Assembly of God in Springfield, Mo., was announced Thursday morning by Assemblies of God General Superintendent George O. Wood during a meeting at the denomination’s headquarters, also in Springfield.

According to an announcement by the Assemblies of God, Bradford, 56, was unanimously appointed by the Executive Presbytery and will assume the duties of the general secretary's office effective immediately. more >>

POTOSI, Mo. (AP) — Many condemned prisoners claim to find God, but Dennis Skillicorn's supporters say his actions bear him out.

His work with terminally ill prisoners, a family-strengthening program for inmates and their children, a national Death Row newsletter and efforts to set juvenile offenders straight has convinced many that his life is worth saving.

Yet, he's next up when Missouri resumes executions. more >>

A federal appeals court in St. Louis heard arguments Thursday in a case involving the distribution of Gideon Bibles to children in public schools.

The South Iron R-1 School District formerly had a policy that allowed outside religious groups to distribute Bibles to fifth graders during the school day.

The policy prompted a lawsuit from the American Civil Liberties Union, which sued the district in September 2006, demanding a stop to the distribution. more >>

The author of controversial book The Third Jesus will be discussing “what Jesus really taught” and how it can be applied in today’s world through a six-part Web series that will be aired by an equally controversial group.

The online radio series is set to begin Wednesday at 6 p.m. ET, according to Paula Coppel, vice president of Communications at Unity School of Christianity in Unity Village, Mo. Unity School of Christianity and its affiliated organizations, like author Deepak Chopra, have been criticized for their belief that Jesus was only a man who attained a higher mental state, among other controversial ideas.

"We came up with the idea for this series after Oprah Winfrey's successful webcasts last spring with Eckhart Tolle on his book ‘A New Earth,'" said Coppel in a released statement, referring to another book that has drawn criticism from the conservative Christian community. more >>