New Jersey

Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey is set to challenge a federal law that limits betting on sports to only four states, when he lets his constituents bet on the outcomes of athletic games this fall.

Although Christie said he did not attempt to change the 1992 federal law that limits sports betting, he did say that his administration is making regulations for New Jersey sports fans who want to place their bets on their favorite teams and athletes this fall. Still, the governor said he expected to be faced with federal opposition.

"Am I expecting there may be legal action taken against us to try to prevent it? Yes!" the governor said at a recent press conference. "But I have every confidence we're going to be successful." more >>

The case of Chen Guangcheng, the blind Chinese dissident who captured the world's attention with his escape from house arrest, is seen as a victory for human rights and many have praised the self-taught lawyer who challenged China's one-child policy, calling him a hero who worked for a noble cause.

The Pennsylvania Pastors' Network, a Bible-based group of clergy and church liaisons who describe themselves as a non-partisan organization encouraging "informed Christian thinking about contemporary social issues," said in a statement Monday that Chen's work on behalf of women and unborn children should be honored.

"Chen Guangcheng, who defended Chinese women from the crime of forced abortion, is finally free and for that we ultimately thank our Lord Jesus Christ. Chen is a tremendous human rights leader whose cause is to end China's One Child Policy and forced abortion. Chen and his wife, Yuan Weijing, and their children, have endured treatment that most of us will never know in our lifetimes, but Chen suffered for the cause of the unborn and the lives of the women and families in China," Colin Hanna, president of the network, said in a statement. "For this he is honored and is a living example to those in America, demonstrating how to act on our convictions to the very end." more >>

Although the sinless life of Jesus Christ is a foundational tenet of the Christian faith, a study recently released by the Diocese of Camden found that 60 percent of practicing Catholics in southern New Jersey believe Jesus sinned during his time on Earth.

"The number of Catholics who have a very flawed, a seriously flawed, understanding of who Jesus is, that's troublesome," Bishop Joseph Galante of the Diocese of Camden said during a press conference, USA Today reports. "We've got to re-focus on how we teach and inform people. Jesus is the foundation of who we are as Catholics."

The study was commissioned by the diocese with the hope that the results would help it to better evangelize the communities it serves. The study was conducted by the Barna Group, a Ventura, Calif.-based research organization, which surveyed 612 adults living in the six New Jersey counties within the diocese. more >>

Charges against a street preacher accused of "tumultuous" behavior for preaching in public near Princeton University's restaurant row were dropped in court, said a religious freedom law group Monday.

Lawyers for The Rutherford Institute said they successfully defended Michael Stockwell during his appearance before the Princeton Borough Municipal Court for a citation for his use of amplification while preaching. The charge was later modified to disorderly conduct, which applies to "violent or tumultuous" behavior.

TRI said Stockwell's use of a small amplifier to make himself heard over the street noise did not constitute tumultuous behavior and was protected by the First Amendment. Stockwell was found not guilty. more >>

After a court on Friday found that a former Rutgers University student was guilty of invading privacy of his roommate by watching his sexual encounter with another man through a hidden webcam, the Family Research Council said gay activists must not politicize the verdict.

Tony Perkins, president of the Christian group FRC, called the verdict "another opportunity for all Americans to speak out against the behavior of anyone who would abuse another person – especially a child – because of his/her sexuality or any other reason." However, Perkins warned in a statement that "some pro-homosexual activists would exploit the personal tragedies of these families to promote a political agenda."

The New Jersey jury found 20-year-old Dharun Ravi, who had been accused of spying on and intimidating his 18-year-old gay roommate Tyler Clementi by use of a hidden webcam, guilty of invasion of privacy, bias intimidation, witness tampering, hindering apprehension and tampering with physical evidence. more >>

A Christian undocumented immigrant from Indonesia facing deportation has been provided protection from a New Jersey church as his application for asylum remains in limbo and he fears persecution from Muslim extremists in his native homeland.

Saul Timisela, 44, escaped religious persecution at home 14 years ago and was living in the shadow of the law in the Garden State alongside a few dozen of his Christian countrymen in a similar situation, while the church's pastor, the Rev. Seth Kaper-Dale, has been fighting for the government to give the Indonesians a chance to re-apply for their asylum applications on the grounds that they are refugees.

Timisela was supposed to report to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Newark on Wednesday with documentation that, as he was reportedly told, was needed for furthering his Application for a Stay of Deportation or Removal, only to find out that he was to be deported the next day, Kaper-Dale told The Christian Post. Timisela's wife is currently living in hiding, as she never even filed for asylum, the pastor said. more >>