Texas

Bishop T.D. Jakes, senior pastor of The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, spoke to CNN's Don Lemon over the weekend, commenting on sex abuse scandals, the economy and politics.

Lemon used the occasion to ask the popular evangelist, author and filmmaker his viewpoints on the "Occupy Wall Street" (OWS) movement that has been swooping through the country since mid-September.

"I'm glad to live in a country where we have the freedom of expression and where we can express ourselves in non-violent ways,” the bishop said. “For the most part they [the OWS protesters] have done a great job with that.” more >>

Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House in Dallas recently addressed the impending divorce of Georgia televangelist Bishop Eddie Long, saying his prayers are with the couple.

"For people who are high-profile, like yourself, like me, him or others, it's very difficult to maintain a private life when you are living in a fishbowl all the time," Jakes told CNN's Don Lemon on Saturday. "Sometimes you need to cut off all the lights and put your priorities back into alignment. And my prayers are that the Longs will use this opportunity to get that done."

Long, the founding pastor of New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Atlanta, Ga., announced on Dec. 4 that he is leaving the pulpit for a while, to focus on his personal life, after his wife made it public news that she has filed for a divorce. more >>

The governing board at the Texas Department of Vehicles approved a Calvary Hill license plate featuring the slogan “One State Under God,” resulting in both praise and disappointment from supporters and opponents.

By a 4-3 vote on Thursday, the state board decided to allow the religious design created by Glory Gang, a nonprofit youth organization, to be accepted into their specialty plate program, angering some who felt the state was favoring one religion over another.

“It’s become pretty clear that our governor [Rick Perry] is dismissive of religious beliefs other than his own, and now his governmental appointees have voted to send a message that Texas is unwelcoming to the religious faiths of some of its citizens,” Texas Freedom Network President Kathy Miller said in a statement. more >>

Texas native Lauren Scruggs is trusting in Jesus after accidentally walking into an airplane propeller on Saturday night and suffering severe injuries, her parents told ABC’s “Good Morning America” Tuesday.

Scruggs, 23, was disembarking a small propeller plane at Aero County Airport in McKinney, Texas, after she and a friend had circled the area to see Christmas lights. Scruggs’s father, Jeff, told "Good Morning America" that the family suspects Lauren turned around to thank the pilot and unknowingly walked into the propeller.

Scruggs suffered serious injuries, including severe damage to the left side of her head, shoulder and arm. more >>

A biology professor at the University of Texas filed a formal complaint to remove a Christian research organization from a charity program sponsored by the state.

Texas State Employee Charitable Campaign allows all state employees to give to a charity of their choice each fall. The charities are pre-selected and approved by the state every year after an extensive review process.

The Institute for Creation Research, a 41-year-old nonprofit educational organization based in Dallas, which promotes a biblical view of creation, was among one of the charities in the program approved for two years by the state. more >>

It was a small cross, but it has created a big debate in San Antonio.

The “Torre de Esperanza,” or Tower of Hope, stands close to the entrance of Texas A&M University-San Antonio. The tower’s private owners put a small cross on the structure consistent with its Spanish mission-style design. They also allowed the school to put its seal on the structure. The cross, however, was recently removed.

The ACLU of Texas said the developer of the tower, Ralph Lampman of the VTLM Group, ordered the crosses removed after a TAMU-SA faculty member complained about the religious symbol. Criminology professor Sissy Bradford questioned the placement as a First Amendment violation. more >>