The sprawling parking lots and 3,500-seat worship center at Saddleback Church in Orange County were empty during the five regularly scheduled service times last weekend. Pastor Rick Warren canceled them on purpose.

However, that didn’t mean that the church’s 20,000 members were necessarily avoiding God.

Several weeks ago, Warren asked his members to consider God’s second greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor as yourself,” (Matt. 22:39) and put faith into action by taking at least a half day on Saturday or Sunday (Dec. 10, 11) to perform acts of kindness in the communities across Southern California. more >>

A shocking new billboard in Auckland, New Zealand, depicts the Virgin Mary holding a positive home pregnancy test.

The "Mary is in the pink," billboard is owned by the St. Matthews-in-the-City Church. In a statement, St. Matthews says the billboard’s intention is to "avoid the sentimental” and “trite,” and "spark thought and conversation."

“It's trying to make people think about Christmas and to then think compassionately and kindly about people in a similar situation," Vicar Glynn Cardy of St. Matthews told local TV station 3 News. "It's about a real pregnancy, a real mother and a real child. It's about real anxiety, courage and hope." more >>

Christian funnyman Brad Stine has tossed out quips, one-liners and jests for over two decades. There's one thing he doesn't joke about, however, and that's taking the "Christ" out of "Christmas."

Once called "God's Comic" by The New Yorker, Stine says he can't imagine a world where laughter and God don't coexist. He's now defending his savior as the co-star of "Christmas with a Capital C," a holiday film recently released on DVD. In it, the small town of Trapper Falls, Alaska, is assaulted by secular interests looking to remove Christianity from Christmas. The resulting conflict, Stine says, is a fictional example of the culture clash present in America today.

In interview with The Christian Post, Stine reveals his belief that it 'tis the season to take a stand for God. Without our help, he argues, holiness will depart the holidays and that's no laughing matter. more >>

Pastors in New Haven, Conn. spoke out Tuesday after a vandal burned a Bible and damaged the electrical wires that powered the lights on a Christmas tree downtown.

“There is more than a war on Christmas going on in America. This is a war on Christ,” Todd Foster, pastor of Church on the Rock in New Haven, told The Christian Post via email on Tuesday. “The burning of a Bible underneath a Christmas tree was more than just a 'bah humbug' of a modern day Scrooge. It was a direct assault upon the holiday's religious foundation as the sentimental (rather than historical) commemoration of the birth of Christ.”

The 65-foot Norway spruce, which stands in an area called the Green in downtown New Haven, wasn't directly damaged in the early Monday morning fire, according to the city's legislative assistant Elizabeth Benton. The wires that funnel electricity to the tree's 20,000 LED lights, however, were melted and destroyed when the burning Bible was placed on them. more >>

As atheists push to remove traditional Nativity scenes from public squares and advertise their own skeptic displays, one Christian apologist is pushing back, calling their efforts misguided and misleading.

“The skeptic groups behind these annual ‘campaigns for unbelief’ either don’t know their history or are twisting the facts intentionally,” Christian apologist and author Dr. Alex McFarland said in a statement Monday.

“It’s wrong that many people are being misled by these campaigns, especially during a time when so many are spiritually seeking,” McFarland said. “Further, the atheist’s doubt-inducing disclaimers do not pass the muster of honest historical investigation.” more >>

Think again if you thought Christmas, and the coming of the Prince of Peace, would be reason to put partisan politics on hold in Washington. The exact opposite appears to be true.

President Obama began a string of Christmas-themed attacks, calling Senate and House Republicans “Grinches” last weekend for holding up tax cuts for the middle class.

House Republicans retaliated on the Internet with a YouTube video featuring not one but four Santas highlighting their efforts to pass bipartisan measures and attacking Democrats’ inability to pass legislation. The video ends with Obama and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Santa's naughty list. more >>