Culture

A group of pro-family Christian and Jewish leaders – including many African-American pastors – plan to rally outside the offices of the Southern Poverty Law Center in Montgomery, Ala., Tuesday to protest the SPLC’s labeling of organizations, many of them faith-based, as "hate groups" due to their opposition to homosexuality and pro-gay agendas.

The SPLC categorizes "hate groups" as any organization in the nation that has "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristics."

The group of religious leaders believes the SPLC has wrongly applied that label to themselves and other members of the faith community.  more >>

Known primarily for producing tightly shot, viral videos of celebrity testimonies, the "I am Second" movement shifted into a literary phase for the first time by officially launching its book of the same name.

Although the book was released earlier this month, publishers Thomas Nelson, Inc., commemorated the national launch of the I am Second book with a party featuring well-known “Seconds” (individuals appearing on the videos) on Saturday.

The book shares further details on the testimonies of 22 individuals seen on iamsecond.com, including James and Jolee, 2010 American League MVP and Texas Rangers outfielder Josh Hamilton, surfer Bethany Hamilton, “The Biggest Loser” season six winner Michelle Aguilar, Ultimate Fighting Championship star Vitor Belfort, Grammy award-winning artist Michael W. Smith, and St. Louis Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. more >>

A chapter of the Occupy Wall Street movement may have helped a historic black church in Georgia get a modified loan, thereby saving the church from foreclosure.

Higher Ground Empowerment Center was given a second chance at avoiding foreclosure when BB&T agreed to craft a resolution that would allow the congregation to remain at the church, which has been open since 1903.

“BB&T is committed to continue to work with the Church until there is a mutually agreeable solution,” said David White of Corporate Communications for BB&T in a statement. more >>

The Ultimate Fighting Championship's Vitor "The Phenom" Belfort is a loving husband and father of three children outside the cage. Inside it, he's one of the most dangerous men in mixed martial arts (MMA).

Anthony "Rumble" Johnson found that out the hard way when he battled in Belfort's native Brazil on Saturday at "UFC 142" in Rio de Janeiro. It took Belfort just under five minutes to finish Johnson off with a chokehold for the submission victory. Cheered on by the crowd as a hometown hero, Belfort thanked Christ, his countrymen and his fans after Johnson gave up.

"Next to God and my family, my fans are one of the most important things to me," Belfort said after the match. "I had the whole country behind me and I could feel it in there tonight. Rio, America, all over – I love my fans." more >>

Determined to articulate God’s plan for sex within the context of marriage, Pastor Ed Young and his wife, Lisa, were nearly halfway through their 24-hour "bed-in" on their church’s rooftop Friday, when they realized their message was going to be harder to deliver than first thought.

Fully clothed and using a king-sized bed as a prop, the Youngs’ discussion on marriage, date nights, and without any graphic details, the importance of married couples having a good sexual relationship, was streamed live over the Web from Fellowship Church in Grapevine, Texas. The bed-in began at 6 a.m. and ended the same time on Saturday.

The method was used to also help promote their book Sexperiment: 7 Days to Lasting Intimacy with Your Spouse. Released on Tuesday, the book is aimed at serving as a catalyst for people to dialogue about sex and to challenge couples to make sex a priority in the marriage bed so they will remain united beyond the bed. more >>

Donations from Christian churches to charities affiliated with other faiths, such as Islam, have led some to wonder how far Christians should involve themselves in non-Christian charities and to what extent should they aid non-Christian religious groups.

In December of last year, Collegiate Church Corporation, a Christian charity located in New York, gave a much needed $100,000 donation to The Muslim Women's Institute for Research and Development, which oversees multiple food pantries that serve the needs of approximately 2,500 people.

Regarding whether Christians should aid non-Christian religious charities, Dr. Darrell L Bock, research professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, told The Christian Post that “strictly humanitarian aid” would be “appropriate.” more >>