NEW YORK — MC Jin, born Jin Au-Yeung, recently spoke with The Christian Post about his transition from the days of pursuing fame as a Ruff Ryder and BET freestyle champion, to finding God and success during a nearly four-year stay in Hong Kong. The Chinese-American rapper, now back in New York, also spoke with CP about refocusing his hip-hop career with the goal of making an impact for Christ.

While much of his success has been overseas in Hong Kong, with various TV and movie roles, hosting gigs and endorsement deals, Jin hasn't been forgotten by fans and admirers watching him stateside. Since his return to NYC last summer, he has appeared on collaborative tracks and spoken and performed at conferences and music festivals alongside other popular artists like Da' T.R.U.T.H. and Lecrae.

Grateful that his reception outside of Hong Kong has been mostly positive, there nonetheless have been enough critics for Jin to take notice, with some saying his music is "too Christian" and others saying that it's "not Christian enough." more >>

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., will appear at Georgetown University's Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs next week to discuss religious freedom at a time when individuals and institutions are being challenged about putting their faith into public practice.

The discussion at Berkley Center is scheduled for Tuesday, Feb. 12, and will feature Warren as well as Timothy Shah, the associate director of the Religious Freedom Project at the center which is sponsoring the event.

Shah told The Christian Post Thursday that Warren was invited to the discussion because the megachurch pastor and best-selling author "is a leading voice in America on behalf of religious freedom for all people, both here and abroad." more >>

NEW YORK – Ten years ago at age 20, Jin Au-Yeung, otherwise known as MC Jin or just Jin, became the first Chinese solo rapper to sign with a major record label, a deal birthed from his equally historic freestyle rap battles on BET's "106 & Park." Suddenly, he was everywhere — in magazines and movies, on other artists' albums. Jin had finally arrived — or so he thought.

"I [had] just signed a record deal [with Ruff Ryders], pretty much had all the things I had dreamed and desired for ever since the age of 16," Jin told The Christian Post in a recent interview. "At the age of like 16, 17 during my high school years, I had the most conscious and dedicated and committed mindset in terms of these are the things that I'm pursuing: a rap career, stardom, fame, money, finances, girls, houses, cars."

The New York City rapper, who had moved from Miami to pursue his dreams, wanted to take care of his family as well. more >>

Seattle megachurch pastor Mark Driscoll recently came to the defense of fellow Christian minister Joel Osteen, while admitting that his "Reformed brothers like to treat Pastor Joel like a pinata."

In a recent interview with The Gospel Coalition, the Mars Hill Church pastor was asked to comment on a segment of his new book, Who Do You Think You Are?, that mentions "appreciated people" who "exchange grumbling for praying, competing for celebrating, bitterness for thankfulness, performing for serving, and boasting for encouraging."

The interviewer, TGC's associate editor Matt Smethurst, asked Driscoll, "What's an 'appreciated person'? Isn't that what Joel Osteen wants me to be?" more >>

Although some people poke fun at professional athletes like Ray Lewis, who glorified God throughout his journey to the Super Bowl, a new study has found that Americans look to these types of high-profile individuals more than they do to faith leaders for inspiration.

The Barna Group, a market research firm that specializes in studying religious beliefs among Americans and how they impact faith and culture, recently released a study claiming that athletes have more influence than pastors. An estimated two-thirds of Americans- about 64 percent- believe that professional athletes influence people in American society more than professional faith leaders, according to the report released on the Barna Group website.

This belief seems to be most prevalent among whites, parents, people who have graduated college and those who make more than $60,000 a year. However, some still believe that faith leaders impact their lives the most, including those who attend church weekly and take in earnings of less than $40,000 each year. more >>

Evangelicals who have come together to support immigration reform have expressed concern over the White House's decision to include support for same-sex couples in their official immigration proposal.

While not mentioning the issue during his Tuesday speech demanding comprehensive immigration reform, President Barack Obama's proposal does include measures that pertain to same-sex couples.

The Rev. Gabriel Salguero, president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, told The Christian Post that he questioned the inclusion of another hot button issue in an already tense subject. more >>