Family issues

Hollywood would have people believe that sex and nudity sell at the box office. But a recent study shows statistically sex scenes do not translate to ticket sales.

Dean Keith Simonton, professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis and independent Vancouver-based researcher Anemone Cerridwen analyzed data for 914 films released between 2001 and 2005. Their conclusions on the effects of nudity and sex scenes on ticket sales and critical reviews were published in the latest issue of the journal of “Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts,” a publication of the American Psychological Association.

“All in all, it appears that sex may neither sell nor impress,” write the authors in their article, “Sex Doesn’t Sell – nor Impress! Content, Box Office, Critics, and Awards in Mainstream Cinema.” more >>

Evangelical leaders across the nation on Tuesday participated in prayer vigil events to call for comprehensive immigration reform.

The vigils took place in six cities where immigration policy is especially contentious: Phoenix; Denver; Santa Ana, Calif.; Chicago; Memphis, Tenn.; and Miami. The largest event occurred in Phoenix where more than 120 evangelical leaders from across the country gathered for a “Day of Education, Witness and Action” on immigration reform.

"The broken immigration system has taken a heavy local toll, and many call Phoenix ‘ground zero’ for immigration issues," said Kit Danley, president of Neighborhood Ministries, the host group in Phoenix. "Our brothers and sisters in Christ from around the country are standing in solidarity with us to call for something better, something more fair, something more compassionate." more >>

Gayle Haggard, wife of former evangelical leader Ted Haggard, will appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show” next week to promote her new book on why she decided to stay in her marriage.

Her book, Why I stayed: The Choices I Made in My Darkest Hour, is being released on the same day – Jan. 26 – as her appearance on the Oprah show, according to Colorado Springs, Colo.-based The Gazette.

In the book, Haggard recalls how she felt after it was discovered that her husband, the father of her five children and the pastor of one of the largest churches in the nation, was having an affair with a Denver male escort. more >>

For the first time ever, avatars will join the tens of thousands of pro-life Americans on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., for the March for Life rally.

Americans United for Life is offering pro-life Americans who cannot make it to Washington, D.C., on Friday the opportunity to still be part of the march through their own avatar in a Virtual March for Life. Virtual marchers can locate their avatars among the thousands of icons on the National Mall by typing in their e-mail address.

As of Tuesday morning, more than 22,000 Americans have already joined the march online. more >>

Pastors across the country are repenting for the little they've been doing to address marriage needs in the church and are committing themselves to no longer stand idly by.

The blame for the high divorce rate in the United States, the increasing number of out-of-wedlock births and the falling percentage of adults getting married does not fall on secular society, they say. It falls on the church.

"The church hasn't done a good enough job," prominent evangelical Chuck Colson said Wednesday during a webinar promoting the upcoming National Marriage Week. "We can turn marriage around in America but believe me, if we are ever going to do it we've got to start with the church." more >>