Leadership

A military marriage is difficult to begin with, but having a spouse come home wounded from active duty adds incomprehensible strain. Operation Heal Our Patriots, a ministry of the Franklin-Graham-led Samaritan's Purse, will be the first program in the country to offer support for couples in such marriages.

The marriage enrichment program, featuring weeklong retreats to a remote, refurbished fishing camp in Alaska, begins next month with its first set of ten couples, each having a spouse with battle injuries – either visible or invisible.

"It's important that we are doing this now when the nation starts to focus on the winding down of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. These injuries that people are left with, whether they are visible injuries or the invisible injuries such as the PTSD or post-traumatic brain injury, these are going to continue for a long time," retired Marines Brigadier General Jim Walker told The Christian Post. more >>

A final vote by the Church of England on women bishops is set to go ahead in July, although protests from liberals this week threatened to push it back further.

Traditional voices within the Anglican community managed to get in some final amendments on Monday on a law being reviewed by the Church over the position of women in the clergy, which has angered liberals who stand in opposition to all-male priests and bishops.

The House of Bishops from the Church of England approved legislature on Monday paving the way for allowing women bishops, but only after including some key amendments for those holding more conservative theological views. Among the exceptions was a provision for those uncomfortable with women bishops to submit themselves to an alternative male bishop if they so choose. more >>

Pastors should not be afraid of offending their followers with the message that God hates divorce despite churches having congregations that often reflect the same alarming rate of divorce as the general population, said theologian and pastor John MacArthur.

"We have one responsibility as pastors and that is to teach the word of God. We don't have an alternative. We can't edit God. That's the wrong thing to do," said MacArthur during a recent broadcast on Focus on the Family Daily.

"We have been called into this ministry for the purpose of disseminating to our generation the truth of the word of God. We have no other message. I have no other message than what God has put in the word," he added while discussing the subject with FOTF President Jim Daly. more >>

Anti-bullying expert Paul Coughlin knows well what it is like to feel worthless. As a child he was abused in his own home.

"I was bullied by a parent and a sibling so I know what it does to a person. I know what it's like to not want to wake up the next day and you are just so miserable and you've been so humiliated, so torn up, you think you are worthless," said Coughlin, founder of The Protectors, an organization aimed at equipping children, parents, and school officials against the rising trend of bullying.

Founded in 2005, Protectors was born out of Coughlin's own experience and understanding of just how damaging bullying can be to a person's emotional and psychological wellbeing – damage that can negatively affect a person sometimes for the rest of their lives. more >>

Pastor Chuck Smith, widely recognized as a leader of the Jesus movement in the U.S. during the '60s and '70s, will be undergoing more radiation and drug therapy for his lung cancer, his family announced Monday.

Smith's tumor had been reduced in size after undergoing radiation and chemotherapy treatment that began earlier this year, but after doctors ruled out surgery recently he and his family decided on a treatment that combines more of the same and additional medication.

Last Sunday at Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Calif., Smith, 84, made the announcement to his church that his sister, Virginia Smith Fromm, had passed away that evening after a prolonged illness. more >>

STUDIO CITY, Calif. – The Hollywood entertainment industry has become increasingly aware of the growing market for faith-based films and entertainment, said movie producer DeVon Franklin at the Biola Media Conference at CBS Studios on Saturday.

Franklin, most recently noted for his role as producer of Whitney Houston's last movie, "Sparkle," was given the Biola Media Award at the 17th annual event based on his recent career success. Beginning as an intern 15 years ago, he currently serves as the Vice President of Production for Columbia Pictures, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment.

"I've seen that there has been a lot more acceptance of faith," said Franklin during a press conference after the event. "There's been more openness to it in terms of understanding the need to serve an underserved audience out there, specifically the faith-based audience. more >>