In his most recent sermon at First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, Pastor Robert Jeffress spoke on the recent controversy involving his church and NFL quarterback Tim Tebow, who last week announced that he was canceling his upcoming appearance at the Texas megachurch.

Jeffress, who has been described by some in the media as "anti-gay" for preaching the biblical teaching on homosexuality, ultimately said that the recent Tebow controversy has recommitted him to "God and the congregation," and the extensive media coverage has provided him with the opportunity to share the Gospel.

"We are not going to kneel to political correctness and convenience. We're going to stand up and boldly proclaim the grace of God and the truth of God, without compromise, so help me God that is my commitment," Jeffress told his congregation, which responded with applause. more >>

Michael Winans Jr., of the popular Gospel-singing Winans family, was sentenced this week to nearly 14 years in prison for taking advantage of "good, decent church-going people" in an $8 million ponzi scam carried out in Christian churches.

"Fraud on good, decent church-going people – that was very, very troubling to me," said U.S. District Judge Sean Cox in a Detroit, Mich., federal courtroom on Wednesday.

Cox had read some of the 50 letters written by Winans' victims, who say the 30-year-old Maryland native and Grammy nominee ruined their lives by convincing them from church pulpits that he would be investing their money in Saudi Arabian crude oil bonds. more >>

Best-selling author and pastor Rick Warren plans to give an exclusive preview and behind-the-scenes look at the production of "The Bible" TV series, created by Mark Burnett and his wife, Roma Downey, during a live webcast on Saturday. The event comes one day before the much-anticipated first episode premieres on the History Channel this Sunday.

The 90-minute simulcast hosted by Warren will feature an overview of the series with not-yet-seen portions of the series and the "why" behind the series with Burnett and Downey, according to Pastors.com, a website dedicated to providing guidance and resources for Christian leaders.

"One way to build a bridge between God's Word and the issues of our day is to tie a sermon series into some cultural event, something that has already caught the attention of many people," Warren stated. "For instance, when we enter the current economic crisis, I preached a series on God's principles for money management. It taught people that the Bible offers wise and practical advice on how to handle your finances. more >>

Bishop T.D. Jakes of The Potter's House in Dallas, Texas, appeared on "CBS This Morning" Tuesday to answer viewers' questions on forgiveness, but he also commented on the surprising resignation of Pope Benedict XVI from the papacy.

Jakes said he was "astounded" when he learned last week that Pope Benedict XVI would be retiring just eight years after succeeding the deceased Pope John Paul II, making the 85-year-old the first pontiff to resign in almost 600 years of the Roman Catholic Church's history.

"I think it was shocking because we haven't seen it for 600 years or so, but it is indicative of the times we live, that people are doing things in new ways and new capacities," said Jakes. "I take it at face value based on what we know so far." more >>

Judah Smith, pastor of The City Church in Seattle, Wash., appeared on Fox News Tuesday morning to discuss his new book, Jesus Is, and his relationship with mega-pop star Justin Bieber, who recently endorsed Smith's book to his nearly seven million social media followers.

When asked how he and Bieber first became friends, Pastor Smith told "Fox & Friends" hosts Alisyn Camerota, Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade, that he initially met the Canadian teen through his mother, Patricia "Pattie" Mallette.

"His mom called me about three years ago, and he was having a concert in Everett (Washington)," Smith explained. "Lo and behold he had heard me preach when he was younger in Toronto. I guess I used to put him to sleep. His mom said she'd play my tapes and he'd fall asleep." more >>

Indiana's largest megachurch, and America's 15th biggest congregation, the Family Christian Center, is now facing a new foreclosure case for a bank debt of more than $600,000.

Citing information from documents filed in Lake Superior Court last Tuesday, an nwitimes report said the First National Bank of Illinois filed the mortgage foreclosure case against the church, senior pastor Steve Munsey, the Internal Revenue Service and Sutton Place Condominiums. The church owed the bank $604,447.02, as of Jan. 4, according to the court records seen by nwitimes.

The Christian Post searched for the court documents on the county website, but the dockets were no longer available. more >>