Pastors

Christian leader Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Seattle, Wash., continues to not shy away from hot-button topics by recently naming the six ways in which the Bible shows that sex is a gift from God.

Driscoll, who along with his wife, Grace, have been on tour across the U.S. talking about their recently released book, Real Marriage: The Truth About Sex, Friendship, and Life Together, published a blog post and video clip on Tuesday about his most recent discussion on sex from a biblical standpoint.

The book addresses issues that both Christians in general and pastors specifically are often hesitant to openly discuss - and his recent post does the same. more >>

A federal judge ruled in favor of Lakewood Church last Tuesday in a copyright court case involving Senior Pastor Joel Osteen and his wife, Victoria, versus Richard Cupolo and John Emanuele, who perform as indie music duo "American Dollar."

Cupolo and Emanuele filed the suit against the Osteens and Lakewood Church in August 2011, arguing that Lakewood Church continued to use the duo's song, "Signaling through the Flames," after the year-long copyright agreement had expired. The duo sought $3 million in damages.

A 58-second clip of the song was used in advertisements for the DVD "Supernatural," which features Joel Osteen offering inspirational words on God's plan for every individual. According to the music duo, their song continued to be featured in advertisements for the DVD after the one-year copyright contract had expired. more >>

Depression medicine sales have increased 400 percent in North America in the past 20 years yet churches are not talking about it, lamented one pastor.

NewSpring Church Pastor Perry Noble said that he never heard a sermon message on the subject of depression because "it's messy" and people "don't want to deal with that."

In a lot of church cultures, it's simply about making an appearance and looking good, said Noblesaid in his sermon this past Sunday. This type of culture fosters an inability for people to talk about real issues in the church, he noted during the second week of a sermon series called "Overwhelmed." more >>

NASHVILLE – Sex is a topic that should be discussed in church more than it currently is, said Chip Ingram, senior pastor of Venture Christian Church in California and president of Living on the Edge ministry.

The dependency between love and physical intimacy is an ongoing topic with which many couples struggle, Ingram told The Christian Post at the National Religious Broadcasters convention in Nashville, Tenn.

His latest tutorial, "House or Home?: Marriage Edition," revisits the topic of relationships and sex (the minister has already wrote two books about it, Love, Sex & Lasting Relationships and Sex 180). more >>

As New York Knicks sensation Jeremy Lin continues making sports headlines across the country and around the world, his Christian faith is also drawing praise from one of America's biggest megachurch pastors.

Joel Osteen, pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas, which draws 50,000 worshipers a week, remarked in an interview with Times Union that he is a big fan of both Lin and Denver Broncos quarterback Tim Tebow – even though he admits the athletes express their faith in notably different ways.

"He's humble. He's passionate. He's an underdog," Osteen said of Lin, the first-ever Chinese-American to make such a stir in the NBA. "I like what he stands for." more >>

Christians and church leaders should not be passive when it comes to politics or social issues, said author and pastor Robert Jeffress during an interview on Dr. James Dobson's Family Talk on Monday.

Jeffress, who is the senior pastor of the 10,000-member First Baptist Church of Dallas, said he disagrees with the old adage that says people should not mix politics with religion. He believes that God has called Christians to be an influence on society and that means engaging in political conversation about what is correct or wrong as taught in the Bible.

"I'm a teacher and a preacher of the Word of God, but I think when the Word of God touches and intersects with culture we shouldn't shrink away from it," Jeffress told Dobson and his co-hosts of the Christian radio show also available online. more >>