The Smithsonian Channel has announced that it will postpone a previously planned documentary for the "Jesus wife" papyrus after a leading Vatican newspaper joined theologians and scholars in suggesting that the text is possibly a fake.

"The Gospel of Jesus's Wife," the title of the documentary that was planned for Sept. 30, was being advertised as "one of the most significant discoveries of all time," by the Smithsonian Channel, but the website now says that the program is "not currently airing," giving no indication if or when it will air. A spokesman for Smithsonian has also noted that the program will be postponed "until the text undergoes further tests," The Washington Post reported.

The controversial papyrus was unveiled in September by Professor Karen King of Harvard Divinity School. King has claimed the papyrus is the only existing ancient text in which Jesus supposedly refers to having a wife, presumably by the name of Mary. Some of the translated passages from Coptic text include: "Jesus said to them," "My wife …" and "she will be able to be my disciple …" King has said that the document is possibly an early 2nd century document excavated in upper Egypt, and noted that she appreciates the discussion on the subject. more >>

Scientist Bill Nye, responding to criticism from creationist organizations of his opinion that children should only be taught evolution in schools, has said he also believes that the innovative process of America is threatened by a belief in creation.

"If we raise a generation of students who don't believe in the process of science, who think everything that we've come to know about nature and the universe can be dismissed by a few sentences translated into English from some ancient text, you're not going to continue to innovate," Nye said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

"The Science Guy," which Nye is better known as due to his 90s TV show, shared his views on Aug. 23 video titled "Bill Nye: Creationism Is Not Appropriate For Children," in which he defends the scientific theory of evolution as opposed to the belief of some Christians, who hold a literal interpretation of the Bible, that the Earth is only a few thousand years old. This led to some Christian groups, such as Answers in Genesis, to claim that Nye is misguided and that the world was created exactly the way it is described in the Bible. more >>

Evolutionary biologist and best-selling author Richard Dawkins has had a new genus of fish in Sri Lanka named after him after a researcher credited the British atheist for his "rational explanations" of the universe.

The fish, which had been previously classified under the genus Puntius before given their own distinction, were identified by lead researcher Rohan Pethiyagoda, an ichthyologist and internationally acclaimed conservationist. The sea animals in question are found only in South Asia, and have distinctive long filaments that trail from the dorsal fins of males.

"Richard Dawkins has through his writings helped us understand that the universe is far more beautiful and awe-inspiring than any religion has imagined," Pethiyagoda expressed on Monday. more >>

Scientists in Switzerland announced on July 4 that they had finally made remarkable progress in their search for the Higgs Boson particle, a particle physicists believe holds the answer to how the universe came into being.

Some have suggested that the "God particle," as it is also called, could put an end to arguments supporting creationism, while others insist the hunt to prove the Big Bang theory actually complements the biblical account.

Here are some facts about the 40-year project and what its most recent "discovery" may mean. more >>

Editor's note: In part three, the final installment of CP's series on evangelicals and climate change, the focus is on an argument by skeptics that opportunities are being lost to help the poor because of a focus on global warming.

Global warming skeptics argue that while global warming activists say that reducing carbon dioxide emissions is necessary to protect the poor and vulnerable, the science is so iffy and the cost of control so high that money would be better spent on direct aid to the poor.

The Cornwall Alliance is the primary organization representing this view. In 2006, Cornwall Alliance published a document, "A Call to Truth, Prudence, and Protection of the Poor: An Evangelical Response to Global Warming," that was a direct response to the Evangelical Climate Initiative's "Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action," discussed in part two of this series. In an interview with The Christian Post, Dr. E. Calvin Beisner explained his belief that the global warming caused by burning fossil fuels will be small and may have more benefits than harms to the environment. Beisner, a former theology professor and economics professor, is the founder and national spokesperson for Cornwall Alliance. more >>

A new investigative film seeking to answer one of life's most mysterious questions has brought together a team of experts, ranging from NASA scientists and Nobel Prize recipients, to share their perspectives on creation from a Roman Catholic worldview.

"Has science really disproven the existence of God? No – but for generations many scientists have ignored the concept of creation because doing otherwise would raise the question…of a Creator," a synopsis for the film proposes. "Today, however, we have compelling evidence – from science itself – for a beginning and fine-tuning of the universe. The insights are complementary, and that very fact provides evidence of a transcendent, intelligent Creator."

The 49-minute film, from Executive Producer Fr. Robert Spitzer and Ignatius Press, features a number of experts exploring how modern scientific theories try to answer the question of how life and the universe began, and promises that "viewers (will) learn that modern scientific paths point toward a very Catholic understanding of how we came to be." more >>