WASHINGTON – Generally identified in the polls as a candidate struggling to draw excitement, presidential contender Tim Pawlenty roused up a large faith audience Friday with strong talk on national defense and traditional values.

Like the other candidates to grace the stage at the Faith and Freedom Conference, Pawlenty denounced the government for overstepping its bounds in the work and health care sectors. Providing a solid national defense, however, is within the government's bounds, said the former governor of Minnesota. Given that role, he said he would take on the role of Commander-in-Chief with authority.

"We can't ... continue to be a great nation unless we're secure," he said. "Let's remember that the individuals and the mindset that perpetuated the horrible acts of September 11, 2001 that killed 3,000 or so of our fellow citizens, that mindset still exists and if they could have killed not 3,000, but 30,000 or 300,000 or 3 million, they would have," he stated. more >>

The number of people praying for their health jumped dramatically between 1999 and 2007, a study published by the American Psychological Association shows.

Health-related prayer increased by 36 percentage points, according to research printed in the May issue of the APA journal Psychology of Religion and Spirituality.

Comparing data from national health surveys given by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention in 1999, 2002 and 2007, researchers found that prayer in response to health concerns rose to 49 percent in 2007, up from 43 percent in 2002 and just 13 percent in 1999. more >>

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – U.S. Senator John Kerry warned Pakistan on Monday that "actions not words" are needed to tackle militant sanctuaries, as the two countries tried to salvage their relationship two weeks after the U.S. raid that killed Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. The two countries also principally agreed that they would “work together” in any future action against high-value targets in Pakistan.

“Our progress in the days ahead will be measured by actions, not words,” Senator Kerry said in a televised statement after a meeting with President Asif Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani.

“Ultimately, the Pakistani people will decide what kind of country Pakistan becomes, whether it is a haven for extremists or the tolerant democracy that Muhammad Ali Jinnah envisioned 64 years ago,” Kerry said. more >>

What do you get when you pair Lady Gaga with a young, homesick, God-fearing country singer from the south and tell them to work together?

"American Idol" fans found out last night.

Gaga mentored the remaining four contestants for their second song choices of the evening – songs that came from a list of hits from the Leiber & Stoller songbook. The duo wrote songs for performers such as Elvis, Ben E. King and The Searchers. more >>

When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy. Proverbs 11:10, NIV

We finally got him. Almost a decade after the horrific attacks of September 11, 2001, justice has been meted out to the mastermind of Islamic terror, Osama bin Laden.

 Though it may seem morbid to rejoice and celebrate over the killing of a person, his demise offers those afflicted by the tragedy of 9/11 an important sense of closure, and the men and women who have put their lives on the line in the War on Terror a feeling of great triumph. It also offers an opportunity for moderate Muslims to reclaim their faith from a man who hijacked it in the name of global jihad. more >>

In the several days following Osama bin Laden’s demise at the hands of U.S. Navy SEALs, teens and kids have been asking, “Who is Osama bin Laden?”

A Yahoo press release shows 66 percent of searches for basic information on bin Laden were by teenagers aged 13-17. Searches by teens also asked who killed bin Laden or how and why he died.

On Moody Radio’s May 3 program, “Chris Fabry Live,” host Fabry was discussing how Christians should feel about the death of bin Laden. more >>