church news stories on Newser

Church Sues Woman Over Bad Google Review

Matt Cantor — Tue, 15 May 2012 16:40:33 CDT

An Oregon church is suing a woman who called the place a "cult" in a Google review. The defamation suit is seeking $500,000 after Julie Anne Smith allegedly accused the "creepy" church of "indoctrination," reports the Raw Story . "Don’t waste your precious lives and relationships being held emotionally/spiritually captive...

Child Killed in Easter Church Collapse

Mary Papenfuss — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 00:27:53 CDT

A 6-year-old child was killed and 32 people were injured when the first floor of a building in France used as a church popular with the Haitian community collapsed during an Easter celebration north of Paris. Some 100 worshipers were evacuated after the tragedy in the middle of an afternoon...

Church Staged Teen Kidnap to Teach Persecution

Mary Papenfuss — Tue, 27 Mar 2012 01:05:59 CDT

County prosecutors are investigating mock "abductions" orchestrated by a Pennsylvania church that left one 14-year-old girl bruised, battered, and terrified, according to authorities. The horrifying ordeal was intended to teach the unsuspecting teens at the Glad Tidings Assembly of God in Middletown about persecution of Christian missionaries, reports the Daily...

Netherlands' Angel Statue Will Take Your Call

Matt Cantor — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 15:59:51 CST

A Dutch town has a guardian angel—and her cell phone gets 30 calls a day. The Little Angel, a sculpture outside the ancient St. John the Evangelist Cathedral in 'S Hertogenbosch, was born out of a 1997 design contest to replace the church's worn-down figures. In addition to the...

In Ohio, a Drive-Thru Ash Wednesday

Dustin Lushing — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:52:21 CST

No time for church, but still want to observe Ash Wednesday today? A Cincinnati church has the answer for its harried faithful: A drive-thru. The Mt. Healthy Methodist Church will today offer up ashes and a blessing in its parking lot between 5 and 6pm, reports the Enquirer , and you...

Igloo Church Opens in Bavaria

Rob Quinn — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 08:59:05 CST

Bavarian villagers have built a church of snow and ice, a century after their forebears did the same to protest the town's lack of a place of worship. The 65-foot long church in the mountain village of Mitterfirmiansreut was built using 49,000 cubic feet of snow, as well as...

Church Ad Shows Mary Taking Pregnancy Test

Rob Quinn — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 04:35:13 CST

A church in Auckland, New Zealand, has irked traditionalists with a billboard showing a shocked Virgin Mary looking at a pregnancy test. St. Matthew-in-the-City Church says the portrait was intended to “spark thought and conversation in the community." Christmas is "about a real pregnancy, a real mother and a real...

Pastor Dumps Interracial Couple Ban

Matt Cantor — Mon, 05 Dec 2011 06:24:12 CST

A Kentucky pastor has nullified a vote by his church to ban interracial couples , he says. “As far as I'm concerned and the church is concerned, this case will be closed as of tomorrow,” said Stacy Stepp on Saturday, after raising the issue with a council of local church leaders....

Kentucky Church Bars Interracial Couples

Evann Gastaldo — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 09:28:16 CST

Yes, it is the 21st century … but apparently not in Pike County, Kentucky, where a small Baptist church has barred interracial couples from becoming members or participating in certain church activities. It all started back in June, when Stella Harville, who is white, brought fiancé Ticha Chikuni, who is...