Chuck Colson and the Transforming Power of Grace

"Chuck Colson's swift journey from the White House to a penitentiary ended a life of accomplishment, writes Michael Gerson, only to begin a life of significance."

Dalai Lama Wins Templeton Prize in Science, Religion

"The annual honor, which comes with a $1.7 million award, goes to leading voices who address spiritual questions by drawing on science and religion."

Rowan Williams Quits as Anglican Leader, Says Successor Needs a “Rhino Skin”

"Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams, who has agonised about keeping his Anglican Communion from splitting over women and gay bishops and same-sex unions, announced unexpectedly on Friday that he would step down at the end of the year."

Irish Catholic Church Leaders Were Negligent About Abuse, Vatican Report Says

"A Vatican report on the sexual abuse of Irish children by Catholic clergy accused Ireland’s religious leaders of negligence and called for more reforms there to avoid a similarly 'shameful' scandal in the future."

Jury Selection to Begin in Philadelphia Archdiocese Scandal Case

"Jury selection begins Tuesday in the Philadelphia Catholic Archdiocese trial, a case experts have called one of the most sweeping sex abuse scandals in America."

Former GDR Activist Pastor Joachim Gauck to Become German President

"Joachim Gauck, a former anti-Communist human rights activist in East Germany who is set to become the next German president, is a moral authority to be reckoned with. The Lutheran pastor, who has been called Germany’s answer to Nelson Mandela, was one of a number of Protestant clerics who helped bring down the communist East German regime, setting the stage for the fall of the Berlin Wall and reunification in 1990."

Facing Death, a Top Pastor Rethinks What it Means to Be Christian

"Ed Dobson is not afraid of dying. It’s the getting there that really scares him. A former pastor, onetime Christian Right operative and an icon among religious leaders, Dobson has Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. When he was diagnosed, doctors gave him 3 to 5 years to live. That was 11 years ago."

"Monsignors' Mutiny" Revealed By Vatican Leaks

"Senior church officials interviewed this month said almost daily embarrassments that have put the Vatican on the defensive could force Pope Benedict to act to clean up the image of its administration - at a time when the church faces a deeper crisis of authority and relevance in the wider world."

Catholic Leaders to Use Internet Against Pedophiles

"Roman Catholic Church leaders unveiled an Internet teaching project on Thursday to help clergy around the world root out pedophiles in their ranks and protect children from potential abusers."

Corruption Scandal Shakes Vatican as Internal Letters on Crony Contracts Leaked

"The Vatican was shaken by a corruption scandal Thursday after an Italian television investigation said a former top official had been transferred against his will after complaining about irregularities in awarding contracts."

Catholic Bishop Gets Deal to Avoid Criminal Charges

"Bishop Robert Finn, the leader of the 134,000-member diocese, is the highest-ranking Catholic official ever to face U.S. criminal charges in a child sexual abuse case. . ."

Forbes: Most Powerful People 2011

"What do the president of the United States, the Dalai Lama, a billionaire drug dealer and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg all have in common? They are all featured on Forbes' annual ranking of the world’s most powerful people."

U.S. Bishop Is Charged With Failing to Report Abuse

"The indictment of Robert Finn is the first ever of a Roman Catholic bishop in the 25 years since the scandal over sexual abuse by priests first became public in the United States."

Interview with Max Lucado on Pastoral Authority

"His latest book, Max on Life: Answers and Insights to Your Most Important Questions (Nelson, 2010), is a series of questions and answers gleaned from his years at Oak Hills Church in San Antonio, Texas. Drew Dyck talked with Max about responding to tough questions and the best uses of a pastor's authority."

Ireland Unveils New Report on Catholic Child Abuse

"A new investigation into the Catholic Church's chronic cover-up of child abuse found Wednesday that a rural diocese and its bishop ignored Irish church rules requiring all suspected molestation cases to be reported to police — and the Vatican encouraged this concealment."

Half of U.S. Evangelical Leaders Gloomy About Future, Study Finds

"Half the world's evangelical Protestant leaders are optimistic about the future, confident that evangelical Christians have an increasing influence in their countries and that things will be better for them in five years. The other half are pessimists, convinced they're losing influence on the life of their countries and mostly not persuaded that things will be better for Christianity where they live in the future."

Human Hands, God's Fingerprints

"We asked pastors and worship planners how they design times of worship that lead to Christ-likeness, not just to more hard-to-please consumers of worship services."

Catholic Bishops Keep Abuse Prevention Policy

"The nation's Roman Catholic bishops on Thursday renewed their plan to prevent clergy sex abuse, making only minor revisions despite lapses in some dioceses that created pressure for more dramatic change."

Southern Baptists Adopt Plan to Appeal to Minorities

"With the election of a black pastor to a senior position this week and a new action plan to increase ethnic diversity in its leadership, the Southern Baptist Convention has taken its most concrete steps yet to overcome a history of racial exclusion and to broaden its appeal in a changing American population."

Study: Changes Of 1960s Behind Church's Abuse Crisis

"Why did the Roman Catholic Church experience a sexual abuse crisis? There are no simple answers, according to a five-year study by the John Jay College of Criminal Justice that was released on Wednesday. But the reasons suggested in the report are unlikely to satisfy critics of the church."