Number of U.S. Mosques Up 74% Since 2000

"The number of Islamic places of worship in the United States soared 74% in the past decade."

High Noon in Oxford: Dawkins vs the Archbishop

"In the blue corner, the leader of the Church of England. In the red corner, the world's most prominent critic of religion."

Ancient Biblical City 'Blooms' Again

"An ancient royal garden has come back into bloom in a way, as scientists have reconstructed what it would've looked like some 2,500 years ago in the kingdom of the biblical Judah."

Roman Empire Ran on Camel Power

"In a forthcoming report in the Journal of Archaeological Science, Belgian archeologists Fabienne Pigière and Denis Henrotay, report on the discovery of the bones of a Roman-era dromedary camel in Arlon, Belgium. And they inventory 22 sites in Northern Europe that have turned up camel bones from the Roman era."

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."

In 200-Year Tradition, Most Christian Missionaries are American

"The United State sent out 127,000 of the world's estimated 400,000 missionaries abroad in 2010, according to Todd Johnson, director of the Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in Massachusetts."

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."

The New Christian Abolition Movement

"Motivated in large part by their religious traditions of protecting the vulnerable and serving 'the least of these,' as Jesus instructed his followers to do in the Gospel of Matthew, World Relief and other Christian agencies like the Salvation Army are stepping up efforts and working with law enforcement to stem the flow of human trafficking, which includes sex trafficking and labor trafficking."

Excavated Gold Mine Could Have Belonged To Queen of Sheba

"A British excavation has struck archaeological gold with a discovery that may solve the mystery of where the Queen of Sheba derived her fabled treasures."

Home-Schooling Demographics Change, Expand

"Secular organizations across the country report their numbers are growing. Though government records indicate religion is still the driving force in home schooling, members of these organizations say the face of home schooling is changing, not because of faith, but because of what parents see as shortcomings in public and private schools."

Who are the Evangelicals?

Interesting article on Evangelicals

"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."

UK Christian Leaders Warn Religion is Being Pushed Out of Public Life

"They are recited at the beginning of Britain’s parliamentary sessions and many school assemblies, but Christian leaders fear prayers could be driven from public life after a court ruled that a council had acted unlawfully by allowing them at meetings."

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."

Radical U.S. Muslims Little Threat, Study Says

"The study found that arrests of Muslim Americans in plots or violent attacks have dropped sharply since 2009."

Churches Go Less Formal to Make People Comfortable

"Comfortable is a theme that's becoming common among churches taking advantage of new, non-traditional spaces. Across the country, churches are springing up in unexpected locations — movie theaters, skating rinks, strip malls and old warehouses, among others — in an effort to welcome people who may not feel comfortable in more traditional settings."