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 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. . ."

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."

Presbyterian Church U.S.A. to Allow Gay and Lesbian Clergy

"The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) on Tuesday voted to allow the ordination of openly gay and lesbian ministers."

Nicky Cruz: David Wilkerson 'Never Lost His Heart'

"Wilkerson 'never lost his heart' for the world's needy people, Cruz said. The two of them worked together to run Teen Challenge, a network of rehabilitation centers dedicated to healing drug and alcohol addiction and other 'life-controlling problems.' Later, Wilkerson moved back to New York to start Times Square Church, and Cruz set out on his own evangelistic ministry."

Philadelphia Fears Abusive Priests Are Still Active

"Three weeks after a scathing grand jury report accused the Philadelphia Archdiocese of providing safe haven for as many as 37 priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse or inappropriate behavior toward minors, most of those priests remain active in the ministry."

Obama Delivers Major Speech on Personal Faith

"President Barack Obama gave an unusually personal speech about his religious faith on Thursday, saying that 'it is the biblical injunction to serve the least of these that keeps me going and keeps me from being overwhelmed,' in address to a prayer breakfast in Washington."

Leadership That Works: A Study of Theological School Presidents

"Character is a better predictor of seminary presidents’ success than credentials are, according to a new study by Auburn Theological Seminary, in New York, based on surveys of seminary administrators and campus visits. A report on the study, “Leadership That Works,” recommends that seminaries set a strategic direction before a presidential search begins, and then focus on candidates’ character and capacity."

A New Leader Confronts Catholics’ Disaffection

"Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of New York, elected president of the nation’s Roman Catholic bishops last week, said Monday that the bishops faced the urgent task of stopping the huge exodus of Roman Catholics from the church of their birth."

Pope Takes Vatican's Biggest Step to Revive Christianity

"Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday outlined his most tangible initiative yet to try to revive Christianity, creating a Vatican office for re-evangelizing Europe and other traditionally Christian regions where the faith is falling by the wayside."