French Court Convicts Church of Scientology of Fraud

"A three-judge panel at the Correctional Court in Paris convicted the church and six of its members of organized fraud, but stopped short of banning the church, as prosecutors had asked. The court also fined the members as much as 400,000 euros ($595,000) each and sentenced them to as much as two years in prison, though the sentences were suspended."

Anglican Deal May Lead to Married Priests

"The Vatican's attempts to heal the centuries-old rift with the Anglican Church may have a consequence nobody intended: an end to celibacy for priests. By offering a new Anglican rite under the umbrella of Catholicism, Pope Benedict XVI has invited married Anglican clergy into the fold—and cracked open the possibility of the same for Catholic priests."

Vatican Makes Anglicans an Offer: Come Back to the Church

"The Vatican has opened an express lane to traditional Anglicans — unhappy with their own church's moves toward accepting female and gay bishops — to reunite with the Roman Catholic Church their forefathers left nearly 500 years ago."

Church of Sweden to Conduct Gay Weddings

"The Lutheran Church of Sweden, of which 74 percent of Swedes are members, announced Thursday it will conduct wedding ceremonies for homosexuals."

Survey Shows Decline in Pastoral Salaries and Benefits

"About half the nation's full-time pastors report they received no salary increase in the past year, continuing a downturn in salaries among top leaders in churches, according to a new survey published by Christianity Today International and Leadership. In fact, the extensive survey, published in the 2010-2011 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff, shows a slight decline or stall in pay levels for the majority of all church staff positions surveyed."

New Research Explores How Different Generations View and Use the Bible

"A new research report from the Barna Group examines recent nationwide studies on how different generations of American adults view and use the Bible. For the purposes of this research, the Mosaic generation refers to adults who are currently ages 18 to 25; Busters are those ages 26 to 44; Boomers are 45 to 63; and Elders are 64-plus."

Atheists Split Over How Mean to Be to Faithful

"Can a non-religion schism? Maybe that’s too dramatic a phrase, but there’s a rift growing between so-called 'new atheists,' who favor an aggressive, mocking stance toward religion, and the old live-and-let-live kind."