Hot country trio founded on faith

Hot country trio founded on faith, Edens Edge, makes an appearance on Fox & Friends Weekend.

http://video.foxnews.com/v/1692182702001/hot-country-trio-founded-on-faith/?playlist_id=86871&intcmp=obnetwork

Ridley Scott Reveals Plans for Moses Film, Calls Religion 'Source of Evil'

Director Ridley Scott revealed that he is planning a movie about Moses, and shared that he is skeptical of religion, calling it "the biggest source of evil."

Previewing his latest movie, "Prometheus," a prequel to his 1979 sci-fi classic "Alien," Scott discussed religion in an interview with Esquire magazine, published online this week, as well as brief details about the Moses film. The director, who is also known for the films "Blade Runner" and "Gladiator," explained that he wants to take a unique, personal approach to the movie.

However, no details about the film have yet been announced, as it is not officially under production, and the director admitted that he wasn't supposed to talk about it yet.

"No, I've got something else in the works. I'm already doing it. It's called Moses," Scott responded to a question about possibly filming a movie about the Virgin Mary.

"Seriously, seriously. It's going to happen," he added, but remarked: "I probably shouldn't have let that slip out. I'm not supposed to say anything."

"It's definitely in the cards, though," he noted. "What's interesting to me about Moses isn't the big stuff that everybody knows. It's things like his relationship with Ramses [II, the pharaoh]. I honestly wasn't paying attention in school when I was told the story of Moses. Some of the details of his life are extraordinary," Scott said.

Earlier in the interview, Esquire commented on an "Old Testament" vibe in the movie "Prometheus," to which Scott replied, "Great. Then I've done my job."

"I'm really intrigued by those eternal questions of creation and belief and faith. I don't care who you are, it's what we all think about. It's in the back of all our minds," the director added.

When asked about a scene from the "Prometheus" that tests how much one can hold on to faith in bad times, the director projected his skepticism concerning religions.

"I do despair. That's a heavy word, but picking up a newspaper every day, how can you not despair at what's happening in the world, and how we're represented as human beings? The disappointments and corruption are dismaying at every level. And the biggest source of evil is of course religion," Scott said.

"Everyone is tearing each other apart in the name of their personal god. And the irony is, by definition, they're probably worshiping the same god," he added.

A potential Ridley Scott Moses film would only add to a line-up of big-budget Hollywood biblical epics that are rumored to be on the way. Steven Spielberg will be coming out with his own Moses movie, although that one is said to be bigger in scale and focus on the wider Old Testament story. Darren Aronofsky, who directed "The Fountain," "The Wrestler" and "Black Swan," is planning, on the other hand, a film on the story of Noah and the Great Flood.

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Mary Mary's TV Show Renewed

Mary Mary's hit TV show, "Mary Mary," has just been renewed for a second season on cable network WE tv.

PFR Reunites for 12 in 12

On the 20th anniversary of its Grammy-nominated album debut, Pray For Rain, Dove Award-winning Christian rock band PFR has reunited and is prepping for the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour, their first national tour since 1997. Concerts will take the band to Portland, Ore., Kansas City, Nashville, Indianapolis, Chicago, Atlanta, and the Arizona cities of Tucson, Phoenix and Flagstaff. For the tour, the legendary band has partnered with ChildFund International to encourage sponsorship of special needs children throughout the world.

PFR chose to work with ChildFund, in part, because of bass player and vocalist Patrick Andrew's personal story as the father of two special needs children. Because ChildFund utilizes a unique organizational structure, there is only one donor per child, so each donor is able to build a personal, one-to-one relationship with their sponsored child. "This is so hard on a family to go through, and we have the best doctors, hospitals and equipment," explains Andrew, whose youngest son, Samuel, fights an autoimmune disease, and oldest son, Everett, lives with autism. "I can't imagine what it is like for a family in a less fortunate part of the world to watch their child go through an illness and not be able to make sure that they have the best care. ChildFund has offered us the opportunity to offer sponsorships for special needs kids, and that's really exciting for me."

"It's been 20 years since we released our very first album, Pray for Rain," says frontman/guitarist Joel Hanson. "This new tour feels like a really good way to celebrate the music and the bond that has held us and our fans together all these years." "We've had this conversation about touring again for several years," adds drummer Mark Nash. "Occasionally we've gotten together to do a show. We're still really good friends, and when we are on stage that same chemistry and energy is still there."

A fundraising concert for Andrew's son in November 2011 brought the former bandmates together, "the catalyst," Hanson says, to booking the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour. "So we thought we'd play the numbers game - 2012. Twenty years since our first record, 12 shows," he says, "but then we realized (and we are happy to say) that there seems to be interest out there, so we decided that we are going to keep going - 12 in 2012…And Beyond - as long as the requests keep coming in."

With the new tour in the works, Hanson, Andrew and Nash find themselves recharged and re-energized with new music and old favorites to share with their legion of fans. "This is our chance to play all the songs that people loved and it gives us the opportunity to share our story," Hanson says. "Things have been beautiful and things have been difficult, but we're still here, walking out what we believe."

"Looking back over 20 years of making music, one thing that is important for us to convey is that God's word is true," Andrew says. "It was true when we wrote those songs, and it is true today. Even in our naiveté, we sang about truths that were Biblically accurate. People's lives were changed by some of these songs, but it wasn't because of us; it was God speaking through us. We were just a bunch of kids having fun."

To learn more of the story of the 12 in 2012…And Beyond Tour, view PFR's video at vimeo.com/42889832 or visit pfr12in2012.com. 

The Gospel of Stephen King

Rev. Paul F.M. Zahl argues that there’s a lot of faith behind Stephen King's fright.

Zahl says some of the most stirring affirmations of Christian faith can be found in the chilling stories of King. The horror master has been preaching sermons to millions of readers for years, only most of King’s fans don’t know it, he says.

“People tend to think that Stephen King is anti-religious because he is a horror writer, but that’s completely mistaken,” says Zahl, a retired Episcopal priest who has written about King’s religious sensibility for Christianity Today magazine. “Several of his books are parables of grace in action.”

Want to read a powerful meditation on Jesus’ sacrificial love? Check out how King links the death of the mammoth death row inmate John Coffey (note the initials, J.C.) to Jesus’ crucifixion in “The Green Mile.” King’s “Storm of the Century” is a creepy retelling of Jesus’ eerie encounter with the demon called “Legion” in the  Gospel of Mark’s fifth chapter. And King’s epic apocalyptic novel, “The Stand,” reads like a contemporary retelling of the Book of Revelation, with a little Exodus thrown in, Zahl says.

Zahl’s claim about King's faith may sound ludicrous. Yet there is an actual body of literature devoted to King’s religious sensibility. Several pastors and authors say King displays a sophisticated grasp of theology in his books, and his stories are stuffed with biblical references and story lines taken straight from the Bible.

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Sanctus Real Escapes Burning Bus Without Harm

Members of rock band Sanctus Real and their crew and family members escaped harm when their tour bus caught fire on the road early this morning.

Nine adults and four children were aboard the 1999 Prevost, returning from a show in Maryland, when driver Stephanie Heisinger looked in the mirror around 4 a.m. and saw flames coming out of the rear passenger-side engine compartment.

She pulled the bus over and ran to the back shouting for everybody to get off, then grabbed her phone and dialed 911.

Police arrived in about 10 minutes and firefighters began arriving in 15 to 20 minutes, Ms. Heisinger and band member Chris Rohman said.

One firefighter was injured and the westbound lanes of the Pennsylvania Turnpike were closed for four hours while firefighters battled the blaze and smouldering wreckage.

The bus was a total loss, but the band’s musical gear was in a separate trailer and undamaged, Chris said.

“We’re very thankful for God’s protection because it could have been much worse,” Ms. Heisinger said.

Because many people have expressed an interest in supporting the band with this unexpected loss of transportation, clothing, and technology, they have set up a non tax-deductible means to donate.