Jon Stewart Challenges Famed Atheist Richard Dawkins on His Perspective on Religion

Famed atheist Richard Dawkins appeared on “The Daily Show” last night to discuss his new book and his views on science and religion. From doubling down on his contention that “we are apes” to attempting to explain what happens after human beings die, the evolutionary biologist touted some of his familiar talking points — but host Jon Stewart didn't just sit there nodding in agreement.

Throughout the interview, the Comedy Central host challenged the biologist’s many contentions. At the center of the discussion was a key question posed by Stewart: “Do you believe that the end of our civilization will be through religious strife or scientific advancement?”

“The answer is probably both. Science provides in the form of technology — weapons which hitherto have been only available to reasonably responsible governments are likely to become available to nutcases who believe that their God requires them to reap havoc and destruction,” he responded.

But Stewart challenged this notion, charging that this framing of the issue lets science off the hook when claiming that only the religious could or would do something to cause worldwide catastrophe. He pondered whether science run amok could, on its own, create similar results.

Dawkins conceded that this could be possible, as “science is the most powerful way to do whatever it is you want to do” — both good and bad.

And later, the host pushed even harder on the faith front, noting that scientists likely also embrace the notion that there is something greater out there — something that mankind simply doesn't understand yet. T

“Isn’t the job of a scientist, in some ways, to have faith that there’s something out there that we don’t understand yet?,” asked Stewart. “The loss of faith — wouldn't that steal something essentially human from scientific pursuit?”

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Lead Singer Departs Family Force 5

Family Force 5 has a devoted fan base that has faithfully followed the band for the last eight years. Throughout its career, the band has established itself as a successful artist, independently selling more than 250,000 units. The band shared a personal letter with its fans announcing the line-up change from frontman Solomon Olds to his brother (previously the drummer) Jacob Olds.

The band also announces new drummer Teddy Boldt to take Jacob's place as he transitions into the role as frontman for Family Force 5. The band is working on its fourth studio album, releasing in 2014, and Solomon will continue to help co-write with the band as he takes time to be at home pursuing other creative roles. He performed his last show as lead vocalist on Saturday in Shippensburg, PA.

    As a family that has played together and prayed together for countless years, we know that our fans expect Family Force 5 to continuously evolve. It is out of respect to that encouraging sentiment that we will be making changes in the line-up of Family Force 5. As of today, Solomon will be coming off the road, and Jacob will be transitioning into the position of lead singer.
    Our family, inclusive of our fans, has been blessed by the adventure of making music and performing globally for the last 8 years, and this development is a continuation of that journey: one that finds tremendous growth and change. Solomon will remain within arms reach, as he takes time to be at home with his wife and son, while also pursuing his creative ambitions of co-writing and remixing. In addition, he will continue to be a part of FF5's songwriting team, as we are daily creating new material that could potentially blow up your stereo speakers.
    Throughout the last several months, the five of us have been in Los Angeles writing and recording some of our best music to date, and we are thrilled to be moving toward the release of our fourth studio recording in early 2014. We are also proud to welcome our talented new drummer Teddy Boldt into the fold, and we look forward to hearing all of your remarks about his impressive drumming skills and his extraordinarily colorful suits. The new lineup has been hard at work in a sweaty rehearsal space, woodshedding in preparation of elevating the live show to levels that we previously considered impossible. Prepare yourself for dueling drum-beats and space-boot leans as we uncover the fun-loving, reinvigorated version of Family Force 5 that will make you remember why you fell in love with the band in the first place.
    Thank you for everything, and we look forward to getting cray with each and every one of you.
    Family Force 5 

Amy Grant and Kirk Franklin To Host The Dove Awards

The GMA announces Amy Grant and Kirk Franklin as hosts for the 44th Annual GMA Dove Awards. The awards show will take place on October 15 in Nashville, Tennessee. The show will be broadcast on Monday, October 21st at 8:00pm ET exclusively on UP.

In addition to the awards show host, past Dove Award winners and nominees, Gaither Vocal Band, Michael W. Smith, Tamela Mann and TobyMac are the first announced performers.

The first round of presenters confirmed includes Jaci Velasquez, Lecrae and Pastor Rick Warren.

Jonny Lang Set to Release First Studio CD in 7 Years

It's been seven years since Jonny Lang released a new studio album but the wait ends on September 17 as Lang releases Fight For My Soul as the follow up to his 2006 Grammy Award-winning album Turn Around.

Fans can preview the entire album beginning today via The Wall Street Journal!


"This particular record has taken quite a long time to finish for a lot of different reasons," Lang remarked. "Most of all, I started a family a few years back. Between family time and being out on the road, I really had to pick my spots to fit in recording."

Over a period of three years, Lang collaborated with producer/songwriter Tommy Sims (who co-wrote Eric Clapton's GRAMMY-winning "Change the World") crafting the album's elegant rock 'n' soul tracks from the ground up.

"This album is something I've been wanting to do for a long time," offers Lang. "Some of these songs may surprise people, but that's what it's all about. It keeps it fresh, and it keeps me growing. Creatively, I think there is a lot more going on inside of me than I've been sharing on record so far. Much of what I've experienced through music and life in general is in these songs."

Since the release of his 1997 major label debut "Lie To Me", the then 16 year-old Lang has built a reputation as one of the best live performers and guitarists of his generation. Jonny Lang will be on the road leading up to and beyond the release date of Fight For My Soul. In addition to a full North American tour schedule, in October Lang will embark on his first extended European tour in over a decade.

Audio Adrenaline Says 'Adios' to Band Members

It looks as if two members of the newly reformed Audio Adrenaline are already saying “adios.” New Release Tuesday has learned that guitarist Dave Ghazarian and keyboardist/ secondary vocalist Jason Walker have quietly and by all reports amicably parted ways with the group to pursue other interests.

The details are slim, but according to band management (as well as singer Kevin Max), Walker is pursuing his solo career as a singer/songwriter, and Ghazarian also has other musical endeavors.

The announcement comes a year or so after the new incarnation of Audio Adrenaline appeared, boasting a who’s who from Christian bands, including representation from the original Audio A, dcTalk, Bleach, and Superchick.

The band moves forward with a new lineup, which includes guitarist Dwayne Larring, one of the producers on the Kings & Queens album who previously played in the Christian bands Seven Day Jesus and Sonicflood, as well as for Kelly Clarkson.

Meanwhile, the band's current single, "Believer" (which prominently features Walker's vocals), is impacting Christian radio.

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Ricky Skaggs: “I was redneck before ‘Duck Dynasty’"

Bluegrass legend Ricky Skaggs says growing up in Kentucky, “I was redneck before ‘Duck Dynasty’ came out.” In his new memoir "Kentucky Traveler," Skaggs recounts his years with bluegrass legend Bill Monroe, the painful breakup of his first marriage and his decision to leave country music behind for his first musical love – bluegrass.The 59-year-old father of four spoke to Fox News about his career, and the terrible crime that nearly killed his son.

When your son Andrew was seven, he was shot in the face in a road rage incident. You write in your book that you forgive the man who did it.

Skaggs: My son, he's the one that showed the forgiveness before I did. He was the one that set the pace and said, "Dad we've got to forgive this guy because he doesn't know Jesus. He doesn't have love in his heart like I do." It really convinced me. The Scriptures say "out of the mouth of babes," and it really truly was. To walk into a hospital and see your son lying there with a bullet hole in his face is not an easy thing, but I knew if he could go through it and forgive, then what excuse did I have? I'm the father, I'm supposed to be the leader, showing him the way, and he showed me that this was what needed to be done.

You say that when you were a country singer you got flack for talking about religion during your concerts.

Skaggs: I did, I got a lot of flak for that. I think it's something you can mature in, knowing how to do that in a way that maybe doesn't rub it in people's faces or offend people so much. I think my record label felt that if I did it, it was going to hurt my record sales and offend people. I think too when you're immature probably as I was, I think when someone tells you that you can't do something then that makes you want to do it even more.

Do you still talk about faith from the stage?

Skaggs: I do but the kind of music I'm playing now, bluegrass -- gospel music is one of the threads through the fabric of the music. Gospel is a very strong, intrinsic part of bluegrass so it's accepted a lot more.

How important is your faith?

Skaggs: It's the most important. If I didn't have my faith, I couldn't make it. It's the foundation I stand on. I believe in the Bible, I read it, I pray. My mother taught me how to pray and I've never forgotten that. Faith, family and music are the foundation stones I stand on.

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Did Film Receive R-Rating Because of Faith Message?

What’s more violent – a zombie apocalypse or a faith-based film produced by a Southern Baptist church?

The zombies don’t even come close to being as scary as the Baptists if you believe the Motion Picture Association of America.

The MPAA slapped an R rating on “My Son,” a small-budget film made by the congregation of Retta Baptist Church in Burleson, Tex.

“They told us it was because of violence and drug use portrayed in the film,” Pastor Chuck Kitchens told Fox News. “I was very shocked. It makes me sick at my stomach.”

The pastor said the church’s film does not include foul language, sex scenes or nudity. He did confirm there was violence surrounding a hostage standoff in the church as well as some drug usage. But Kitchens said the violence was neither gory nor gratuitous. By comparison he pointed out the MPAA gave “World War Z” and “BULLY” PG-13 ratings. And “Jobs,” which included scenes featuring LSD and marijuana usage got a PG-13 rating.

“When you look at the facts and see there are other movies that have been rated PG-13 that have more violence and more drug scenes, you have to say there’s inconsistency there,” he said.

Kitchens told Fox News he believes the R-rating has more to do with the movie’s faith-based message than the violence. He said the R-rating is a huge problem because many of his fellow pastors won’t encourage their church members to see an R-rated film.

“We were relying on pastors to advertise to their congregations and sell tickets,” he said. “That’s our marketing strategy. We don’t have Hollywood bucks for commercials.”

Kitchens said they’ve tried reaching out to the MPAA to find out what exactly needed to be removed from the film to achieve a PG-13 rating. But so far, they haven’t gotten any concrete answers.

“We want a level playing field,” he said. “You’ve got other religious groups and other belief systems that are being portrayed in films all the time without the same kind of criticism and scrutiny.”

Dan Isett, director of public policy for the Parents Television Council, told Fox News he’s not surprised the church has had trouble getting specific answers from the MPAA.

“This is the type of situation that evolves when you have a completely un-open, non-transparent rating system,” he said. “The issue with media ratings generally, is that nobody really knows what these ratings mean. At what point does content move from one rating to another?”

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Is There a Future for NoiseTrade?

Nice article on why Noisetrade co-founder Derek Webb thinks his 6-year-old music site still beats the streaming services and has survived despite the increase in piracy.

Plumb's 'Need You Now' Hits #4 on Dance Charts

After 9 weeks on the chart, Plumb's Need You Now (How Many Times) has peaked at #4 on the Billboard Dance/Club Play Songs charts.

Little Mermaid's Ariel Actress Talks Faith Message in Film Ahead of Re-Release

Disney's classic, "The Little Mermaid," and for the first time the film is available on Blu-Ray and in 3D. Jodi Benson voiced lead character Ariel and spoke with The Christian Post about her work with the Disney company, the message of "The Little Mermaid," and how faith helped her change her future.

When asked what message she hoped "The Little Mermaid" sends to young girls/viewers:

To be tenacious, to be driven as far as going after your dreams. The gifts that God gives children should be expressed and they [children] should not be so concerned about success or failure but just go for it. I think God calls and encourages us to dream big, but sometimes we put God in a box in a very small way, when God wants us to look outside the box. Ariel is looking outside the box at something unattainable; and she is tenacious in obtaining her goal. Every time we release something from the vault, we want to bring a new generation as if it were the first time. We want to expose it to children's eyes for the first time.

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Craig James Fired by Fox for Faith Based Comments

A Fox Sports college football analyst was fired after just one week once video footage surfaced of him in 2012 speaking of gays having to face God for their sexual choices.

Craig James, a former NFL player who unsuccessfully ran last year for a Senate seat in Texas, said during a campaign debate that gays would “have to answer to the Lord for their actions,” the Daily Mail reported. He also said, to applause, that being gay “is a choice” and those who “choose to do that” face accountability from God.

He made the comments about gays in context of explaining how “God’s going to judge each one of us in this room for our actions."

He added: “We should not give benefits to those civil unions. They should not occur. We have to stay strong on this, this is important, man. … We have a fiscal issue in this country. … We also have a moral issue in this country.”

Fox executives fired him and said he “will not be making any further appearances on Fox Sports Southwest’s football coverage this season,” a network spokesperson told Sports Illustrated.

Another Fox spokesman told the Dallas Morning News, “We just asked ourselves how Craig’s statements would play in our human resources department. He couldn’t say those things here.”
Mr. James was formerly an analyst for ESPN, but took a hiatus to run for Senate. He was hired by Fox Sports a month ago.

At the time of Mr. James‘ hiring, Fox Sports Southwest executive producer Mike Anastassiou called him a “talented broadcaster who I’ve admired throughout his career. His knowledge of college football and the experience he brings as an analyst will be a tremendous asset to our coverage.”

Former 'American Idol' Hopeful Moriah Peters Shares Her Experience

Contemporary Christian recording artist Moriah Peters auditioned for "American Idol" in 2010, but after facing scrutiny and criticism about her faith, Peters was cut from the competition by the judges who suggested that she go experience life and "kiss a boy" before considering a music career.

Peters' testimony recently debuted on an "I Am Second" video, where she shared her struggles with remaining bold about her Christian beliefs while trying to pursue a career in the entertainment industry. She recalls the moment her audition ended.

"They complimented my voice and my look but they told me, 'You're trying to be too perfect. You need to go into the world and make some mistakes,'" Peters said. "'Go kiss someone then you'll feel sexier.'"

She shared with the "American Idol" judges, Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson, Kara DioGuardi and Avril Lavigne, that she was saving her first kiss for her wedding day.

"I was very open about my faith and just excited to share that I was saving my first kiss and in the end when I made it through the few months of audition and I got to the celebrity panel, those were things that they criticized," Peters said.

The singer explains that the moment "American Idol" host Ryan Seacrest ambushed her with the camera crew after leaving the audition room, she wanted to break down, but gathered the strength to say, "God has opened the doors up until this point and now he's closed them and I'm not going to question that."

But it was not long before she realized God had other plans for her.

"Really from the time I had stepped out of the auditioning room to going down an elevator to exiting the building was the amount of time it took for God to open the next door and do a complete miracle," Peters said.

She encountered a man who was at the auditions and had just heard the interview she gave Seacrest. He told her he wanted her to meet someone who could help start her music career and soon after she signed with a recording label.

Now, she is married and impacting faith-based music. Last year, her debut album's hit single, "I Choose Jesus," ranked No. 11 on the Billboard Christian song chart and currently, she is featured on the Restart Tour with the Newsboys and for King and Country.