Ellen DeGeneres Cancels Kim Burrell's Performance After Singer's Sermon

Ellen DeGeneres won't allow Kim Burrell to appear on her talk show after the gospel singer refused to apologize for a sermon in which she referred to gays and lesbians as perverted.

Video of Burrell preaching at Houston's Love & Liberty Fellowship Church was circulated online last week stirring up controversy.

In the video, Burrell is heard saying, "That perverted homosexual spirit is a spirit of delusion and confusion and has deceived many men and women, and it has caused a strain on the body of Christ."
Burrell addressed her remarks in a Facebook live video.

"We're not in a war against flesh and blood. I came on because I care about God’s creation and every person from the LGBT and anything else, any other kind of thing that is supporting gay… I never said LGBT last night. I said S-I-N and whatever else falls in the sin was preached."

Burrell and singer Pharrell were to perform a song from the movie "Hidden Figures" Thursday on the show. Pharrell posted on Instagram that "I condemn hate speech of any kind," making no specific reference to Burrell.

The openly-gay talk show host tweeted, "For those asking, Kim Burrell will not be appearing on my show."

Kirk Franklin Protege Prayed for His Collaboration on Kanye West's The Life Of Pablo

Before the world learned that Kirk Franklin and Kanye West would collaborate on Kanye's record, Kirk's protégé, Christon Gray, was praying for the situation.

Franklin surprised people by appearing on Kanye West's album The Life Of Pablo, where he is heard praying on the song "Ultra Light Beams," earlier this year. However, before the gospel musician Kirk Franklin entered the studio with West, he called on his mentee to pray for the project.

"He just hit me up and just asked for prayer that if it was an environment that did not really fit what he's trying to do, that he would have the strength to say no," Gray told Hip Hop DX. "'Cause it is Kanye and they had legends in the room. I wanted to be in the room. Andre 3000 was in there and I was like, 'bruh, can we meet?'"

Franklin and West were first pictured in a studio when an image on Instagram surfaced on Jan. 29. Since then, West has spoken highly of Franklin in interviews and featured the gospel producer, songwriter and artist on his latest album.

In an interview with Hip Hollywood, Franklin revealed how he got involved in the project.

"He asked me to be a part of this one song and it's very clear what I represent. No profanity, or something that is outside of my faith or what I preach," Franklin said. "I'm just here to walk out life with people, and whoever. I'm not a pastor to the stars, I ain't trying to be all that, My job is to just win people to God."

Franklin appeared on "Saturday Night Live" to perform the song with West, singers Kelly Price
and the Dream. For the gospel artist, West is not beyond God's grace.

"As a Christian I'm trying to be what God wants me to be to whoever, and nobody is beyond receiving Him," he said. "Nobody's unforgivable, or unredeemable."


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dc Talk Reunites... And the Announcement Sparks Controversy

To the excitement of fans, iconic band dc Talk announced a reunion and performance by group members TobyMac, Michael Tait and Kevin Max.   However, the announcement received backlash as it became clear that it may only be for a performance aboard the Jesus Freak Cruise, departing from Miami on July 11, 2017. Marking the first time in 16 years fans will be able to see the band perform, the cruise will travel to the ports of Nassau, Bahamas and Half Moon Cay (Private Island). TobyMac and the Diverse City Band, Newsboys, Kevin Max, Finding Favour, Capital Kings, Ryan Stevenson and Hollyn will perform alongside dc Talk on the Jesus Freak Cruise line-up. Tickets will be available for purchase on May 16, 2016 by visiting JesusFreakCruise.com.

The band demonstrated their sense of humor with the following tweet:

PR team's response after reading your tweets. #dctalk #jesusfreakcruise pic.twitter.com/RL6uspKY64

— dc Talk (@dctalkofficial) May 11, 2016

BeBe Winans Stages Musical About His Life Story - And Humanizes His Mentors Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker

When a new musical based on the life of BeBe Winans makes its world premiere at the Alliance Theatre in Atlanta this month, theatergoers will be transported back to the Reagan-era rise and scandal-riddled fall of televangelists Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker. Born for This: The BeBe Winans Story, cowritten and composed by the Grammy-winning R&B and gospel star himself, tells the unlikely story of how Winans and his sister CeCe were plucked by the Bakkers from teenage obscurity in Detroit to perform on the Praise the Lord Network.

The musical, which Winans and his cowriter and director Charles Randolph-Wright spent years fine-tuning, has already earned approval from Oprah, who led the audience in a standing ovation when she attended an early reading. Now Winans and Randolph-Wright are hoping that it will join the handful of productions, including the Tony-winning The Color Purple and Aida, that have made the jump from the Alliance’s stage to Broadway.

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Is 'Bachelor' Star Ben Higgins' Christian Faith Being Downplayed on Hit Reality Series?

Even though this season's star of ABC's popular reality series has conveyed his Christian beliefs in his private life, on social media and even in a blog for People magazine, one fan contends the show is concealing his faith.

"Athough you would never know it if you consume 'The Bachelor' only through the show itself, he [Higgins] seems to be an evangelical Christian," writes one Slate blog contributor. "On the show itself, spirituality gets only the most fleeting, veiled references and dog whistles."

If the portrayal of Higgins' Christian faith is in fact minimized on "The Bachelor," perhaps it is because there is no need to emphasize what has already been made obvious by the star.

Higgins previously talked to People about how his personal boundaries on the show are influenced by his faith, and about the infamous Fantasy Suite where couples go to get one-on-one time.


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Leah Remini - It's Never Too Late To Reconnect With God

It's never too late to reconnect with God.

That's the message that actress Leah Remini hopes to convey in her new tell-all Troublemaker: Surviving Hollywood and Scientology. Along with a message of hope, the memoir intends to pull back the covers on the secretive and often mysterious Church of Scientology, a religion that Remini espoused for over 30 years.

After her 2013 split with the organization, which counts high-profile celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta among its members, the star now freely speaks her mind.

"We really want people to know it's never too late to start again," she said during an interview for "Good Morning America" Monday.

After leaving the Church of Scientology, Remini and her actor husband Angel Pagan have re-emerged as Catholics. The "King of Queens" actress insists that she has always had roots in Catholicism — despite serving more than three decades in Scientology.

"I was always religious. I was baptized as a Catholic. I got my daughter baptized as a Catholic," she said in the GMA interview. "I'm reconnecting with my faith. It's been a beautiful thing."

One of her reasons for reconnecting was Remini's 11-year-old daughter Sofia.

"I didn't want my daughter to choose the [Scientology] church," she said.

Earlier this year, Sofia was baptized in a ceremony that her parents shared on social media.

"A very special day for our little girl and her Godparents @crabichuk wanted to share with all of you #baptism #catholic #newbeginnings," Remini, 45, wrote on Instagram.

The family has begun to share much of their life on the TLC reality show "It's All Relative," and Remini's husband also expressed how much of a beautiful experience his daughter's baptism was while revealing his own ties to the faith.

"For the record @leahremini and I have always been Catholic! Why we waited so long to baptize Sofia! Hmmm ...," Pagan wrote. "Anyway it was a beautiful experience and our little angel is on her way to a more spiritual existence. God Bless!"

Remini responded to her husband questioning why their daughter was not baptized before the age of 11, insisting that she was now old enough to understand what was taking place, unlike babies who are frequently baptized as Catholics.

"Happened at the right time. Our daughter was aware of what she was accepting," she tweeted."And that was beautiful to witness."


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Katy Perry - Singing Backup for P.O.D. and Dating Relient K Lead Singer?

Pop star Katy Perry wasn't always headlining stadiums - in fact, she first entered the music industry as a Christian artist.

One of her first big TV appearances was as a singer with Christian band P.O.D. on The Tonight Show in 2006.

Footage of that performance has been making the rounds online (watch below), and has been presented by some as P.O.D. with Perry as a 'back-up singer' - a description the band disputes. As guitarist Marcos Curiel said in a statement to Rolling Stone:

"This is revisionist history and disrespectful to our girl Katy who was NEVER a backup singer...We invited her to participate on our record as she was and is still is one of the few pop artists with strong musicianship roots."

The story about Katy Perry & P.O.D. has recently gone viral, but she had another notable interaction with Christian music. In the early 2000s, Katy dated Matthew Thiessen of Relient K.

Perry even made an appearance on stage with the group a few times, such as in her stage diving at a 2003 concert:



Thiessen also found his way into her music. He appears in the demo video for her song "Longshot," playing guitar.




h/t Billboard & New Release Today

Bieber's New Album 'Banned in Some Muslim Countries' Because Its Christian-themed Cover Art is Deemed 'Too Provocative'

Justin Bieber recently unveiled the artwork for his upcoming album Purpose to some controversy.

The cover art shows a shirtless Bieber looking downwards with his hands posed in prayer and the large cross tattoo on his chest clearly visible.

According to TMZ, that appears a little too provocative for mainly Muslim Indonesia and several Middle Eastern countries.

The Christian symbolism on the Purpose cover has led the album to be banned in those places where it may cause offense, the gossip website claimed.

Bieber's management is said to be trying to devise some alternative images that could be used for cover art.

Bieber has spoken recently about his strong Christian beliefs and how his faith has helped him turn around his life after a period of high-profile brushes with the law and bratty behavior.

'I, personally, love Jesus and that was my salvation,' he told Complex magazine in an interview for its October/November issue.

'I want to share what I’m going through and what I’m feeling and I think it shouldn’t be ostracized,' he added. 'My faith has brought me to a whole other level. I love talking about my faith....... I’m at a point where I’m not going to hold this in.'

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Why Does Young Hollywood Love Hillsong Church So Much?

Hillsong UNITED packs arenas and tops the Christian charts consistently in the United States. They have built quite a following. Interestingly, Hillsong UNITED seems to have hit a chord with a group that has more influence than many: young Hollywood.

This appears to be a natural development out of of the friendship that several young music, TV and movie stars have with the leadership of Hillsong Church. Celebrities such as Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez, Ashley Benson, Vanessa Hudgens count the Hillsong pastors as their spiritual mentors. Sports stars such as Russell Wilson and Kevin Durant share similar connections with Hillsong.

And when Hillsong welcomed Justin Bieber to their annual church conference in Sydney, the relationship between Bieber, Hillsong NYC pastor Carl Lentz, and Seattle pastor (and friend of Lentz) Judah Smith was again in the spotlight.

Late in 2014, after an altercation with Orlando Bloom, Justin seemed to have reached a tipping point. As Christian Post reported at the time, he became a regular attendee of Judah Smith's Bible study. The difference in Bieber's life since he began attending that Bible study is evident. After several years of controversial behavior, Bieber appears to have turned a corner.

So what is it about Hillsong that appeals so much to this particular group? It could be the focus on Jesus himself, and their lack of concentration on evangelical 'fundamentalism,' which has fallen out of favor.

Another factor? Judah Smith, Carl Lentz and Hillsong UNITED worship leader Joel Houston, are adept at using social media. With frequent posts on Snapchat, Instagram, and Twitter, these individuals provide ways to share the word of Jesus on a medium where these young stars love to share. Hillsong meets these Hollywood elite where they are: online.

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Joel Osteen Appears in Controversial Rapper Slim Thug's 'Chuuch'

Slim Thug, a controversial Houston-based rapper who has collaborated with multi-platinum artists such as Beyoncé and Pharrell, includes pastor Joel Osteen in his latest album Hogg Life Volume 2: Still Surviving.

The song, "Chuuch," credits the megachurch pastor as a featured artist, and begins with Osteen preaching about the company we keep.

"I want to talk to you today about the right people," says Osteen in the beginning of the song. "Who you spend your time with will have a great impact on what kind of life you live. There are people God has already ordained to come across our path to help us fulfill our destiny. People that inspire us, challenge us make us better."

The soundbite lasts for around a minute before Slim Thug begins rapping. Other parts of the sermon are sprinkled throughout the rest of the song.

Slim Thug rose to fame in the hip-hop world in 2005 with his debut album Already Platinum, which was produced by Pharrell's The Neptunes. The rapper also appeared on Beyonce's 2005 hit "Check on It," which was featured on Destiny's Child's greatest hits album #1s.

Rappers often sample speeches for their songs, sometimes controversially.

Atlanta rapper Young Jeezy used excerpts from a T.D. Jakes sermon for his song "Holy Ghost Remix" last year.  Jakes did not approve the use without proper consent and took legal action against the song.

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TLC Cancels 19 Kids and Counting

After weeks in limbo stemming from revelations of sexual misconduct by one of its stars, the TLC reality show "19 Kids and Counting" is officially dead.

TLC is not moving forward with an 11th season of "19 Kids" featuring the Duggars, whose show "will no longer appear on the air," the network told The Associated Press on Thursday.

"We spent the past month and a half in thoughtful consideration about what is the best way forward here," said Marjorie Kaplan, group president of TLC, Animal Planet and Velocity networks

In a move to redirect the attention and public outcry, TLC also announced it has teamed with two prominent child-protection organizations for an ongoing campaign to raise awareness about child sexual abuse.

The multi-platform initiative will begin with a one-hour, commercial-free documentary likely airing in late August, the network said. It will include the participation of Jill and Jessa Duggar, two of the sisters Josh Duggar touched inappropriately, as well as other survivors and families affected by such abuse.

Since 2008, the series — TLC's most watched, averaging 3.2 million viewers — had chronicled the family life of Arkansas couple Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and their children, now numbering 19. It was pulled from the network in May when reports surfaced that 27-year-old Josh Duggar, the oldest child, had fondled four of his sisters and a baby sitter a dozen years earlier, when he was a teenager. He has never been arrested or charged in connection with the molestations.

Josh Duggar apologized for unspecified actions on a Facebook post and resigned from the Family Research Council, a conservative Christian group, where he had worked as a lobbyist.

Two weeks later, the Duggar parents were interviewed on Fox News Channel, as were Jill and Jessa Duggar, who said they weren't aware the fondling had happened until Josh confessed years later and their parents told them about it.

The show had ended its 10th season when the scandal broke; Hulu quickly pulled it from its offerings.

"The goal is to take what has been a difficult and painful experience, and focus that attention on the really critical issue of child protection and child sexual abuse," she said, adding that several filmmakers are under consideration for the planned documentary.

Kaplan admitted to having been "completely unaware" of the pervasiveness of child abuse.

"I have learned a lot about this issue since," she said, citing incidence figures as high as one among every 10 young people.

The Duggars released a statement which read in part:

With God’s grace and help Josh, our daughters and our entire family overcame a terrible situation, found healing and a way forward. We are so pleased with the wonderful adults they have all become.
It is our prayer that the painful situation our family went through many years ago can point people toward faith in God and help others who also have lived through similar dark situations to find help, hope and healing, as well.

His Lifeless Body Lay on the Pavement for More Than an Hour. Now His Story Will Be a Movie

A film about a pastor’s claims of dying and visiting heaven after a horrible car wreck in 1989 is coming to theaters, continuing a trend of films that deal with near-death experiences.

The movie, “90 Minutes in Heaven,” recounts the story of Don Piper, who was on his way to church to lead a Bible study when he was involved in a terrible car wreck; it will be released in 800 theaters across America on Sept. 11.

Piper maintains that he died in that collision on Jan. 18, 1989, his lifeless body covered in a tarp on the pavement for more than an hour — all while his spirit visited heaven.

As the story goes, another pastor who was at the scene of the accident began praying over Piper for the duration of that time before seeing and hearing him come back to life under the covering of the tarp.

Watch the “90 Minutes in Heaven” trailer below:


Piper’s real-life recovery process was physically painful, the injured pastor spending 13 months in the hospital and undergoing 34 surgeries. But Piper never forgot the spiritual experience he claims to have had — one that’s now headed to the big screen.

“90 Minutes in Heaven” stars Kate Bosworth of “Superman Returns” and Hayden Christensen of the “Star Wars” prequels.

Candace Cameron Bure Makes Waves on The View

When actress Candace Cameron Bure defended on “The View” the Christian owners of an Oregon bakery who refused to make a cake for a gay wedding, an audible gasp from one of the co-hosts immediately followed.

Discussing the divisive case, the star revealed she doesn’t think what the bakery did amounts to 'discrimination.' It quickly became clear she was outnumbered on the issue.

“This is about freedom of association, it’s about constitutional rights, it’s about First Amendment rights,” she added. “We do have the right to still choose who we associate with.”

Bure argued the owners of Sweet Cakes By Melissa didn’t refuse to bake the cake simply because the customers were lesbians. In fact, she said, “they baked cakes for them previously.”

“They had a problem with the actual ceremony because that, the ceremony, is what conflicted with their religious beliefs,” Bure said.

Co-host Raven-Symone strongly disagreed, claiming the bakery discriminated against the couple based on their 'sexual orientation' and compared the case to past discrimination of black people.

Bure ended her argument by saying, “Here’s the other thing that I really wish we could do as a society, as a culture, as a country, is to respect that we have opposing views.”

Watch the exchange below:

Gospel Singer Donnie McClurkin Under Fire After Speaking Out Against Same-Sex Marriage Ruling

Donnie McClurkin, the pastor and gospel music singer who said God delivered him from homosexuality, is now under fire from critics after speaking out against last Friday's U.S. Supreme Court ruling which made same-sex marriage legal nationwide.

McClurkin received some harsh criticism after he shared his interpretation of the Bible's position on homosexuality on Facebook last Friday.

"We've just received the answer from man's Supreme Court ... we already received the answer from GOD," the pastor of Perfecting Faith Church in New York wrote. "With NO REGARD to what the Supreme Court of MAN decrees ... no matter what MY past was or feelings & struggles ... GOD has set the only standard for marriage to be between man and woman ... in biology, in physiology, in history, biblically & scripturally and that ... I will NEVER speak against!"

After one homosexual Facebook user questioned why his sins were scrutinized by believers more than heterosexual sins, McClurkin insisted his post was not questioning anyone's relationship with God.

"... I simply said I don't agree with the verdict of the Supreme Court. ... I don't have to be PERFECT to speak what the Bible says or what I know to be true," McClurkin responded to his critic. "I don't know where you'll be if you die tomorrow and that wasn't a point in my blog. ... I just don't agree with the verdict and believe the Bible — that's all."

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'Real Housewives of Orange County' Star Tamra Judge Denies Faking Baptism for Reality TV

Two weeks after being accused of faking her Christian conversion to secure her spot on the reality TV show "Real Housewives of Orange County," star Tamra Judge has hit back at her critics insisting that her conversion is genuine and that it has completely changed her life.

"What's so funny is there's so many fake stories that go out there in the press," Judge, who accepted Christ as her savior roughly one month ago, told The Christian Post in a recent phone interview. "I think in the past six months I've felt like a new person, but it's just one of those things where I wanted to make it right with the Lord and I knew the journey I was on. I'm not saying like, I'm perfect and I'm not saying I'm at church every single Sunday. I try to go every Sunday, I'm joining a Bible study … as you know, your mindset changes [after being baptized]."

Judge's emotional baptism will air on the hit Bravo TV show that's in its 10th season in coming months as part of the season finale. Her life-changing decision to be born again came during what she said was a very difficult time in her life, after a woman at her Cut Fitness gym invited her to go to church.

"I was never baptized as a kid, and I was never brought up in church and I haven't raised my kids in the church, it was something that was very foreign to me," she shared. "When I was going through everything I was going through, I was at work one day and this woman came up to me at my studio — she goes 'would you like to go to church with me?' and I said 'yes.'"

She continued: "So I took my kids to church and [my husband] Eddie went with me and my life just kind of changed, it was very powerful. And I think that with religion and accepting the Lord into your life and your heart, it's a personal journey."

The series follows six Orange County women, whose pampered lifestyles and endless bickering captivates viewers every year. [2.7 million during its peak last season]

During season nine, the 44-year-old mother of four, who's just days away from celebrating her second wedding anniversary to her husband, Eddie, was cast by viewers as the show's villain due to her frequent clashes with castmates. The Bravo TV star says she's confident that all is set to change this season.

"I think that you will see me think twice about a lot of things that I do and kind of saying 'what would God do?'" said Judge.

During season eight, Judge, made famous the term "Jesus Jugs" after screaming it at her former co-star, Alexis Bellino, a devout Christian and married mom of three, during a heated exchange. The born-again Christian said that she now understands why the term was so offensive and that she has since apologized to Bellino.

"Oh definitely," Judge said in response to whether she regrets hurling the insult. "I think for me, I just didn't know what a Christian was. When you think of someone being a Christian you think they don't do anything wrong. They're not sinners, they don't get boob jobs, whatever … and she was the epitome of Orange County in my mind, and I think I just didn't know. It was pure ignorance."

Black Sabbath Bassist Says They're Not an Evil Band and They Had the First Christian Rock Song

In a brand new interview with The Weeklings, Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler was asked if he got any backlash over SABBATH singing a message of repentance and God being the only way to love on the "Master Of Reality" album.

"No," he responded. "People always like to find the 'evil' in the music, so they'd quote the 'pope on a rope' part out of context, as usual. People like to find negative in everything. We weren't interested in writing songs about the 'nice' things in the world; everyone else was writing about that. We wanted to inject some reality into music. I think if we'd been called WHITE SUNDAY we'd have had a totally different reaction.

Butler also talked about his thought process behind writing the lyrics to the SABBATH song "After Forever", which some historians have called the first real Christian rock song.

"A lot of it was because of the situation in Northern Ireland at the time," he explained. "There were a lot of religious troubles between the Protestants against the Catholics.

"I was brought up strictly Catholic and I guess I was naïve in thinking that religion shouldn't be fought over. I always felt that God and Jesus wanted us to love each other."

He continued: "It was just a bad time in Northern Ireland, setting bombs off in England and such. We all believed in Jesus — and yet people were killing each other over it. To me, it was just ridiculous. I thought that if God could see us killing each other in his name, he'd be disgusted."

"13" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart in June 2013, the first SABBATH album to ever top the U.S. chart.

Link to full article below.  Warning: strong language used.


http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/black-sabbaths-geezer-butler-i-always-felt-that-god-and-jesus-wanted-us-to-love-each-other/#IT2sSJaxLpQCgqQV.99

Olympian Lolo Jones Calls out 'Fifty Shades of Grey'

U.S. Olympian Lolo Jones won’t be racing to theaters to watch “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

The bobsled and track and field athlete, who revealed in 2012 that she was remaining a virgin until marriage, had some harsh words for the racy drama on Twitter.

“Funny how some people think there's nothing wrong with '50 (Shades) of Grey,'” she tweeted Tuesday. “God didn't create sex for that purpose. Watch another movie.”

Controversy Brews Around A Co-Founder of the Newsboys

A co-founder of one of the most popular bands in Christian music has revealed that he is now an atheist.

George Perdikis, one of the founding members of the Newsboys penned a piece on the Friendly Atheist blog last week titled, “I Co-Founded One of the Most Popular Christian Rock Bands Ever… and I’m Now An Atheist.”

But admitting to nontheistic beliefs isn't the only thing that Perdikis, who helped launch the band in Queensland, Australia, back in 1985, wrote that has captured some attention in recent days. He also took aim at the Newsboys’ recent involvement in “God’s Not Dead,” a movie named after one of the band’s popular songs, seemingly accusing the group of not being as pure as its image portrays.

“Recently, the Newsboys were featured in the movie God’s Not Dead. The movie demonstrated the pervasive attitude of Christians,” he wrote. “They demonized everyone while giving a pass to their own particular brand of Christianity, making themselves look like fluffy white angels with perfect, synchronized lives.”

Perdikis detailed his journey after exiting the band in 1990 as well, which included marrying, having two kids — and leaving faith behind.

“As I carved out a life for myself away from the church, I began my own voyage of inquiry into what I believed. My perceptions started to transform when I became interested in cosmology in 1992,” he wrote. “I soon found myself fascinated by the works of Carl Sagan, Neil deGrasse Tyson, Lawrence Krauss, Brian Cox, and Richard Dawkins. I learned so much and was blown away by all the amazing scientific discoveries and facts.”

After his marriage ended in 2003, Perdikis said that he began examining “human psychology” and subsequently renounced Christianity in 2007, officially declaring that he no longer believed in God.

Perdikis also shared his upbringing, which included a brief stint at a Christian high school, where he met Peter Furler, who would later join him in forming the band.

“The choice to become a ‘Christian Rock Band’ was heavily influenced by Peter’s parents, Bill and Rosalie Furler,” he wrote. “As fundamentalist Christians, the only acceptable form of music was the kind that worshipped God. Bill and Rosalie were like second parents to me and, for that reason, I never questioned their advice.”

That said, he admitted to never really being comfortable with “the strict rules imposed by Christianity,” writing that he merely wanted to play rock music and was turned off by the religious standards that he felt were imposed upon him. In the end, he left the band after co-writing the first two albums, he said.

Some, like Christian commentator Dr. Michael Brown, have reacted to the revelation by calling for Christians to “pray for … restoration” for Perdikis, with the band’s co-manager, David Wagner, declining to comment on the blog post, telling the Huffington Post that Perdikis is ”a former member who we haven’t had any interaction or heard from in more than 20 years.”

Despite remaining wildly popular, none of the original members of Newsboys are still part of the group, with the last remaining original member exiting in 2009.

As for Perdikis, he’s been gone so long his name isn't even mentioned in a Billboard.com band biography, as the Huffington Post reported.

Read full article.

Controversy Surrounds 'Killing Jesus' Movie

The star who plays Jesus in the new miniseries Killing Jesus was raised a Muslim.

The casting of Haaz Sleiman, who was born in Lebanon and came to America when he was 21, is raising eyebrows among Christians.

But the actor is filled with pride over his casting, saying it sends out an important message of tolerance. He told Inside Edition he was raised to respect Jesus’ teachings.

The miniseries is based on Bill O'Reilly's bestselling book. O'Reilly's "Killing Lincoln" and "Killing Kennedy" were also turned into successful TV movies.

His book is not without controversy.  Christians believe that Jesus is God’s son, so why didn't O’Reilly include this central theological underpinning in the book? When 60 Minutes asked this important question, he was candid.

“Because it’s not a religious book,” O’Reilly said, explaining that it’s rooted entirely in history. “There’s no religion in the book — nothing.”

Pastor Has 8 minutes to Convince Prostitutes to Quit in New Reality Show

A&E has greenlit a provocative new reality series in which a man tries to convince prostitutes to quit their jobs. EW has learned that the network has ordered eight episodes of 8 Minutes (working title), a series featuring cop-turned-pastor Kevin Brown surprising escorts in hotel rooms and offering to rescue them from a life of trading sex for cash. In each episode, Brown has eight minutes to make his case.

Executive producer Tom Forman (Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) says the show was inspired by a 2013 LA Times article about Brown, an Orange County vice cop turned pastor who teamed with his church to create an undercover prostitute intervention operation.

“This is one of those great shows that was actually happening whether anybody was shooting it or not,” Forman said. “Brown told his congregation that for 20 years he’s had to arrest these women when what he’s really wanted to do is help them. It launched a drive within his church to run these undercover operations. We read that and thought somebody should put a camera on this, it’s the most incredible thing I've ever heard.”

Entertainment Weekly: So Brown is out there doing this in real life. This isn’t just for the show.
He’s a cop in Orange County who retired a couple years ago, then devoted himself full time to his church. So he was a full-time cop turned full-time pastor. As a cop, he worked vice. He saw girls who had no place else to go, who had been abused by their pimps, girls who really needed a helping hand, and what he had to do as a cop is arrest them. Now that he’s running a church, he can offer them that help. That’s what he was doing well before we called him. I like a little reality in my reality shows.

Entertainment Weekly: What’s the reaction when the women are presented with this surprise?
It has varied. Women have burst into tears and said, “I've been waiting for someone to offer me a path out.” And you have women who say, “I’m doing what I’m doing and I’m not doing anything else,” and they decline. No one has been angry. No one has resented him for being offered an opportunity to leave a life that’s so hard, and so violent and so dangerous.

Entertainment Weekly: Why set an eight-minute time limit?
Kevin has got a lot of safety protocols. He’s a cop and knows just how dangerous these rescues can be. Before he goes in and does one of these operations, he surveys the scene, he puts his church members in prime locations so they can observe, they have cops on speed dial. And one of his other rules is they would only have eight minutes to talk to any individual girl. In his experience, she’s got eight minutes in which she could return to her pimp and say, “I got a bad feeling about that guy, he backed out, I thought he was a cop,” without having the pimp come looking for her, which could create a dangerous situation for Kevin and his team. So for her safety and theirs, it’s a self-imposed hard deadline. They've got eight minutes to talk her out of prostitution. If she says yes, that’s great. If after eight minutes she hasn't, they give her a phone number and tell her they’ll always be there, but they cut off the intervention.

Entertainment Weekly: What’s his success rate?
It’s about 50-50. But the ones where he succeeds, we follow them out of the rescue and see the girls subsequently get back on their feet and see the good he’s doing. Sometimes they turn and leave, but that’s the case when trying to save prostitutes. If she says yes, they’re sneaking her out the back of that hotel into to a van and off to a safe house. If an angry pimp is coming to look for her, they want to make sure he can’t find her. They’re also getting her out of the city, if not out of the state. They’re putting her first in a rehab program if she needs one, and then a halfway house teaching her life skills, helping her get a job and rebuilding her life. It’s a pretty big decision and a fairly intensive program if you choose to take him up on his offer.

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