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  • Real Women Don't Text Back: How Women Fuel the Man-Boy Problem

    Her.meneutics
    Ruthie Dean, guest blogger
    25 Jan 2012 | 11:24 am
    “Wanna grab a burrito 2nite?” The melody of the Atlanta symphony’s instruments flowed through the auditorium. I didn’t have high expectations for dating at 23, but a text containing the word burrito wasn’t exactly what I had in mind (and with 1 hour notice). I liked him, but couldn’t escape the mental picture of showing up in a swanky outfit to an establishment where my entrance would be announced in a jubilee of “Welcome to Moe’s!” The resounding question I hear from many single women today is: “Where have all the good men gone?” Recently, several articles and…

  • Penalties Double for Late 1099s

    Managing Your Church
    Frank Sommerville
    23 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Form 1099s are due on February 29, 2012, for the 2011 tax year, and churches that need to issue these forms should take note this year: a failure to send them on time has doubled from $50 per form to $100 per form. If you do not have all the information needed to complete a Form 1099 (such as a Social Security number), you can still file it incomplete by February 29. As long as you secure the missing information and file the amended Form 1099 before August 1, 2012, then no penalties will apply. By the way, if you file the Form 1099 within 30 days after February 29, the $100 penalty is reduced…

  • T.D. Jakes Embraces Doctrine of the Trinity, Moves Away from 'Oneness' View

    Christianity Today Liveblog
    Michael Foust, Baptist Press
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:40 pm
    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- Bishop T.D. Jakes says he has moved away from a "Oneness" view of the Godhead to embrace an orthodox definition of the Trinity -- and that some in the Oneness Pentecostal movement now consider him a heretic. Jakes -- long a controversial figure among evangelicals because of his past unwillingness to affirm the Trinity -- stated his belief Wednesday (Jan. 27) at the second-annual Elephant Room (theelephantroom.com), an event that brings together Christian figures from different backgrounds for what organizers call "conversations you never thought you'd hear." This…

  • Marking Four Decades of Abortion Politics

    Christianity Today Politics
    Tobin Grant
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:43 pm
    Like every year since 1974, pro-life demonstrators participated in this week’s March for Life in Washington, D.C. to protest the Supreme Court's decision. Organizers hope that the march brings focus to the issue of abortion, but they are often dismayed by event coverage. This year, pro-life activists were particularly upset with coverage by CBS, which posted a slideshow that initially only featured images of those protesting the March for Life. CBS has since changed the content so that it now includes photos of pro-life participants. The backlash over coverage highlights the contentiousness…

  • Marriage: Creating a Partnership, Not Reeling in a Catch

    Her.meneutics
    Karen Swallow Prior
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:21 am
    To all the single ladies: Last week Groupon offered a ticket to lasting love (at a 76% discount!) by way of your own personal “boudoir photo shoot.” The ad proclaims: The great Romantic painters had the same goal—to craft an image so beautiful that it would come to life and marry them. Increase your chances of turning images into love using the modern version of painting, photography . . . The sample photo suggests that the way to transform “images into love” to is throw on some kitschy lingerie, splay yourself in the most awkward position imaginable on a bed, and fork over $95.00…
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    Christianity Today Liveblog

  • T.D. Jakes Embraces Doctrine of the Trinity, Moves Away from 'Oneness' View

    Michael Foust, Baptist Press
    27 Jan 2012 | 8:40 pm
    JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (BP) -- Bishop T.D. Jakes says he has moved away from a "Oneness" view of the Godhead to embrace an orthodox definition of the Trinity -- and that some in the Oneness Pentecostal movement now consider him a heretic. Jakes -- long a controversial figure among evangelicals because of his past unwillingness to affirm the Trinity -- stated his belief Wednesday (Jan. 27) at the second-annual Elephant Room (theelephantroom.com), an event that brings together Christian figures from different backgrounds for what organizers call "conversations you never thought you'd hear." This…

  • Courts Split on Discrimination Suits by Christian Grad Students

    By Morgan Feddes
    27 Jan 2012 | 3:04 pm
    A former Eastern Michigan University student has the right to present her religious discrimination suit to a federal jury, the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled. Julea Ward was expelled from the university’s graduate counseling program in 2009 after she asked her superiors to refer a gay client to another counselor. She said her Christian faith prevented her from affirming the homosexual lifestyle, but that she would be willing to counsel gays and lesbians on other issues. In 2010, CT reported that a district court judge had ruled in Eastern Michigan’s favor, arguing the…

  • CLS: We're Not Leaving Vanderbilt Yet

    Morgan Feddes
    26 Jan 2012 | 4:11 pm
    Though Christian Legal Society is still facing pressure from Vanderbilt University to comply with its nondiscrimination policy, the group isn’t leaving campus yet, said Kim Colby, senior counsel at CLS’s Center for Law and Religious Freedom. CT reported in December that CLS and three other Christian groups were told they were in noncompliance with Vanderbilt’s discrimination policies, thus removing privileges given to registered student groups. All four groups require leaders to sign statements affirming Christian doctrines. At least one Christian website had reported that despite…

  • Sovereign Grace Ministries Reinstates C.J. Mahaney as President

    By Morgan Feddes
    25 Jan 2012 | 6:15 pm
    Six months after CT reported that C.J. Mahaney was taking a leave of absence from his role as president of Sovereign Grace Ministries (SGM), the organization announced Wednesday it has returned Mahaney to his role. In a July 6 statement, Mahaney said he was taking leave because Brent Detwiler, a former SGM pastor, had raised concerns about “various expressions of pride, unentreatability, deceit, sinful judgment and hypocrisy” committed by Mahaney. SGM installed an interim board of directors that same month and established three separate review panels to determine if Mahaney should remain…

  • New Presbyterian Body Aims for Orthodoxy with Less Bureaucracy

    Daniel Burke, Religion News Service
    23 Jan 2012 | 11:32 am
    Conservative Presbyterians launched a new denomination last week, saying that the Presbyterian Church (USA) is too consumed by internal conflicts and bureaucracy to nurture healthy congregations. "This 'new Reformed body' is intended to foster a new way of being the church, just as traditional, mainline denominations rose to serve in their day," wrote leaders of the new Evangelical Covenant Order of Presbyterians. More than 2,000 people attended the ECO's meeting in Orlando, Fla., this week, but a straw poll indicated that most have not yet decided whether to leave the PC(USA), according to…
 
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    Christianity Today Politics

  • Marking Four Decades of Abortion Politics

    Tobin Grant
    27 Jan 2012 | 2:43 pm
    Like every year since 1974, pro-life demonstrators participated in this week’s March for Life in Washington, D.C. to protest the Supreme Court's decision. Organizers hope that the march brings focus to the issue of abortion, but they are often dismayed by event coverage. This year, pro-life activists were particularly upset with coverage by CBS, which posted a slideshow that initially only featured images of those protesting the March for Life. CBS has since changed the content so that it now includes photos of pro-life participants. The backlash over coverage highlights the contentiousness…

  • Same-Sex Marriage Bills Coming to State Legislatures

    Sarah Pulliam Bailey
    26 Jan 2012 | 6:00 pm
    Same-sex marriage is back in the national spotlight this week as Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington are expected to vote on bills to legalize same-sex marriage. Bills in Washington in favor of same-sex marriage were backed this week by Starbucks, Microsoft, and Nike. Last year, Microsoft and Starbucks were among 70 groups who filed friend-of-the-court briefs challenging the federal Defense of Marriage Act, which states that the definition of marriage is between a man and a woman. Today, a Washington Senate committee moved the measure one step closer to passage. The 25th vote needed in…

  • Gingrich Wins South Carolina, Finding Support Among Evangelicals

    Tobin Grant
    21 Jan 2012 | 11:20 pm
    Newt Gingrich won the Republican presidential primary in South Carolina with the strong support of evangelicals. According to exit polls, two-thirds of voters described themselves as evangelical or born-again Christians, 44 percent of which voted Gingrich. Their support turned the first Southern primary from a close race to a runaway victory for Gingrich. Gingrich found support from evangelicals despite efforts by evangelical leaders in the social conservative movement to rally behind Rick Santorum. Fearing that social conservatives might split their voting power, a group of 150 met last…

  • Spotlight Turns to Gingrich's Marital Past Before South Carolina Primary

    Tobin Grant
    21 Jan 2012 | 12:13 pm
    Historically, South Carolina is the make or break contest for the Republican Party. Since 1980, the winner of the state’s primary has become the GOP nominee. With such high stakes, candidates went all in by spending heavily on ads and letting loose any and all attacks they can use on their opponents. The result has been surprise after surprise after surprise in the final days of the contest. Thursday morning, Rick Perry dropped out of the race, shocking seasoned political observers by endorsing Newt Gingrich. Perry was not predicted to do well in South Carolina, but he was expected to stay…

  • Conservatives Lift Up Their Eyes to the Hills for Help in South Carolina

    Tobin Grant
    20 Jan 2012 | 9:54 am
    Heading into South Carolina's primary tomorrow, social conservatives are looking to the hills for help--literally. While the entire state is considered conservative, the mountainous and piedmont regions in the northwest are strongholds for religious and social conservatives. If another candidate will beat out frontrunner Mitt Romney, he will likely need to first unite the hill country where evangelicals form the base of the GOP. But even if this region unites around a candidate, there may not be enough votes to defeat Romney. In recent polls, Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich were even with…
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    Her.meneutics

  • Marriage: Creating a Partnership, Not Reeling in a Catch

    Karen Swallow Prior
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:21 am
    To all the single ladies: Last week Groupon offered a ticket to lasting love (at a 76% discount!) by way of your own personal “boudoir photo shoot.” The ad proclaims: The great Romantic painters had the same goal—to craft an image so beautiful that it would come to life and marry them. Increase your chances of turning images into love using the modern version of painting, photography . . . The sample photo suggests that the way to transform “images into love” to is throw on some kitschy lingerie, splay yourself in the most awkward position imaginable on a bed, and fork over $95.00…

  • Making the Most out of Mommy Blogging: The Woman Behind Money Saving Mom

    Sarah Pulliam Bailey
    26 Jan 2012 | 10:13 am
    Crystal Paine is not your average mommy blogger. She doesn’t tell you about her day or post picture-perfect images of her lifestyle for you to envy. The homeschooling mom of three based in Kansas wants to help you make ends meet, to use many pieces of information to make choices about everyday purchases. With 4 million pageviews a month, she operates one of the most well-known coupon-clipping blogs in the country, and her new book, The Money Saving Mom’s Budget (Gallery Books), wraps all of her practices up in one place. Paine told Her.meneutics that her blogging began as any other site…

  • Real Women Don't Text Back: How Women Fuel the Man-Boy Problem

    Ruthie Dean, guest blogger
    25 Jan 2012 | 11:24 am
    “Wanna grab a burrito 2nite?” The melody of the Atlanta symphony’s instruments flowed through the auditorium. I didn’t have high expectations for dating at 23, but a text containing the word burrito wasn’t exactly what I had in mind (and with 1 hour notice). I liked him, but couldn’t escape the mental picture of showing up in a swanky outfit to an establishment where my entrance would be announced in a jubilee of “Welcome to Moe’s!” The resounding question I hear from many single women today is: “Where have all the good men gone?” Recently, several articles and…

  • Should You Let Your Baby 'Cry It Out'? A Christian Response

    Elrena Evans
    24 Jan 2012 | 11:02 am
    When Psychology Today ran an article titled “Dangers of ‘Crying it Out,’” my response was, perhaps predictably, jaded. I read the article, then clicked over to one of my “Birth Clubs” on BabyCenter to watch the ensuing fun while I nursed my seven-month-old. It took a while for the drama to start—when I landed on the page, everyone was up in arms about extended-rear-facing versus forward-facing car seats—but before my daughter had finished nursing, someone had linked to the Psychology Today article. And the insults and name-calling began. In case anyone is curious, the Mommy…

  • The Woman Who Shelters New York City's Trafficking Victims

    Anna Broadway
    23 Jan 2012 | 11:23 am
    When award-winning nonprofit leader Faith Huckel moved to New York City in 2003, she expected her time there to shape her career, but she thought that impact would come more from the social work graduate program she was entering than events at the United Nations headquarters nearby. Then, just weeks into her studies, President George W. Bush addressed the UN, concluding a speech focused on the Middle East with a discussion of human trafficking, which he called a “modern-day form of slavery.” Four months later, The New York Times Magazine ran an 8,500-word cover story on sex trafficking in…
 
 
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    Christianity Today Entertainment Blog

  • Derek Webb's Feedback Film: What Just Happened?

    Mark Moring
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:57 pm
    First things first: Derek Webb is one of my favorite artists, one of the most creative folks I know. I've long been a fan of his music, his honesty, his commitment to justice, and his willingness to challenge the rest of us in sometimes unexpected ways. He and I have had some good conversations over the years, and he always makes me think -- often about things I'd never considered before, or at least in ways I'd never done before. When Derek released his Feedback album last spring -- an instrumental meditation on the Lord's Prayer -- I really liked it. Still do. It's terrific music, and while…

  • Spielberg Goes to the Mountaintop

    Mark Moring
    27 Jan 2012 | 4:55 pm
    Rumors have circulated for months that Steven Spielberg might direct a biopic about Moses. Those rumors are a lot closer to the truth now, according to an exclusive report from Deadline.com, which says the famed director is "near commitment" to helm the project for Warner Brothers. The film, tentatively slated to begin production in the spring of 2013, is titled Gods and Kings. A source told Deadline.com it will be "like a Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story. Him coming down the river, being adopted, leaving his home, forming an army, and getting the Ten Commandments.” Hmm.

  • 43,000 Voices for 27 Million Voiceless

    Andrew Thompson
    27 Jan 2012 | 11:36 am
    The Atlanta Falcons are no longer the only ones shouting “Rise Up!” in the Georgia Dome. Before a crowd of over 43,000 college students at Passion 2012, held Jan. 2-5, Matt Redman recorded the music video to his new single “27 Million.” The song tells the gripping true story of an Eastern European girl, trafficked into the London sex trade. He wrote “27 Million” in an effort to bring global awareness to the issue of human trafficking. The song title reflects the estimated 27 million individuals trapped in modern slavery. Redman will release the mainstream single worldwide on…

  • 'I Loved You and I Hated You'

    Mark Moring
    24 Jan 2012 | 11:11 am
    Your picture's fallin' like a figurine Breaking branches in our family tree . . . I loved you and I hated you I prayed for you and stayed away from you So sings Ana Egge on the title cut of her latest album, Bad Blood. Many of the songs were written about coping with mentally ill family members, and I, for one, can certainly relate to the lyrics above. Our 20-year-old son has bipolar disorder and Asperger syndrome, and his family members have certainly felt all of those things and more. It really can be a love-hate relationship -- intense love for the person, but intense hatred for the…

  • 'Between Notes' Strikes the Right Chords

    Mark Moring
    23 Jan 2012 | 5:46 pm
    A filmmaker named Christopher Grissom contacted me recently, saying he wanted us to check out his new movie. He said he was a Christian, and . . . Well, let's just say that we get a LOT of e-mails that start out like that, and the films themselves are often quite forgettable. But I asked him to send it along anyway. I'm glad I did. Between Notes, now available at Amazon.com, was a delightful surprise. Grissom accurately describes it as a "modern-day musical about two musicians who develop a relationship and have to decide whether they are falling in love with a person or an idea." It's done…
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    Managing Your Church

  • How to Prepare W-2s for Church Employees, Including Ministers

    Richard R. Hammar
    25 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Churches need to report each employee’s taxable income and withheld income taxes as well as Social Security and Medicare taxes on Form W-2, and furnish copies B, C, and two of the 2011 Form W-2 to each employee by January 31, 2012. Copy A should be submitted to the Social Security Administration by February 29, 2012, along with Form W-3, Transmittal of Wage and Tax Statements. If your employees give their consent, you may be able to furnish Forms W-2 to your employees electronically. Electronic forms are due April 2, 2012. See IRS Publication 15-A for additional information. Continue…

  • Penalties Double for Late 1099s

    Frank Sommerville
    23 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Form 1099s are due on February 29, 2012, for the 2011 tax year, and churches that need to issue these forms should take note this year: a failure to send them on time has doubled from $50 per form to $100 per form. If you do not have all the information needed to complete a Form 1099 (such as a Social Security number), you can still file it incomplete by February 29. As long as you secure the missing information and file the amended Form 1099 before August 1, 2012, then no penalties will apply. By the way, if you file the Form 1099 within 30 days after February 29, the $100 penalty is reduced…

  • Part 2: When Raises Aren’t Possible for Church Staff

    Matt Branaugh
    19 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Editor’s Note: In Part 1, Bloomberg Businessweek columnist Liz Ryan shared with ManagingYourChurch.com’s Matt Branaugh the first of several ways that churches can reward and recognize employees when raises aren’t possible (as the 2012-2013 Compensation Handbook for Church Staff highlights, raises are hit or miss, depending on place, position, and person.) Today, she shares three more ways, plus some thoughts about the how and why of implementation: _________________ 4. “Professional development. People are dying for this. Any kind of denominational conferences and events—find out…

  • More Stats on Electronic Giving Patterns

    Matt Branaugh
    17 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Two separate reports released within the past week on electronic banking and giving patterns underscore the shifting preferences among adults when it comes to their finances. Last Thursday, the Pew Internet & American Life Project released its Real Time Charitable Giving report, which shows 1 in 5 American adults have made a charitable contribution through a website and nearly 1 in 10 have done the same via mobile phone text. On Monday, global accounting giant PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP projected digital systems will become the preferred method for banking by adults by 2015, according to…

  • Part 1: When Raises Aren’t Possible for Church Staff

    Matt Branaugh
    12 Jan 2012 | 8:00 am
    Editor’s Note: Liz Ryan spent 20 years as a corporate human resources leader. During that time, she saw the best and worst of how employers treat their employees. She’s now a full-time writer and consultant on workplaces and writes a regular column for Bloomberg Businessweek, all with the goal of “bringing more humanity into the workplace,” as she puts it. And she has a unique perspective on church culture—as an accomplished vocalist, she often tours churches in Colorado where she lives. Through those visits, she has gained an appreciation for the dynamics at work with church…
 
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