Religion Today Summaries - March 8, 2012

Compiled & Edited by Crosswalk Editorial Staff | Crosswalk.com | Published: Mar 07, 2012

Religion Today Summaries - March 8, 2012

Daily briefs of the top news stories impacting Christians around the world.

In today's edition:

  • Survey: Donald Trump Trumps Bible for Financial Advice
  • Harold Camping Admits He Was Wrong, Announces End to Doomsday Predictions
  • Egypt: Court Sentences Coptic Priest From Attacked Church Building
  • Dove Foundation Announces Best Family-Approved Movies of 2011

 

Survey: Donald Trump Trumps Bible for Financial Advice

When comes to finances in hard economic times, more Americans would rather take advice from business mogul Donald Trump than from the Bible, the Religion News Service reports. A new study shows 50 percent of Americans would choose Donald Trump as their financial adviser -- despite his history of filing for bankruptcy -- while only 32 percent look to the Bible. The survey also found that one in 10 Americans ages 18 to 34 would be most inclined to take financial advice from Kim Kardashian. Eighty-six percent of Americans said they did not follow what the Bible says about managing money, despite more than 2,000 verses relating to money and possessions. Twenty-four percent of those think they would have more money if they followed the Bible's advice; however, 94 percent of Americans are unable to attribute a verse from Proverbs about the rewards of work to the Bible. "The Bible offers sound advice about managing money, avoiding debt and prospering in difficult times," said Lamar Vest, president of the American Bible Society.

Harold Camping Admits He Was Wrong, Announces End to Doomsday Predictions

After numerous failed doomsday predictions, Family Radio founder Harold Camping this month issued an apology to listeners, admitting he was wrong, and announced that he had no plans to ever again predict the end of the world, the Christian Post reports. "We have learned the very painful lesson that all of creation is in God's hands and He will end time in His time, not ours!" says a statement on Family Radio's website. "We humbly recognize that God may not tell His people the date when Christ will return, any more than He tells anyone the date they will die physically. ... We now realize that those people who were calling our attention to the Bible's statement that 'of that day and hour knoweth no man' (Matthew 24:36 and Mark 13:32) were right in their understanding of those verses and Family Radio was wrong." Camping went on to say their "bold" insistence that the Bible guaranteed Christ's return first on May 21, 2011, then Oct. 21, 2011, was both "incorrect" and "sinful. ... We humbly ask Him for forgiveness."

Egypt: Court Sentences Coptic Priest From Attacked Church Building

A Coptic Christian priest in Egypt was sentenced to six months in jail for a minor construction violation at his church building, while no one in a mob that burned the same structure down has been arrested, Compass Direct News reports. Just days after a mob of 3,000 Muslim villagers -- angry at renovations taking place at Mar Gerges Church in Aswan -- burned down the church, the Rev. Makarious Bolous was issued a citation, saying the building was 2.5 meters taller than what local government officials had approved on a series of architectural drawings. Bolous said the ruling, coupled with the absence of prosecution against the mob who burned down the church, was clear evidence of a double standard between Christians and Muslims. The same villagers who burned down the building are now blocking the approval of permission to rebuild it, Bolous said. Despite government guarantees to fund and build a new church to replace the old one, the promises have so far proven empty. With Bolous imprisoned, approximately 40 Coptic families in the village are left without a priest or a church.

Dove Foundation Announces Best Family-Approved Movies of 2011

The Dove Foundation announced yesterday winners of the coveted Crystal Dove Seal Award for the best "Family Approved" movies of 2011 in six categories: comedy, drama, adventure, animated, documentary and limited theatrical release. Dove, a pro-family-friendly-entertainment organization, awards its seals of approval in four categories: Family Approved, Family Edited, Faith Friendly, and Faith Based. More than 2,000 voters cast online ballots to choose  the six winners from among all 44 movies released in 2011 that received the Family Approved seal: "The Muppets" (comedy), "Soul Surfer" (drama), "Hugo" (adventure), "Cars 2" (animated), "African Cats" (documentary) and "The Frontier Boys" (limited theatrical release).

Publication date: March 8, 2012

Religion Today Summaries - March 8, 2012