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SECULARIST BROWS FURROWED in 2009 when President Obama chose prominent atheist-turned-Christian Francis S. Collins to be the director of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Under the Los Angeles Times [...]

Robert Millet would do things differently if he were carefully strategizing how fellow Mormons could best pursue interfaith contacts. 'I probably wouldn't have started with evangelicals,' said the Brigham Young [...]

The article reports on the move of Pope John Paul II to visit and preach in the nations at war in London, England. It states that the Pope sits the Westminster Cathedral's high-backed throne with high-ranking British clergy standing beneath and beside him. In addition, it mentions that the Pope appeals for prayers for peace of the nations at war like the Falkland Islands when he arrives at the Gatwick Airport .

The article focuses on Pope John Paul II's first visit to Asia. It reports that Pope received, warm welcome by Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos and his First Lady Imelda. It further mentions that around 2, 000 nuns in Manila's Baclaran Church were overjoyed to after seeing him and students from the University of Santo Tomas, chanted songs in his praise.

The article reports on the Catholic missionary in spreading the words of God to foreign countries. It reveals that the 19th century missionaries have been attacked by historians for having served as spiritual agents of the colonizing powers, blithely destroying cultures as they sought to impose Western values as well Christian doctrines on their converts. It also notes that missionaries should care as much as about helping people improve their lives as about converting them to Christianity.

Discusses the revolution taking place that is changing the religious habits of millions of Americans. Churches changing the ways they recruit members; Many church goers church shop; Traveling from church to church, or faith to faith; Wade Clark Roof's book `A Generation of Seekers'; Dangers of supply-side spirituality; `No Place for Truth,' by theologian David F. Wells; Fusing psychology and spirit in `The Road Less Traveled,' by M. Scott Peck.

Recounts the debate over the status of women, with all its theological and personal dramas, a clash between venerable religious beliefs and social movements that have affected much of the world over the past generation. Reverberations from the vote of the Church of England that women may serve as Anglican priests; Masculine theology; Language of faith; Protestant rebellion; Catholic women's revolution; Battle of the bishops; Debate on women.

Reports on the increasing popularity of after-school prayer and/or Bible study clubs in public schools in the United States in 1998. The 1963 Supreme Court ruling which struck down compulsory prayer and has been used to forbid religion in public schools; How the Equal Access Act of 1984 gave students the right to hold prayer meetings after school; Support in the Supreme Court and from President Clinton for after-school clubs; Student reaction to the clubs.

Highlights Pope John Paul II's trip to Cuba in January, 1998. Compare and contrast of the work, beliefs, and goals of both the Pope and Fidel Castro; How Cuba has fared under Castro's Marxist rule; Why Castro invited the Pope to Cuba; The Pope's motives in going to Cuba. INSET: `You should not expect a miracle'.

Focuses on the Promise Keepers. The intent of the men on carving God's masculine face back onto the spiritual tableau where they believe the model of divine fatherhood has eroded; The effort to retake male responsibility and reestablish male leadership in the US; The attraction of watchdogs to the Promise Keepers, wary of any threat to civil liberty posed by these men who have found a very male god, including the National Organization for Women.

Discusses the debate in the United States about the existence of Heaven. The seeming lack of stories about Heaven from pastors and clerics; The concept of Heaven as growing foggier; Comments from several theologians and church historians; Jeffrey Burton Russell's book `A History of Heaven'; Biblical teachings about Heaven; Results from several surveys about the existence and make-up of Heaven. INSET: Other faiths, other visions, by Howard Chua-Eoan..

Profiles William Franklin Graham whose birth on July 14, 1952, after three girls, apparently made him heir to the world's most famous preacher, Billy Graham. The prodigal son and the story of his redemption and his finally being poised to inherit the the most influential evangelical organization in the world; His spiritual crisis; His tour of the Holy Land in 1974; Samaritan's Purse; Differences in preaching style between father and son.

Informs that some biblical scholars have argued that the Gospels cannot be trusted as a history of Jesus. The book `The Acts of Jesus'; Rebuttals from conservatives and traditionalists; The issue evolving into a pop-culture critical mass; Experts debating before school and congregations. INSET: The secret lives of Jesus Christ, by Howard Chua-Eoan.

Profiles Billy Graham, great reaper of souls, a preacher who has called upon more than 100,000,000 people to `accept Jesus Christ as your personal Saviour.' Graham turned 75 this week, and suffers from Parkinson's disease. His comments on the effects of the disease; His belief in the Bible as the literal Word of God; Ceaseless demands leave him with hard decisions; His confidence in evangelicalism. INSET: Of angels, devils and messages from God, by Richard N. Ostling..

The waning phase of the acrimonious Bush era features a newly aggressive secularism, reflected in bestsellers that cast sophomoric scorn upon believers of all faiths. According to a New York [...]