In 2004 astronomers using NASA’s, Spitzer Space Telescope, probed the dusty disks that surround young stars to look for the earliest signs of the formation of planetary systems. What they found coincides with the brief description of planet formation as described in the book of Genesis regarding earth’s own formation.

Cleveland, TN–Lee University vocalists began Saturday morning at 8 o’clock doing warmups as they ran up and down musical scales. For an hour, the 200-member Festival Choir assembled to sing Jan. 21 at the presidential inauguration in Washington, D.C., practiced breathing, resonance and ran in place.

The Churches Making Movies Christian Film Festival today announced that it is accepting film entries for its festival slated for October 11-13, 2013 in the Rahway Arts District. The film festival, in its inaugural year, is devoted mainly to exhibiting films in all genres made by producing and media ministries, Christian organizations, and pastors. The festival is an extension of the contemporary church film movement that has risen during the last decade.

More than 30,000 evangelicals and Catholics in swing congressional districts signed a petition to Congress in support of wind energy following a nationwide campaign by the Good Steward Campaign (GSC) and Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN). The petition, which framed renewable energy as a serious concern for people of faith, was met with success when Congress voted to extend the Wind Tax Credit.

Despite a deep drop in the number of Americans who identify with a particular faith, the country could be on the cusp of a religious renaissance, says Frank Newport, editor-in-chief of The Gallup Poll.

January 7, 2013—Cleveland, TN–A complete reading of the Bible was completed on Monday morning, January 7, but the live-streaming event will continue until 9:00 p.m. EST.

Long before the recent presidential election was decided, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer (Democrat-NY and Chairman of the 2013 Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies) selected The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir to perform its new rendition of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” at the official swearing-in ceremony of the 57th Presidential Inauguration scheduled to take place on the steps of the U.S. Capitol on January 21, 2013 before an expected crowd of a half million people on the National Mall. Attendees will include former Presidents, Senators, Representatives, and Cabinet Officials. The event will be broadcast live around the world.

The weekend of April 6 – 7, 2013 has been designated as the 23rd Annual “Just Pray NO!” to drugs Worldwide Weekend of Prayer and Fasting. Since April 7th, 1991 “Just Pray NO!” has united millions of Christians from 150 nations and territories around the world in intercessory prayer on behalf of the addicted and their families.

Political shifts, continued economic hardship and changing religious trends could make 2013 a big year for church news. Below are the Institute for Religion and Democracy’s (IRD) predictions for what religious news stories have the most potential to make headlines in the coming year.