Fans of gospel music likely know the name Tommy Tester well. He's a staple at WZAP 690 am in Bristol, Virginia , and has been for almost 25 years, but his recent arrest, has put his station in a tight spot. Johnson City police arrested Tester Thursday night on charges of indecent exposure and public drunkenness. Police say the preacher was driving drunk when he stopped at a car wash and urinated with children present. Investigators say prior to his arrest, Tester, who was wearing a skirt at the time, made sexual advances to them. WZAP Owner Al Morris says he has relieved Tester of his duties at the radio station until the facts of the case are determined. Morris says Tester's arrest came as a surprise to him and everyone at the station. Since the arrest, Morris says he has spoken with Tester, who he says denies all of the allegations. Morris asks everyone to pray for the man. It seems people are taking that request to heart, including members of Tester's congregation. H...

PHOENIX — Officers responding to a report of an exorcism on a young girl found her grandfather choking her and used stun guns to subdue the man, who later died, authorities said Sunday. The 3-year-old girl and her mother, who was also in the room during the struggle between 49-year-old Ronald Marquez and officers, were hospitalized, police said. Their condition was unavailable. The relative who called police said an exorcism had also been attempted Thursday. "The purpose was to release demons from this very young child," Sgt. Joel Tranter said. Officers arrived at the house Saturday and entered when they heard screaming coming from a bedroom, Tranter said. A bed had been pushed up against the door; the officers pushed it open a few inches and saw Marquez choking his bloodied granddaughter, who was crying in pain and gasping, Tranter said. A bloody, naked 19-year-old woman who police later determined to be Marquez's daughter and the girl's mother was in the room, cha...

From the LA Times, written by By William Lobdell, Times Staff Writer When Times editors assigned me to the religion beat, I believed God had answered my prayers. As a serious Christian, I had cringed at some of the coverage in the mainstream media. Faith frequently was treated like a circus, even a freak show. I wanted to report objectively and respectfully about how belief shapes people's lives. Along the way, I believed, my own faith would grow deeper and sturdier. But during the eight years I covered religion, something very different happened. In 1989, a friend took me to Mariners Church, then in Newport Beach, after saying: "You need God. That's what's missing in your life." At the time, I was 28 and my first son was less than a year old. I had managed to nearly ruin my marriage (the second one) and didn't think I'd do much better as a father. I was profoundly lost. The mega-church's pastor, Kenton Beshore, had a knack for making Scripture access...

Chicago -- The Rev. Mark Sorvillo loved taking his parish's money and spending it on himself. Trips to Rome, Venice, Paris. And $900 meals at New York restaurants. In 1999, Sorvillo found someone else to lavish his parishioners' collection-plate donations on -- a male stripper. Sorvillo -- who pleaded guilty Friday to stealing nearly $200,000 from St. Margaret Mary parish on the North Side -- gave cars, plane tickets and thousands of dollars in cash to James Sosnicki, a married Louisville man who stripped frequently at gay clubs in Chicago, law enforcement sources said. "He was like a big uncle to me," Sosnicki, 30, said Thursday. "If it wasn't for him, I'd probably be living in a cardboard box right now." Sorvillo's lawyer, Brian Collins, declined to comment. Sorvillo resigned from St. Margaret Mary in February 2006 after parishioners caught him stealing from the collection bags. He had been under suspicion since threatening to close the chur...

SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif . —- An assistant pastor at a Catholic church was arrested for investigation of sexual battery after he allegedly groped an undercover sheriff's deputy near a private beach, authorities said Friday. The Rev. Geronimo Enrique Cuevas, 52, who was arrested on Wednesday, also was booked on suspicion of soliciting a lewd act from an adult in a public place, said San Luis Obispo County sheriff's Sgt. Brian Hascall. The pastor was released on $2,000 bail. Cuevas allegedly "grabbed the crotch area" of a sheriff's deputy working undercover on foot trails leading to Pirate's Cove, a secluded private beach known for nude sunbathing several miles south of San Luis Obispo, Hascall said. Cuevas had been working at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Nipomo , part of the Diocese of Monterey . He was placed on administrative leave after the arrest, the diocese said. "He no longer has any faculties to function as a priest," the diocese said in ...

A Battle Creek youth pastor was arrested Wednesday on charges of using a computer to solicit a child for sex, the Michigan attorney general's office said. Troy Deal, 34, director of youth ministries at Chapel Hill United Methodist Church , was arrested Wednesday morning following an investigation that began in 2005. Investigators said he used a computer to suggest sex with someone he thought was a 14-year-old girl. He actually was corresponding with an investigator from the AG's Child Public Protection Unit. He was arrested at the church, 157 Chapel Hill Drive, and taken to the Calhoun County jail by investigators from the AG's office and Battle Creek police. He is expected to be arraigned in Calhoun County District Court this afternoon. Investigators seized Deal's laptop computer. Deal faces 11 charges, according to Matt Frendewey, a spokesman for Attorney General Mike Cox. Deal is to be charged with using the Internet to solicit a child for sexually abusive activit...

A part-time youth pastor from Aztec Bible Baptist Church was arrested Thursday on charges that he had sex with a 14-year-old girl from his congregation. Wendel Nix, 29, of Aztec , was taken into police custody at the San Juan County Detention Center on Thursday after San Juan Sheriff's Office deputies said they gathered convincing evidence that a crime was committed and obtained an arrest warrant, Detective Lt. Tyler Truby said. Since last weekend, sheriff's deputies and Detective Marlyn Wyatt have investigated a claim made by a teenage girl that she and Nix had a sexual relationship, states a media release from the sheriff's office. The victim alleged that she has attended the church for the past year, and over time, she and Nix grew close. Last month, Nix began sending her text messages saying how good he thought she looked and how well her clothing fit her, states the affidavit for an arrest warrant. Then he began calling her, hoping to get her away from her friends so t...

Coy Privette has resigned from the Board of Directors of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina and its Executive Committee, following revelations July 19 that he has been charged with six counts of aiding and abetting prostitution. While withholding judgment and pledging prayers, news of the allegations has shocked North Carolina Baptist leadership. Privette was president of the Christian Action League and a prominent figure in North Carolina moral battles. He is free from Rowan County jail on a written promise to appear in court Aug. 22. According to arrest documents secured by the Biblical Recorder , Privette's alleged actions took place in Rowan County hotel rooms from May 4 to June 25. Privette, 74, is a former president of the Baptist State Convention, retired pastor, Cabarrus County commissioner, former board member of Southern Baptists ' Christian Life Commission and Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary . Tiffany Denise Summers, 32, of Salisbury was cha...

ELLEN JOHNSON, President of American Atheists will be interviewed on the popular CNN program "The Paula Zahn Show" this Thursday, July 19, 2007. The program will examine the role of religion in presidential campaigns, including the growing use of faith-based sloganeering by most of the candidates. "The Paula Zahn Show" begins at 8:00 PM ET, check local listings. For further information, visit http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/paula.zahn.now/ WHO & WHAT: American Atheists President Ellen Johnson live on "The Paula Zahn Show" discussing the growing role of religion in presidential campaigns. WHERE: CNN, "The Paula Zahn Show" WHEN: This Thursday, July 19, 2007 beginning at 8:00 PM ET. Check your local listings. MORE INFO: http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/paula.zahn.now/ AMERICAN ATHEISTS is a nationwide movement that defends civil rights for Atheists; works for the total separation of church and state; and addresses issues of First Amendment p...

An interview with Ron Currie Jr., author of "God is Dead" Just because someone's an atheist, doesn't mean they're not spiritual in some sense of the word. That's important to keep in mind when hearing the title of the new novel by Ron Currie Jr., " God Is Dead ." The book is about what happens when God dies, and the world continues on basically the same as before. It does not end, but for a lot of people, it is turned upside down. Q: How did the idea for "God Is Dead" come to you? A: The book started with a single story -- "False Idols," the piece in which American parents have gone off the deep end and started worshipping their children as gods. At that point I'd never attempted a full-length narrative, and as far as I knew this was just a short story, albeit one with a premise and an attitude far, far different from any other story I'd written. But then at some point while writing "False Idols," I of course ha...

Article found by Atheist Dad A Cypress man charged in the death of a Southwest Airlines flight attendant said Saturday that he was doing God's work when he went to a Montrose -area bar last month, hunting for a gay man to kill. "I believe I'm Elijah, called by God to be a prophet," said 26-year-old Terry Mark Mangum, charged with murder June 11. " ... I believe with all my heart that I was doing the right thing." Interviewed in the Brazoria County Jail Saturday morning, Mangum said he feels no remorse for killing 46-year-old Kenneth Cummings Jr., whom relatives described as a "loving" son who never forgot a holiday and a devoted uncle who had set up college funds for his niece and nephew. He worked at Southwest for 24 years. Mangum, who described himself as "definitely not a homosexual," said God called on him to "carry out a code of retribution" by killing a gay man because "sexual perversion" is the "worst si...

Three Burleson men who belong to a "radical Christian activist group" were in the Johnson County Jail on Friday night after a church deacon caught two of them attempting to ignite an explosive device on Independence Day at a church under construction in north Burleson, authorities said Friday. Dayton Lee Calaway, 19, and Michael Philip Plaisted Jr., 18, were arrested Wednesday night near the Victory Family Church after they got bogged down in mud as a fleet-footed deacon chased them from the church in the 400 block of Northwest John Jones Drive, police said. Two other people drove away, the deacon told officers. An explosive device in a glass container was found propped against the church door. The suspects apparently tried to detonate the device twice before being interrupted by the deacon, police and Burleson Fire Marshal Stacy Singleton said. As authorities were investigating at the church, they were notified of a fire on undeveloped land behind a north Burleson residen...

Laura Lopez wants dozens of books removed from two Palm Beach County high school libraries because the contents address homosexuality, abortion and atheism. "Those books should never be in the schools for kids to see," Lopez, a mother of three from west of West Palm Beach, said Monday. Following Superintendent Art Johnson's refusal in March to remove the books, the Palm Beach County School Board on Wednesday will hold a rare hearing on the book challenge. The board set aside 15 minutes for Lopez's appeal, which she's entitled to under school district procedures. County schools receive a Citizen's Request for Reconsideration of Instructional Materials an average of three or four times each year, said Meezie Pierce, director of K-12 Instructional Materials and Library Media Services. These requests are always resolved by the schools, making Lopez's hearing at the School Board highly unusual. Lopez did not attend December and January meetings of committees t...

A Nixa pastor has been charged with child abuse for allegedly striking a 16-year-old female relative. Michael A. Vargo, 35, pastor of Calvary Bible Church in Nixa , faces a Class C felony of child abuse, filed by the Christian County prosecutor's office. The felony complaint alleges Vargo "knowingly inflicted cruel and inhuman punishment" on the teen, yielding "several bruises." The alleged abuse occurred last month at Vargo's home in Nixa, according to court records. Christian County Sheriff's Department Det. Brad Cole wrote in his report that the teen called a hotline regarding the alleged abuse. "Prior to the contact with (the teenager), I contacted school resource deputy Ken Lovell, who gave me a letter written by (the teenager) while at school asking for help from one of her teachers and telling of the abuse." Cole wrote Vargo was charged and later posted a $7,500 bond. A court hearing is set for 9 a.m. July 25. Vargo declined to comment ...

An associate pastor at Immanuel Baptist Church of Slidell was arrested Monday and booked Tuesday on two counts of aggravated sex crimes and 47 counts of possession of child pornography. Deputies obtained warrants to search the home of James Griffin, 67, after they began an investigation about three weeks ago, St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Jack Strain said Thursday. Upon searching Griffin's personal computer, investigators found 50 pictures, downloaded from the Internet, involving child pornography, according to Strain. They are searching computers he used at Immanuel Baptist and Grace Memorial Baptist Church in Slidell, where he formerly did volunteer work. Griffin remains in jail on a $500,000 bond for each of the two aggravated sex crime charges, Strain said. LINK

Akron - A 32-yr-old married pastor at The Chapel , the most popular church in Akron, is accused of grabbing two women at Chapel Hill mall . Adam Barton of Cuyahoga Falls faces two counts of sexual imposition, a misdemeanor charge. Police say Barton grabbed a 24-yr-old woman Tuesday inside the Charlotte Russe store. Minutes later, police say he grabbed a 17-yr-old girl in Victoria's Secret. "His whole body just brushed up into mine," said the 24-yr-old who wished to remain anonymous. "And then he grabbed my butt. It felt intentional. It was not just a bump." The woman instantly reacted. "I turned around and I said, 'You just groped me,'and I punched him in the arm and the shoulder. He was just shocked and ran out," she said. The woman told security officers and together, they found her alleged attacker browsing inside a store. When they approached him, the 17-yr-old appeared from around the corner and recognized him. The teen told police she w...

Patriotism and religion each hold a prominent place in the American story. That’s as it should be. To wed the two, however, is a disservice to patriots and to the faithful. The Fourth of July is a time for Americans to honor our country and, for the many religious people among us, to honor God. But as the fireworks explode on Independence Day, let's resist an all-too-common tendency these days to drape the American flag around the Christian cross. Let's remember that religion is not patriotism, that patriotism is not religion — and that when we combine them both with a glorification of American military might, something has gone disturbingly askew. Sadly, the distinction between faith and martial-tinged patriotism seems lost on some of our most fervent advocates for the military and religion. Rewind to Memorial Day weekend, when a Christian organization called Task Force Patriot USA and other groups staged a three-day salute to the troops at Stone Mountain Park in Georgia. Dr...

Posted by Atheist Dad A giant leap of faith took Jonathan Edwards to Olympic glory in Sydney. Then he found the foundations of his life were crumbling It is the afternoon of September 25, 2000, and Jonathan Edwards is making his way to the triple jump final at the Olympic Stadium in Sydney. In his kitbag are some shirts, spikes, towels – and a tin of sardines. Why the sardines? They have been chosen by Edwards to symbolise the fish that Jesus used in the miracle of the feeding of the 5,000. They are, if you like, the physical manifestation of his faith in God. As he enters the stadium, he offers a silent prayer: “I place my destiny in Your hands. Do with me as You will.” A few hours later he has captured the gold medal, securing his status as one of Britain’s greatest athletes. Edwards’s faith was never an optional add-on. It has been fundamental to his identity – something that has permeated every fibre of his being – since his trips to Sunday school in the company of his devout p...