WASHINGTON More than 150 Christian leaders, most of them conservative evangelicals and traditionalist Roman Catholics, issued a joint declaration Friday reaffirming their opposition to abortion and gay marriage and pledging to protect religious freedoms.

MINNEAPOLIS A fracture of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America became a real possibility Wednesday with the announcement by dissidents they will have a new Lutheran denomination ready for launch by August. That marks a speed-up in plans by Lutherans who oppose the ELCA's decision to allow gay clergy to be pastors.

Tree houses in a simulated rain forest are just one of the fun features that await thousands of Catholic youth attending a national conference next week in Kansas City, Mo.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. Terverius Black believes in hip-hop gospel so much he sold his first home to get the money needed to start his Christian-themed entertainment company.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. Former megachurch pastor Ted Haggard said he will continue to hold weekly prayer meetings at his home, three years after he was ousted from the church he founded amid a scandal involving a male prostitute and drug use.

It's been a good year for J.I. Packer, one of the world's best-known theologians. In March, the Anglican pastor and Regent College professor won Bible of the Year and Book of the Year honors for editing the English Standard Version Study Bible. He also released two of his own books - "Praying: Finding Our Way Through Duty to Delight," in June, and a yearlong devotional using his seminal work, "Knowing God," due out later this month.

Voices of faith: Should antiquated scriptural injunctions be changed to suit modern society?

Are we doomed?

MILWAUKEE More than 100 people gathered outside Our Savior's Lutheran Church in Milwaukee on Friday, and led by a veteran of the civil rights movement, raised their voices in a prayer for the passage of health care reform.

BALTIMORE The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have affirmed that the church defines marriage between one man and one woman, and sex is meant for procreation.

BALTIMORE Fallout continues from the summer controversy over the University of Notre Dame awarding an honorary degree to President Barack Obama, who supports abortion rights.

BALTIMORE The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops defended their involvement in the health care debate, saying Monday that church leaders have a duty to the nation and God to raise moral concerns on any issue, including on abortion rights and coverage for the poor.

CHICAGO When determining the fate of embryos created by in-vitro fertilization but not returned to the womb, people of faith often rely on religious tenets to shed light on the dilemma.

CHICAGO In-vitro fertilization made it possible for Adriana and Robert Potter to welcome twins Anabella and Matteus into the world. For the same reasons many couples can't conceive, IVF was their only option if they wanted children of their own.

MILWAUKEE The Archdiocese of Milwaukee says a successor has been named to the archbishop post once held by Timothy Dolan.

It looked like a stunning reversal: the same church that helped defeat gay marriage in California standing with gay-rights activists on an anti-discrimination law in its own backyard.

SAN CLEMENTE, Calif. A street banner the San Clemente Chamber of Commerce has erected to promote San Clemente is being removed from public property after a local resident questioned whether its image of a Christian cross is compatible with separation of church and state.

STOCKHOLM Sweden's Lutheran church consecrated its first openly gay bishop, just two weeks after it gave clergy the right to wed same-sex couples.

ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. Sister Catherine Bitzer slowly opened a file box and carefully removed a brittle page, scarred by years of neglectful storage, mold and insects. At 415 years old, the marriage record written by a Roman Catholic priest is still readable and is one of the oldest known European records from the United States.

Voices of faith: Should you not ask for help in getting out of a situation that you created?

MIAMI The already sordid tale of the Rev. David Dueppen and his baby's mother, former stripper Beatrice Hernandez, turned even tawdrier Tuesday as the two traded intimate and bizarre allegations in a Miami-Dade courtroom.

COLUMBIA, S.C. A federal judge has ruled unconstitutional a Christian "I Believe" vehicle license tag with the image of a cross authorized last year by the S.C. General Assembly.

COLUMBIA, S.C. A federal judge ruled Tuesday that South Carolina can't issue license plates showing the image of a cross in front of a stained glass window along with the phrase "I Believe."

WASHINGTON As the son of Cuban immigrants, Miguel Diaz was drawn to Barack Obama for his ability to cross cultures and engage people from different backgrounds.

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. Former New Life Church pastor Ted Haggard isn't sure how many worshipers will show up at his home for his first prayer meeting Thursday, but he can count on one loyal group to be there: the media.

LEXINGTON, Ky. It's a cool, damp fall afternoon, and a group of 6- and 7-year-olds are practicing soccer in a grassy field in Lexington, Ky.

SEATTLE - The effort started, as these things do, with a great deal of idealism.

WASHINGTON As an evangelical Christian living in Texas, climate scientist Katharine Hayhoe found that many conservatives had questions about climate change based on things they'd heard on talk radio.

As word spread that a gunman had opened fire at Fort Hood leaving a trail of carnage, a chilling realization swept across the U.S. Muslim community: He has an Islamic name.

The series of weekend conventions of Jehovah's Witnesses being held at Toyota Center in Kennewick this summer continues today and Sunday. The convention is in Spanish.

Lutheran Church of the Master in Pasco is planning a night of ice cream and fellowship Thursday at the park near Maya Angelou Elementary School at 6001 Road 84.

Several events are planned at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in Kennewick through Thursday as part of Parish Mission Week.

HERMISTON -- The Christian women's club Time Out will meet at 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the Pheasant Cafe banquet room in Hermiston.

A garage sale and bake sale to raise money for mission work in Haiti is from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aug. 15-16 at 6514 W. Ninth Place, Kennewick.

Riverview United Methodist Church in Pasco will hold beach parties from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday and Aug. 17.

Cathedral of Joy in Richland is holding the 2008 "No Hungry Child" Golf Tournament on Aug. 17 at Canyon Lakes Golf Course.