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December 16th, 2011
04:45 PM ET
My Take: An evangelical remembers his friend Hitchens
By Larry Alex Taunton, Special to CNN (CNN)– I first met Christopher Hitchens at the Edinburgh International Festival. We were both there for the same event, and foremost in my mind was the sort of man I would meet. A journalist and polemicist, his reputation as a critic of religion, politics, Britain's royal family, and, well, just about everything else was unparalleled. As an evangelical, I was certain that he would hate me. When the expected knock came at my hotel room door, I braced for the fire-breather who surely stood on the other side of it. With trepidation, I opened it and he burst forth into my room. Wheeling on me, he began the conversation as if it was the continuance of some earlier encounter: “The Archbishop of Canterbury has effectively endorsed the adoption of Sharia law. Can you believe that? Whatever happened to a Church of England that believed in something?” He alternated between sips of his Johnnie Walker and steady tugs on a cigarette. My eyebrows shot up. “‘Believed in something?’ Why, Christopher, you sound nostalgic for a church that actually took the Bible seriously.” He considered me for a moment and smiled. “Indeed. Perhaps I do.”
December 16th, 2011
01:23 PM ET
'Tebowing' leads to teens' suspension(CNN) - Four student athletes were suspended after encouraging several others to do the 'Tebow' prayer pose, blocking a hallway in school. Read more of our coverage of the prayer pose here: 'Tebowing' prayer stirs debate, but quarterback is OK with it  Laura Sessions Stepp says young church dropouts are tired of being told how they should live their lives.
December 16th, 2011
12:45 PM ET
My Take: Why young evangelicals are leaving church
By Laura Sessions Stepp, Special to CNN (CNN) - Republican conservatives should be worried. Evangelical churches that frequently support conservative candidates are finally admitting something the rest of us have known for some time: Their young adult members are abandoning church in significant numbers and taking their voting power with them. David Kinnaman, the 38-year-old president of the Barna Group, an evangelical research firm, is the latest to sound the alarm. In his new book, "You Lost Me: Why Young Christians Are Leaving Church and Rethinking Faith," he says that 18- to 29-year-olds have fallen down a "black hole" of church attendance. There is a 43% drop in Christian church attendance between the teen and early adult years, he says. Read the full story here.
December 16th, 2011
12:38 PM ET
Thousands of children abused in Dutch churches over 65 years, inquiry saysBy Joe Sterling, CNN (CNN) - Thousands and thousands of children suffered from sexual abuse in the Dutch Roman Catholic Church over more than six decades, and about 800 "possible perpetrators" have been identified, an independent Commission of Inquiry said Friday. "Several tens of thousands of minors have experienced mild, serious and very serious forms of inappropriate sexual behavior. Victims have often suffered for decades from the effects of abuse and have received acknowledgment of the fact," the panel says in its report. "This has caused problems for them, their immediate family and their friends, who require attention and sometimes professional counseling." The report, which covers a period from 1945 to 2010, says "the scale" of the abuse "is relatively small in percentage terms, but is a serious problem in absolute numbers." The victims were under the responsibility of the range of people working in the church - priests, brothers, pastoral workers and lay persons, it says. Read the full story here.
December 16th, 2011
08:25 AM ET
'A great voice falls silent': Christopher Hitchens tributes pour in on TwitterBy Nick Thompson, CNN (CNN) - "My chief consolation in this year of living dyingly has been the presence of friends," wrote Christopher Hitchens in June before his death Friday from complications of esophageal cancer at the age of 62. Now, friends and peers of the British-American author have eulogized Hitchens on Twitter. Hitchens, an outspoken atheist and critic of religion, defended Rushdie when the Iranian leader Ayatollah Khomeini issued a fatwa on his life in 1989 following the publication of "The Satanic Verses." Richard Dawkins, a fellow atheist and author of "The God Delusion," tweeted: "Christopher Hitchens, finest orator of our time, fellow horseman, valiant fighter against all tyrants including God." Read the full story here. In a Vanity Fair statement, Christopher Hitchens was described as "a master of the stunning line and the biting quip."
December 16th, 2011
08:20 AM ET
Famed atheist Christopher Hitchens dead at 62By the CNN Wire Staff (CNN) - British-American author and essayist Christopher Hitchens died Thursday from complications of esophageal cancer. He was 62. Hitchens was known for his wry monthly columns for Vanity Fair magazine. "There will never be another like Christopher. A man of ferocious intellect, who was as vibrant on the page as he was at the bar," said Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter. "Those who read him felt they knew him, and those who knew him were profoundly fortunate souls." 
December 16th, 2011
05:00 AM ET
My Take: Pulling 'All-American Muslim' ads is bad business
By Zahid H. Bukhari, Special to CNN Lowe’s Home Improvement recently caved to bigoted demands from the right-wing Florida Family Association and pulled advertising from TLC’s “All-American Muslim,” a reality show about five Muslim families in Dearborn, Michigan. It shocks and saddens me that a Fortune 100 company such as Lowe’s, one of the most powerful brands in the United States and across the globe, would condone and side with outright bigotry. It’s not that we haven’t witnessed this behavior before, but Lowe’s decision to pull advertising from the show validates overt religious prejudice and gives credibility to an attack on our community. What may come as a surprise to Lowe’s CEO Robert Niblock is that by taking a stand against our community, he is losing the business of a massive force in the American economy. American Muslims are more than 7 million strong and growing and have the buying power of between $170 billion and $200 billion annually.
December 16th, 2011
04:34 AM ET
Belief Blog's Morning Speed Read for Friday, December 16
By Dan Merica, CNN Here's the Belief Blog’s morning rundown of the top faith-angle stories from around the United States and around the world. Click the headlines for the full stories. From the Blog: CNN: Gingrich vows to be faithful to wife  One of the families on All-American Muslim. CNN: TV show causing Islamophobia backlash? |
  About this blog
The CNN Belief Blog covers the faith angles of the day's biggest stories, from breaking news to politics to entertainment, fostering a global conversation about the role of religion and belief in readers' lives. It's edited by CNN's Daniel Burke with contributions from Eric Marrapodi and CNN's worldwide news gathering team.  |
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Editor's note: Larry Alex Taunton is the founder and executive director of the 
Editor's note: 
Editor's note: Zahid H. Bukhari is president of the 
