Two weeks into the finals, and religion is playing a big role for Allen and many other singers this season on "American Idol." More than half of the remaining 11 finalists have regularly performed at places of worship. Three of those six contestants — including Allen — have worked as worship leaders at their respective churches back home. ...more

March 17, 2009

Disgraced evangelical leader Ted Haggard's former church disclosed Friday that the gay sex scandal that caused his downfall extends to a young male church volunteer who reported having a sexual relationship with Haggard — a revelation that comes as Haggard tries to repair his public image. ...more

January 23, 2009

Earlier this month, a guest took the pulpit at Open Bible Fellowship in Morrison, Ill., a 350-member church surrounded by cornfields. The speaker was an insurance salesman from Colorado named Ted Haggard. ...more

November 23, 2008

Brandon Youth Theatre invites the public to two shows this fall at New Life Church, 2802 State Road 60 E. "Charlotte's Web" will be presented at 7 p.m. Nov. 20 and 21, and "Disney's Aladdin Junior" will take place at 2 and 7 p.m. Nov. 22. ...more

November 12, 2008

In between his two deadly shooting sprees, church gunman Matthew Murray apparently posted furious threats on the Internet to kill Christians. Whether the warnings reached police before he struck again was unclear Tuesday. ...more

December 12, 2007

The gunman believed to have killed four people at a megachurch and a missionary training school had been thrown out of the school a few years ago and had been sending it hate mail, police said in court papers Monday. ...more

December 11, 2007

A gunman shot four staff members at a missionary training center near Denver early Sunday, killing two, after being told he couldn't spend the night. About 12 hours later and 65 miles away in Colorado Springs, a gunman fatally shot a parishioner at a megachurch and wounded four other people before a guard killed him, police said. ...more

December 10, 2007

Former professional wrestler Dave Tristani, known in the ring as Devin Nash, is now the pastor of Dockside Community Church, in Dunedin. ...more

October 6, 2007