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.

A new social media platform built especially for the Church of God was officially unveiled this week.

As I prepare to spend a week teaching the book of Jeremiah to Chinese pastors in Hong Kong, I’ve been reflecting on the strengths and weaknesses of the church in America. Regrettably, the list of negatives is longer than the list of positives.

Christian institutions hoping to win a free campus in western Massachusetts might soon face competition from others who are willing to pay for it, according to terms of a year-end donation from the property’s billionaire owners.

Focus on the Family is joining 11 other organizations in the “Remembering Roe” campaign to highlight the inherent value of the preborn this January, the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that made abortion legal.

Cleveland, TN–Dozens of people have taken 25 minute shifts to read the Bible through in seven days at the Church of God International Offices. The reading event began at 6:00 am on January 1 and is scheduled to conclude on Monday, January 7.

The death toll from a New Year’s Eve stampede during a religious vigil at an overcrowded stadium in the Angolan capital Luanda has risen to 16, state-owned daily newspaper Jornal de Angola said on Wednesday.