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NASHVILLE, TN — Brian Littrell of the Backstreet Boys spoke openly about his faith in God in a recent interview with CCM magazine. One of his childhood role models, Christian pop singer Michael W. Smith, conducted the interview. Littrell, a new father and music superstar, took last year off to re-evaluate his life and goals. Having grown up in "a huge Baptist church in Lexington, KY," Littrell spent his younger years singing gospel music. He is now considering branching out into the genre. Littrell believes that God is directing him; in his words, "I'm taking that opportunity to step out in faith and so do something He's called me to do." Backstreet Boys' fans know that Brian is bold about his faith. "I believe in a living God and feel that He deserves the praise ... I think He's working in my life day in and day out," Littrell told CCM. lifetime of faith and song NASHVILLE, TN — Musical legend, Johnny Cash, is now, according to Rev. Franklin Graham, singing with the angels in heaven. "This man knew Christ, and this man's in heaven," commented the director of Samaritan's Purse on Larry King Live recently. Cash, who was 71 when he died in September, didn't always have a deep faith in God. Years ago he struggled with an addiction to drugs. It was only after overcoming it with the help of his wife, June Carter Cash - who passed away six months prior to her husband - that Cash dedicated his life to Jesus Christ. In an interview with TV host, Larry King, Graham, who conducted Cash's funeral, commented on Cash's transformation: "Many years ago he invited Jesus into ... his life, and it changed him." After accepting Christ, the change was marked in both his lifestyle and the conscientious lyrics of his songs. Graham fondly recalled Cash's performances at crusades and revival meetings of his father, evangelist Billy Graham. Not only did Cash serve others, ceaselessly, but he studied Scripture with deep devotion. Graham told King, "He became almost a theologian, and even wrote a book on the Apostle Paul!" Yet one of Cash's most endearing and Christ-like qualities, as marked by Graham at his funeral, was his honesty about his past struggles. In an interview with Barbara Walters, years ago, she asked him where he thought he might go when he died, heaven or hell? To which he immediately responded, "Heaven, because I've already been to hell." From Graham's perspective, however, the real reason for Cash's confidence was, "he believed in God and in God's son, Jesus Christ." The Man in Black is now robed in white; according to Graham, "he's more alive now than he's ever been." LIVERPOOL, UK (ANS) — Shannon Ledbetter is best known as the girl who sported a $408,000 US designer dress in the 1997 Bond film, Tomorrow Never Dies. Her career, since then, has swung to lecturing Theology and Religious Studies at Liverpool Hope University College. The recently ordained minister also writes articles emphasizing the relationship between religion and the arts. In line with this, the former model participated in Clergy on the Catwalk, on Sept. 24. The event was organized with the intention of admiring the human body in a pure, godly manner. Ledbetter told ANS News, "Ironically, the only place Western culture appears to idealize the human form today is on the catwalk." To counteract the world's violation of the body, she, along with 12 other ministers will be modeling "colourful, contemporary vestments from leading ecclesiastical designers." Overall, they hope that "Clergy on the Catwalk will direct attention from the superficial to the spiritual." In The Works NIAGARA FALLS, ON (EP) — The best-selling Left Behind novel, which inspired a live action movie in 2000, will soon become an animated film. "It will be something that people of all ages will find entertaining. It will illustrate a popular interpretation of what is considered to be the most mysterious book in the Bible, the Book of Revelation," said Cloud Ten Pictures CEO Peter Lalonde. Cloud Ten and Namesake Entertainment announced plans for the new project on June 18, promising that the storyline would be even closer to the original books than the live action movie because of the freedom animation allows. "We are very excited about the possibilities and look forward to choosing an animation partner," said Cloud Ten's vice president of films. The Left Behind series of novels, written by Tim LaHaye and Jerry Jenkins, have sold more than 50 million copies. COLUMBIA, S.C. (EP) - A recent study conducted at a South Carolina prison confirms what many have suspected for years - that transforming the heart can transform behavior. The study, conducted at the Broad River Correctional Institution, found that inmates who regularly participated in religious programming were not re-arrested after being released. "High rates of recidivism (re-arrest, re-conviction, re-incarceration) continue to cost American society dearly in terms of pain, trouble and community funds," says the study by Larry Navey and Dr. Stephen Farra. Navey, a senior psychology student at Columbia International University (CIU), leads Bible studies at Broad River Correctional Institution. Farra, head of CIU's psychology department, sponsored Navey's study, which was funded by S.C. Independent Colleges and Universities. For the study, Navey and Farra tracked 50 prisoners, chosen because they regularly participated in four out of every five religious activities offered; and of those, not a single one of them has returned to the prison system in three years. WASHINGTON, D.C. (EP) - A new study shows that sexual activity among high school age boys and girls often has harmful emotional and psychological consequences. Sexually active teens are less likely to be happy, more likely to be depressed and more likely to attempt suicide. The majority of sexually active teens state that they regret their initial sexual activity and wish they had waited until they were older before becoming sexually active. "The bottom line is that teens who abstain from premarital sex are much happier," said Family Research Council's Bridget Maher, policy analyst on marriage and family issues. She said this study was consistent with other research on the effects of sexual activity on teens. "This study is one more reason why abstinence education is a more compassionate policy approach than pushing 'safe sex,'" Maher said. "Condoms, while never 100 percent effective in protecting against the spread of diseases, can never prevent a broken heart and the serious emotional turmoil of out-of-wedlock sex." Maher is the author of The Family Portrait, a compilation of data, research, and public opinion on the family published by FRC and which contains an in-depth chapter on teen sex. The study, conducted by the Heritage Foundation, is based on data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Adolescent Health, a nationwide survey, which examined behaviors of adolescents in junior high and high school. Among the findings were: "Among those girls not sexually active, 60.2 percent said they were never or rarely depressed," Maher said. "Only 36.8 percent of sexually active girls said they were never or rarely depressed." Maher said despite popular belief, surveys show young people want to be taught about abstinence and that they look to their parents for advice regarding their behavior. She said teens are more likely to delay sexual intercourse when they feel emotionally connected to their parents and when they know their parents disapprove of them being sexually active. She said parents should know what their children are being taught in school regarding sex education and that if safe sex is being taught in the classroom, parents should have their children opt out of the classes. She urged parents to approach their local school board about teaching abstinence until marriage. To access the teen sex study, visit www.frc.org. Breaking News is updated regularly. [LLN-Online] [Adopt-a-Block] [Newsbriefs][Event Calendar] [Lifestyles] |
