Philanthropist Templeton dies at 95. John Templeton, American-born investor and philanthropist who devoted his later life to funding the scientific study of religion, died July 8 at a hospital in Nassau, Bahamas, at 95. Templeton founded a prize for “progress toward research or discoveries about spiritual realities” in 1972. The Templeton Prize has been awarded to Mother Teresa, theoretical physicist Paul Davies, Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and American evangelist Billy Graham.
Two investigated ministries making changes, senator says. Ministries headed by evangelists Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn are changing the way they operate, instituting reforms even as a Senate probe into alleged lavish spending by six prominent ministries continues, said Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee. Grassley described the responses from Hinn and Meyer as “in good faith and substantively informative,” but said the others are “incomplete” or “not responsive.” Broadcaster Kenneth Copeland reportedly has said his ministry will not respond even if a subpoena is issued. Other ministries under investigation are Eddie Long's New Birth Missionary Baptist Church in Lithonia, Ga.; Creflo Dollar Ministries in College Park, Ga.; and Randy and Paula White from Without Walls International Church in Tampa, Fla.
Bibles to be available at China Olympics. Despite controversy earlier this year, thousands of Bibles and gospel booklets will be distributed to athletes and visitors at this summer's Olympic Games in Beijing — with the approval of the Chinese government. The British-based Bible Society said the organization's 180 affiliated branches around the world are jointly funding the project. About 50,000 booklets with the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John published in Chinese and English will be available at the Athletes' Village in Beijing and five other Olympic cities, according to the Bible Society. In addition, 10,000 complete Bibles and 30,000 copies of the New Testament in Chinese and English also will be printed by the China-based Amity Press for the 16,000 athletes and an estimated 2 million visitors expected for the games.
Christian groups to deliver food to North Korea. A partnership that includes several Christian organizations has reached an agreement with North Korea to deliver strictly monitored food aid to counter the communist country's severe crop shortage. The five nongovernmental organizations forming the partnership — World Vision, Mercy Corps, Samaritan's Purse, Global Resource Services and Christian Friends of Korea — have a decade or more experience working in North Korea. Texas Baptist Men has worked closely with Global Resource Services in North Korea. Sixteen representatives from the five NGOs will live in North Korea to monitor food distribution. The aid is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, and is part of a larger agreement expected to reach more than 5 million people.
Compiled from Religion News Service