Charisma Magazine

A Wisconsin federal judge has ruled that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional.

In her 66-page opinion Thursday, U.S. District Court District Judge Barbara B. Crabb wrote that the prayer day violates the separation of church and state. More than merely acknowledging religion, she said the day's purpose "is to encourage all citizens to engage in prayer, an inherently religious exercise that serves no secular function in this context."

Thousands of Christian students are participating in the sixth annual Day of Truth Thursday, a student-led initiative that seeks to encourage peer-level conversations about relationships and biblical sexuality.

The event, sponsored by Exodus International, is a response to the annual Day of Silence, an event created by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) that encourages students to remain silent to show support for students who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender. Since the Alliance Defense Fund started the Day of Truth in 2005, more than 13,000 students nationwide have participated.

Nearly two-thirds of all unchurched adults—people who have not attended a church activity in the last six months—identified themselves as "Christians," according to a recent study by the Barna Group.

The survey revealed that 28 percent of the population-some 65 million adults-have not participated in any church activities or services in the past six months. As many churches try to attract this group to worship on Sunday, the study showed that the makeup of unchurched Americans may be surprising.

An autistic Florida girl who'd been the focus of a four-day search through alligator-infested woods was found alive Tuesday morning by a member of her Orlando-area church.

Eleven-year-old Nadia Bloom was discovered around 9 a.m. in a swampy area near Lake Jesup in the Orlando suburb of Winter Springs by James King, a member of Metro Church, where Nadia and her family worship. Nadia, who has an autism-related disorder called Asperger's syndrome, is in the hospital being treated for insect bites and dehydration.

Christian human rights activist Gao Zhisheng, kidnapped by state security agents on Feb. 4, 2009, has been released, though he appears unable to move or speak freely.

On April 6, Gao told Bob Fu, president of the U.S.-based China Aid Association (CAA), by telephone that he had just returned to his Beijing apartment from his guarded location in Shanxi Province.

"Gao Zhisheng and his family have suffered deeply from the long separation," Fu stated on CAA's website. "Despite the persecution, he continues to trust the Lord."