Family members of a former California youth pastor facing multiple sex crime charges related to the alleged yearslong assault of a minor beginning when she was 8 claim that he is innocent.

James River Church Pastor John Lindell accused Pastor Mark Driscoll of attempting to overthrow him as the leader of his church and dividing his family and congregation by unfairly attacking a performance by a professional sword swallower and admitted male stripper at the Stronger Men's Conference in Missouri.

The United Methodist Church Council of Bishops has elected its first African American female president, who will take office in the coming weeks following the departure of over 7,000 churches from the denomination in recent years.?

An Australian bishop who was stabbed in the middle of a sermon during a church service on Monday and is recovering in the hospital has forgiven his alleged attacker and encouraged the faithful to act more "Christlike" in response to the attack.

Alex Magala, the aerial sword-swallower and acrobat who admitted he stripped for gay men and women as a younger man, says he is Christian and called Pastor Mark Driscoll's recent criticism of his performance at James River Church's Stronger Men's Conference in Missouri, an "uninformed" position.