A Christian pastor who is also a driver of the nationwide NASCAR series is using his gift in race car driving to spread the gospel.

Blake Koch, 25, wears a race suit with a slogan on the back of it that says, “I’ve got your back—God.” His sponsors include Daystar Television Network and GodSpeaks.com, Star-Telegram said.

Koch told Star-Telegram that when he is racing, he knows he is alone with God and as he surrenders the race to God, he is confident that God is watching his back.

Koch told Star-Telegram, “When they roll up the window of the race car, it’s just God and me. I ask God to drive the car through me. Put it where you want it. Drive it with my hands and my feet and my mind and my heart. After that I don’t think of anything but winning the race and doing the best I can.”

Last Friday Koch joined the Nationwide O’Reilly Auto Parts 300 held in Texas Motor Speedway, according to Star-Telegram. Before that he addressed a group of hundreds of youth at Arlington High Point saying, “Racing has really brought me closer to God. When you drive one of these cars, I don’t know how you could not be close to God.”

Koch told The 33 News, “God’s given me the opportunity to race in NASCAR and I feel like and I know as a Christian I have to give back by living out my Christianity.”

Dirt bike racer

Koch started as a dirt bike racer when he was nine, and within eight years reached the professional level. He was also getting hurt a lot including five concussions, eight broken bones and three surgeries, Star-Telegram said.

He got into his first race car when he was 20 and now, five years later, is competing for rookie of the year in the Nationwide Series, Star-Telegram said.

Koch is also part of a weekly bible study with other race-car drivers. Before every race they pray, followed by the national anthem. A pastor also invokes Jesus’ name before the race begins. He told Star-Telegram, “I like to say 80 to 90 percent of the fans believe in God.”

Blake says that whenever he is inside his car, just before a race, he prays. He told The 33 News that he believes God is riding
with him. “There are so many situations during a race where you almost get into wreck, you did get hit, you’re safe and protected and maybe you’re spinning out and you do go straight miraculously somehow. You definitely feel as a believer I know those are close connections to God.”

In 2009 NASCAR driver Eric Holmes knocked his car, and Koch laughingly told The 33 News, “[A]fter the race his wife’s like, ‘we’re so worried we don’t know what’s going to happen we might go to hell, we just took out the God car.’”

A company that makes Christian Manga publications launched recently a fund raiser program so that they could get enough money to go digital.

Mecha Manga Bible Heroes launched the fund raiser program Kickstarter to raise $10,000 so that they can continue to publish their bible series as Apps and digital comics that can be accessed through computers and Smartphone, Christian Newswire said.

So far, according to their website, they have raised $135 (as of this writing) from three donors. The fund raising campaign is ongoing until Monday, May 23. Depending on the amount donated, contributors will receive different tokens of thanks such as a prototype comic book, autographed hand drawn art sketch cards, or one’s likeness drawn in a crowd scene.

Mecha Manga Bible Heroes is created by Paul Castiglia and Thomas Hall. The publisher is John-Marc Gorb. It’s first issue was about the story of the shepherd boy David and the giant, Goliath, Christian Newswire said.

According to its website after the first issue the hits on the site “increased 10,000%”. They also got a great deal of publicity in print, online, through radio and on TV.

The first comic can currently be downloaded for free at itunes.apple.com/us/book/david-vs-goliath/id419801543?ls=1, according to Christian Newswire.

New twist

However a new twist to the Old Testament stories in forthcoming issues would be the inclusion of robots, advanced technology and aliens. Mecha Manga Bible Heroes is hoping with sufficient funding they can expand the story of David to a series on The Rise of King David, made in high quality digital comic format, according to its website.

Castiglia told Christian Newswire, “The journey to David’s kingship is packed with action, adventure and intrigue as David becomes a fugitive from the deadly King Saul, jealous over the adoration David has received since slaying the giant (robot) Goliath.”

Mecha Manga is hoping to make a complete epic series on David by offering digital downloads of three installments. It is hoped that all four issues will, in due time, be made available as a printed paperback special edition as well, with new art re-workings on the first issue, according to its website.

The website said the new digital comic installments will be available for iTouch and iPhones, and will also be downloadable on Apple iBooks store. It is anticipated that other systems and outlets will also be possible.

Hall told Christian Newswire, “Taking stock of limited financial backing and distribution of our printed comic book and the current economic situation it became apparent that digital distribution is the way to go.”

Dream team

Mecha Manga has a dream team behind it, with Castiglia’s background as a veteran writer and editor who worked with DC, Dark Horse and Archie comics. Hall was a co-creator and writer for R-13, the most downloaded independent and award winning comic. Grob created FriendFish and the highly popular Noah A-Z download, Christian Newswire said.

New people on board are Joey Endres as co-writer, and artist Jeff Slemons for covers and Eric Merced and Josh Alves for the interior pages, Christian Newswire reported.

Those interested in donating may do so at http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/805513803/mecha-manga-bible-heroes-the-rise-of-king-david.

Some Christians feel the BBC TV series, The Nativity, is not faithful enough to the bible, while others believe that by lending a human perspective to the story, the birth of Christ becomes a more genuinely felt experience for both the churched and unchurched.

The Nativity, written by Tony Jordan, is a four-part series that is being aired on BBC during Christmas week. The Daily Express said some Christians are outraged at scenes where a 15-year-old pregnant Mary is being accused by Joseph of “whoring” or rape, and another where people attack her because they don’t believe she was made pregnant by the Holy Spirit.

Stephen Green of Christian Voice said the gospels only say Joseph was suspicious, but mentions no violence or verbal abuse. He also said children who do nativity plays at school may be confused, The Daily Express said.

Green told The Daily Express, “They wouldn’t mock the birth of Muhammad, or anything to do with his life story. They wouldn’t ridicule Hinduism or Sikhism, but Christianity is their big target.”

Churched and unchurched

Jordan however said that he wanted a film that both the churched and unchurched would appreciate. He told The Telegraph, “I want people who have no particular faith, who don’t watch the God Channels, to watch this nativity. And if they have faith, to reinforce it. And if they haven’t, to make them think, ‘Wow, I don’t know, maybe…’”

Noting that unbelievers tend to laugh at the idea of Jesus being born to a virgin, Jordan made that the centerpiece of the story. “The story has been hidden because people couldn’t get past that first bit,” He told The Telegraph.

The Nativity focuses on the tension and romance between Mary and Joseph. Jordan told The Daily Express, “I think it perfectly believable that Joseph should get angry with his betrothed and only agree to take her with him to Bethlehem when she risks being stoned by angry neighbors.”

The journey to Nazareth takes on a new twist. Jordan told The Telegraph, “In my version they hate each other for the whole journey, but come together at the end through Joseph discovering faith.”

Some might say it is “wholesale revisionism,” but Jordan kept true to the essence of the gospel and researched so carefully as to call NASA scientists to get a detailed understanding of the Star of Bethlehem, The Telegraph said.

The writer’s favorite character is a shepherd burdened with debt and an ailing wife. People tell him God will take care of him, but Jordan tells The Telegraph, “When you’re unemployed and your wife is dying, that’s…hard to take.” At the end of the story however the shepherd kisses the feet of Baby Jesus.

Actress Tatiana Maslany, who plays Mary, said the story is about enduring love “even in the most difficult circumstances.” Andrew Buchan, who plays Joseph compares his character to any man today “who goes away and comes back to find his wife or girlfriend pregnant. Of course he’s going to … challenge her,” The Daily Express reported.

The Church of England says the series is “a gritty interpretation of the events of the first Christmas. We hope it will bring home the story of Jesus being born in a humble stable to many new viewers,” according to The Daily Express.

Independent Catholic News notes that Jesus is described throughout the series as a “bridge between heaven and earth,” and cites the irony of the couple’s journey through a barren desert of extreme temperatures looking for a place where Mary can safely give birth to Jesus.

The Church Media Network clarifies that the series is a drama that is sourced from the gospels but is not an exercise in evangelism. However, the series can be used as a tool to open up dialogue about Jesus and what his birth means to the world, according to their website.

Lovers of C.S. Lewis novels must keep an eye out for the showing of the third and final episode of the film series on The Chronicles of Narnia which will be opening in U.S. theaters on Dec. 10.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is rated PG and can be seen in cinemas everywhere in 2D and 3D. It is directed by Michael Apted (Gorillas in the Mist, The World is Not Enough), CBC News said.

The children Edmund (Skandar Keynes) and Lucy (Georgie Henley), are joined by their cousin Eustace (Will Poulter) in this newest adventure. Simon Pegg plays the voice of Repicheep the mouse, and Liam Neeson is the voice of the noble lion Aslan, CBC News said.

The previous two movies in the C.S. Lewis series were The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, and Prince Caspian, according to CBN News.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is set in 1943 when England was at war. Lucy and Edmund are visited by their annoying cousin Eustace. While dwelling on a painting of an old sailing ship, they find themselves in Narnia, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.

They children are riding the Dawn Treader vessel filled with people, animals and beasts on board. Eustace remains unmoved and complaining amid all this. Meanwhile King Caspian, whom all look up to, struggles with self doubt, The Sydney Morning Herald said.

They encounter many adventures, mingle with strange creatures, meet monsters, an alien and a minotaur. At one point they land in jail. In another moment they are off to rescue the victims of a strange green mist, The Sydney Morning Herald said.

Of course, the noble lion Aslan shows up at poignant moments, and through it all the characters learn to overcome temptation and gain the wherewithal to defeat evil. They are told, “Beware, to defeat the darkness out there you must defeat the darkness in yourself,” according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

This family friendly film will stay true to Lewis’ focus on plot and character taking precedence over film effects. There will also be a battle between the mouse and the dragon, The Sydney Morning Herald said.

According to The Sydney Morning Herald the film was mostly shot in the Queensland Gold Coast of Australia last year. The Herald Sun said that fans and paparazzi were particularly drawn to the set of the Dawn Treader, one of the most famous and well loved boats in literature.

The Voyage of the Dawn Treader has computer generated effects and digital characters that blend well with the real actors. The Sydney Morning Herald called it “an impressive feat of imagination.”

Dubbed the voice of atheism, Christopher Hitchens recently won  a debate against former Prime Minister Tony Blair in the Munk Debate series held in Toronto, Canada.

The motion for the debate, which was organized by the Aurea Foundation group for the Munk series, was “Be it resolved, religion is a force for good in the world,” according to The Guardian.

Even before the debate began the 2,700 audience leaned heavily on Hitchens’ side, with 57 percent in disagreement with the motion compared to only 22 percent on Blair’s side, agreeing with the motion. The remaining 31 percent were undecided, Christianity Today said.

By the end of the debate both speakers won over some of the undecided, with Hitchens’ final score at 68 percent, and Blair scoring 32 percent, according to Christianity Today.

However, the Guardian said the real winner was the debate organizers, with the Roy Thomson Hall filled to capacity and an overflow crowd at a separate location where the debate was watched on TV monitors.

The Guardian said weeks before the debate, tickets had already been sold out and some were on eBay “several times their cover price.” It will air on the BBC World Service radio on Dec. 4, and on Radio 4 on Dec. 11. It can also be viewed on BBC World News and the News Channel on Jan. 1, 2011, BBC News said.

Spiritual gobbledygook

Hitchens, who wrote the bestseller God is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything, called religion “spiritual gobbledygook” and cited the misery that religion caused through the ages, including the exacerbation of many world conflicts, Christianity Today reported.

The atheist, who is afflicted with esophageal cancer, said, “Once you assume a creator and a plan it makes us subjects in a cruel experiment.” He compared God to a “celestial dictatorship, a kind of divine North Korea,” Christianity Today said.

He said, “To terrify children with the image of hell…to consider women an inferior creation. Is that good for the world?” Christianity Today reported.

Convert to Catholicism

Blair, who converted to Catholicism in 2007, said that while it is true that “people commit horrific acts of evil in the name of religion,” it is also undeniable that religion has been the inspiration for much extraordinary good, the UKPA reported.

Of his decisions on war as prime minister, Blair said it was “not about religious faith,” but “based on policy,” according to the UKPA. Blair said one should not render blanket judgment on all people of faith due to the “bigotry or prejudice shown by some.”

Blair cited the good acts of faith-based groups such as saving millions of lives in Africa, and caring for those who are disabled, mentally ill and destitute noting, “The proposition that religion is unadulterated poison is unsustainable. It can be destructive, [but] it can also create a deep well of compassion, and frequently does.”

The UKPA also quoted Blair suggesting that rather than try to “drive religion out,” efforts are better spent getting people from different faiths to work together, especially in the Middle East.

From the start, Harry Potter has been criticized by some Christian organizations because of its sorcery, and yet lauded by other Christians for its spiritual themes.

Now, the author J.K. Rowling, on the release of Part 1 of the Grand Finale, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows film, has spilled the beans—she is Christian.

According to Ministry Values, Rowling is a member of the Church of Scotland, and her daughter was baptized there. Rowling grew up in a family of unbelievers. Nonetheless, as a 13-year-old she was drawn to faith, and used to go to church by herself.

Danielle Tumminio, a graduate from Yale Divinity School, taught a course at Yale University called “Christian Theology and Harry Potter. She told Ministry Values that as one who also had a similar faith journey, (having grown up without religion but being drawn to the faith), she believes that Rowland was able to use her life experience to put together the Harry Potter series. Tumminio said, “that’s God’s hand at work.”

Part of that life experience included Rowling’s life before Harry Potter, when she was dealing with the death of her mother. At the time, she was a single mother living on welfare, afflicted with clinical depression and a suicidal tendency, according to CNN.

Rowland used this emotion to write Harry Potter. The character lost his parents, just as she lost her mother. In the book, “Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban,” Rowland personified her depression battles with the dementors in the novel, CNN reported.

Spiritually dangerous

Rowland said one reason she withheld her faith was so that the conclusion of the Harry Potter series would not be predetermined, according to The New Yorker. However, one author is not content with that explanation.

Steve Wohlberg, bestselling author of “Exposing Harry Potter and Witchcraft: The Menace Beneath the Magic,” told The Christian Post, “The more I read the books, the more I realized how spiritually dangerous the material is. Even though it’s fiction there is a lot of reality woven in it. My warning is that Harry Potter is a major contributor to Wicca.”

And regarding the claims of Christian themes, Wohlberg told The Christian Post, “To me, she is just like Eve, not realizing she has become a channel for the devil, she is not aware of it.”

Other religious leaders who have denounced the series are Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, and Pope Benedict XVI, who in 2003 as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger warned of “subtle seductions [that could] corrupt the Christian faith [in impressionable young children]” The Christian Post reported.

Bible in Harry Potter

The New Yorker cited a list of authors who saw biblical lessons in Harry Potter. This includes Greg Garrett, author of One Fine Potion: The Literary Magic of Harry Potter, who called Rowling’s book “the best and most powerful contemporary retelling of the gospel narrative I’d encountered.”

The New Yorker cited other titles of books that found Christian themes in Harry Potter, including “What’s a Christian to Do with Harry Potter?” by Connie Neal; “A Charmed Life: The Spirituality of Potterworld by Francis Bridger;” and “The Mystery of Harry Potter: A Catholic Family Guide” by Nancy C. Brown.

Christianity Today said, “Whether Rowling intended it or not, the Harry Potter phenomenon is an example of how the Holy Spirit uses cultural means to tell God’s story.”

The publication cites Paul in Acts 17 where the evangelist “reminds us to listen to culture for those stories that resonate with God’s story of love and redemption. This doesn’t entail that Christians embrace all of popular culture (or even all of Harry Potter), but it does mean that we are attentive to the world around us, aware of the ways the Spirit is moving.”

There is Japanese anime and manga. And  now, there is Christian shonen manga (Japanese-styled graphic novels) that has action, heroes and villains—all from stories in the bible.

The company is named Atiqtuq, and its founder, Jonathan Lin, came fresh out of the corporate business world where he didn’t feel fulfilled. He told The Christian Post that he was well acquainted with the immense popularity of anime and manga because he grew up regularly visiting relatives in Japan.

“I always wanted to start my own business and impact society in a positive way,” Lin told The Christian Post. “Media is so important and it can be used to reach out to younger readers.”

And so he merged manga’s immense popularity with bible stories—his way of providing entertainment that is wholesome and spiritual. It’s a new company, founded early this year and he used his own savings to put it up, The Christian Post said.

One release was a series on the Apostle Paul which came out in two volumes, and has a third one pending. Author Matt Salisbury told Catholic PR Wire, “I believe in engaging readers, Christian and non-Christian alike, where they’re at. My goal was to emulate Paul’s own mission of inclusion leading to truth. If this series sparks interest in scripture or aspiration to live as Paul did, we’d have been very successful.”

Another effort of Atiqtuq is Judith: Captive to Conqueror. Written by Gabrielle Gniewek, the story is about a woman who is more familiar to Catholics than to Protestants. The Catholic News Agency reported that the manga version of Judith  is likely to encourage more children to read the bible.

According to its website, Atiqtuq (ah tick took) is a term used by the Inuits of Canada. It describes the time when a baby polar bear leaves its den and goes with its mother for the first time to the Hudson Bay.

In similar fashion, Atiqtuq hopes to take its readers on a journey through stories about “real heroes and heroines,” that are filled with courage, honor, love, sacrifice and wisdom, the website says.

Manga has gained great popularity in the U.S. and Canada, according to Catholic PR Wire, with some 17.5 million copies sold cumulatively in both countries in 2008.

Lin said most of the clients of Atiqtuq come from the U.S. but they also have readers in Australia, Germany, Brazil, Japan and the U.K. Most of the readers range in age from eight to 13 years, so it is likely the books are ordered by the parents, The Christian Post reported.

Atiqtuq plans to release future graphic novels next year on David and Goliath, Jacob and Esther, and Noah. The novels are available in select bookstores in the U.S. and can be ordered online. More information about Atiqtuq can be found on its Facebook page, or on its website.

Homer Simpson swills beer, strangles his son Bart, and loves doughnuts so much that he once sold his soul for one, but the Vatican’s official newspaper says the Simpsons are Catholics at heart.

The L’Osservatore Romano, on its Oct. 17 issue, said in the article “Homer and Bart are Catholics,” that parents can rest easy if their children watch “the adventures of the little guys in yellow,” Reuters reported.

L’Osservatore said, “The Simpsons are among the few TV programs for children in which Christian faith, religion, and questions about God are recurrent themes,” according to the Telegraph.

The papal publication said, “Few people know it, and he does everything he can to hide it… [but] it is true: Homer J. Simpson is a Catholic.” They also cited a study that was made by a Jesuit priest of an episode that was aired in 2005 called “The Father, the Son and the Holy Guest Star,” Reuters reported.

In that episode Bart enrolls in a Catholic school (because he was expelled from Springfield Elementary School), where he befriends a Catholic priest. When Homer decides to convert to Catholicism, his wife is horrified, the Telegraph says.

So too is Rev. Lovejoy (their pastor) and Ned Flanders (their evangelical neighbor). The episode touches on a range of issues including homosexuality, stem cell research, interfaith dialogue and religious conflict, according to the Telegraph.

L’Osservatore noted that while Homer snores in church and relentlessly humiliates Ned Flanders, the series also explores issues of family, community and education in a way that few other television programs do, the Telegraph said.

Last year, on the show’s 20^th anniversary, L’Osservatore said the show is a “tender and irreverent, scandalous and ironic, boisterous and profound, philosophical and sometimes even theological, nutty synthesis of pop culture and of the lukewarm and nihilistic American middle class,” according to Reuters.

Al Jean, executive producer of The Simpsons expressed awe and surprise at L’Osservatore’s article. He told Entertainment Weekly, “I guess it makes up for me not going to church for 20 years.” However, Jean said the Simpsons are Presbylutheran, and they go to the First Church of Springfield. “I really don’t think he (Homer) could go without eating meat on Fridays—for even an hour.”

The Simpsons, the longest running primetime TV series in the U.S., is currently on its 22^nd season, Reuters said. They also made The Simpsons Movie, where Homer called churchgoers “pious morons,” and said they were “too busy talking to their phony-baloney god,” Entertainment Weekly reported.

In the last three years, L’Osservatore Romano has departed from its former serious and stolid image. Under a new editor it began to comment on popular culture including The Beatles and Harry Potter among others, according to the Telegraph.

The Berenstain Bears have a new book app and its a top seller in the iPhone app Store.

The Berenstain Bears have been around since 1962, but it’s only with their new book app that this fictional bear family could be clearly viewed as practicing Christians, The New Yorker said.

This is because in the “Golden Rule” book app, the Bears directly mention Matthew 7:12 in the story. The book app is the first of a “Living Lights” series of 12 books published by Zonderkidz, The New Yorker reported.

Zonderkidz is the children’s book division of Christian publisher Zondervan. The book app was made in collaboration with Oceanhouse Media. Other titles in the series include The Berenstain Bears Say Their Prayers, The Berenstain Bears go to Sunday School and The Berenstain Bears: God Loves You, The New Yorker said.

The Berenstain Bears had always been wholesome, but they never outwardly dealt with any particular faith. A Facebook group had speculated that they were Jewish, and the blog Jew or Not Jew gave them a “Barely a Jew” status, The New Yorker said.

Husband and wife team Stan and Jan Berenstain authored all the books up until Stan’s death in 2005. Stan is Jewish, and his wife Jan was raised Episcopalian. The “Living Lights” series is authored by their son, Mike, The New Yorker said.

Book apps are enhanced ebooks with interactive features such as narration, background audio and artwork that changes with every scene. They can be accessed on iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, PR Newswire said.

Annette Bourland, senior vice president and publisher of Zonderkidz said, “The Berenstain Bears books teach children how wonderful God is and the purpose he has in their lives.  The book apps have successfully brought the words and lessons of these books to life like no other format,” PR Newswire reported.

Michel Kripalani, president of Oceanhouse Media said, “As a child reads the story, individual words are highlighted. When they touch a picture, the app automatically zooms in on the words, building an association between the word and the image,” PR Newswire said.

Mike Berenstain said the Living Light series came about because the family through the years saw how Christian families appreciated the values-based book themes. “By dealing with religion through the fun and laughter of the Berenstain Bears, we hope to nurture these families in their goal of raising children secure in their faith,” The New Yorker reported.

The Iranian director of a show about Jesus decried recently Lebanese Christian organizations for objecting to his TV serial, which caused two Muslim television stations to pull it off the air.

Nader Talebzadeh directed the film “The Messiah” in 2007, which became the basis for a 17-episode TV series to be aired during Ramadan. He complained when two Muslim-owned TV stations, Al-Manar and the National Broadcasting Network (NBN) pulled the show off the air after two episodes, The Christian Post said.

The program was canceled to avoid sectarian tension, the TV stations said in a statement. While noting the program “shows the great personality of God’s prophet Jesus,” they wanted to respect other religious groups, The Christian Post said. It is still seen however on pan-Arab satellite stations, the Los Angeles Times said.

Both TV stations have links to the Lebanese group Hezbollah, The Christian Post said. Talebzadeh believes the Lebanese Christians complained for political reasons, the Los Angeles Times said.

The film version won an award from the Vatican for its promotion of interfaith dialogue. It was also purchased by many Catholic Latin American countries, the Los Angeles Times said.

However, both the movie and the television program show Jesus through a Muslim lens, and do not say he is the son of God, nor do they say Jesus died on the cross, The Christian Post said.

The Christian community in Lebanon is large and influential. In a sit-in at Beirut’s Catholic Center last Friday they said the show distorted their beliefs of Jesus, The Christian Post said.

“The Messiah” is based on the Gospel of Barnabas, which the church rejects, as it claims Jesus was never crucified nor resurrected; and mentions the Muslim prophet Muhammad. The film is also based on the Qu’ran, The Christian Post said.

The Qu’ran says Jesus, though a prophet and teacher, was not the son of God; and claims that when Jesus was crucified, Judas took Jesus’ place on the cross, the Los Angeles Times said.

Maronite Catholic Archbishop Bechara el-Rai, who represents a dominant group in Lebanese politics and society, said the program disrespects Jesus and Christianity, The Christian Post said.

In Lebanese politics a Maronite Catholic must be president, while a Sunni Muslim must be prime minister, and a Shiite Muslim, parliament speaker. Muslims and Christians equally divide the Cabinet and parliament, The Christian Post said.

At issue too is free speech in Lebanon which is freer compared to other countries in the region, but still censors programs that are considered very lewd, too political, or offensive to religion, the Los Angeles Times said.