In 2006, the St. Petersburg Times reported the death of a Ukrainian man who was mauled by a lioness at the Kiev Zoo. He encountered the animal on purpose, believing that God would protect him.

A zoo official said the man lowered himself by a rope into a concrete enclosure holding four lions. Shouting, "God will save me, if he exists," the man took off his shoes and strode toward the animals.

One lioness ...

Within the ruins of a large copper-processing center in the lowlands of Jordan, an international team of archaeologists has found evidence that shows Edom may have been an advanced society as early as the 12th century B.C. The evidence proves that it was most definitely an advanced society by the 10th century.

Why is this significant? In biblical history, the Edomites were the descendants of Esau and ...

In December of 2005, Reverend Michael Eden threw out a challenge to the congregation of St. Peter and St. Mary's Church in Stowmarket, England. Repairs were needed for the church's 14th century structure, and Eden directed the congregants to the parable of the talents.

In an innovative twist, he gave each of the 90 parishioners 10 pounds (about $18) and instructed them to "go forth and multiply." Amazingly, ...

A mechanic accidentally swallowed some brake fluid and really liked the taste. Before he knew it, he had finished off the whole bottle.

One of his co-workers caught him sneaking a swig the next day. "Man, that stuff will kill," said his friend, "you've got to give it up."

"Don't worry," the mechanic responded, "I can stop anytime I want."

On the night of October 3, 1998, a snake-handling evangelist named John Wayne Brown, Jr. was bitten by one of his own timber rattlesnakes in the middle of his sermon. Though Reverend Brown continued to speak to the people of Rock House Holiness Church, he soon collapsed onstage. The congregation gathered around him—praying and trying to cool him with an electric fan—but Brown was dead within ...

In his book Mayflower, historian Nathaniel Philbrick recounts the struggle of the Pilgrims during the shaping of early America. Although the first Pilgrims managed to establish a peaceful relationship with the Native Americans, the following generation devolved into bloody warfare. The war, known as King Philip's War, began in 1675 and lasted 14 months.

One conflict between the two groups is notable ...

In a Spin interview, Scott Stapp, the lead singer of Creed, discusses the impact his strict religious upbringing has had on his life:

"I tell you, [my son] is a spitting image of me. You love to see yourself in your children, but I don't want him to have the same demons that I have. I don't want him always thinking about the grand scheme of things—life and death and heaven and hell and good and bad. ...

Prayer, coupled with loving obedience, is the way to put God to the test and to make prayer answer all ends and all things.