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Billy Graham has been named in the Gallup Poll’s top 10 “most admired men” list for a record 50th time. In a poll taken in mid-December, the 88-year-old evangelist came in fifth. Ranked before him, in order, were President George W. Bush, former president Bill Clinton, former president Jimmy Carter and Senator Barack Obama (D., Ill.). The men ranking behind Graham, in order, were former secretary of state Colin Powell, Pope Benedict XVI, former South African president Nelson Mandela, former president George H. W. Bush and Microsoft founder Bill Gates.

The Amish community, which inspired the world with acts of forgiveness after a Pennsylvania schoolhouse shooting, has been named the newsmaker of the year by the Religion Newswriters Association (RNA) and Beliefnet. The multifaith spirituality Web site Beliefnet.com said December 14 that the Amish community topped its list of newsmakers for demonstrating “courage, forgiveness, self-sacrifice and love” after a gunman entered an Amish schoolhouse in October and killed five girls before taking his own life.