Economic Crisis

While New Hampshire may not be the friendly oasis for evangelical voters that Iowa was, former Pennsylvania Rick Santorum is not leaving his Christianity at the door in an attempt to sway voters.

At a town hall meeting in Windham on Thursday night, Santorum responded to one gentleman who called into a radio program earlier in the week saying the nation didn’t need a “Jesus” candidate, but rather an “economic” candidate. “Sir, we always need a Jesus candidate,” Santorum confidently replied. “It’s not that we need a Christian, but someone who believes in something more than themselves.”

The exchange highlights two of the issues Santorum is trying to bridge as he takes his surge going into the more liberal Northeast to the bastion of the conservative politics of the South – to protect and grow his conservative evangelical base while reaching out to those whose primary concern is the economy and healthcare. more >>

Increasing boldness by extreme Islamists is one of six top religious news stories that the Institute on Religion & Democracy predicts will make major headlines in 2012.

The religious freedom advocacy group based in Washington, D.C., warns that proclamations such as those made by the terrorist group Boko Haram declaring that all Christians must leave Nigeria indicates more of the same for this year.

“Islamists globally are making more assertive demands against vulnerable religious minorities,” IRD officials stated in their “IRD Predicts Top Church News of 2012” report released Thursday. “Egypt's Coptic Christians may face rule by Islamic parties and accelerated attacks by emboldened militants.” more >>

In an attempt to generate public support, Egypt’s ruling military council has pledged to loan $1 billion to the central bank, thus proving its benefit to the country’s financial stability.

The state news network reported Wednesday that the money will be loaned in an attempt to support the country’s flailing currency.

Although from the outside this appears to be a noble idea, the military’s easy access to the $1 billion, independently held by the military outside of government banks, proves its special privileges and authoritarian rule, the The New York Times reports. more >>

Financial reports from congressional members have recently revealed that members of Congress are more similar to the wealthy one percent than they are to the 99 percent that the Occupy Wall Street movement represents.

National Public Radio reported back in November that Congress’ net-worth had risen 25 percent over the past two years despite the recession of 2008. Compared that to the 8 percent drop the average American’s net worth saw over the past 6 years, according to ABC News, and it is easy to see why average citizens are outraged over the cultural gap between them and the politicians they elect to represent their communities.

The New York Times reports that the median net worth of members of Congress is about $913,000 compared to the $100,000 for the general population. more >>

The root of the European debt crisis, according to Pope Benedict XVI, is a lack of faith.

In his annual Christmas address to the Vatican yesterday, Pope Benedict spoke about the cause of the European debt crisis. He told the clergy, “As this year draws to a close, Europe is undergoing an economic and financial crisis, which is ultimately based on the ethical crisis looming over the Old Continent.”

“Such values as solidarity, commitment to one’s neighbor and responsibility towards the poor and suffering are largely uncontroversial, but motivation is often lacking for individuals and large sectors of society to praise renunciation and make sacrifices.” more >>

Prompted by the nation’s economic recession reflected in its own backyard, Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., opened a center with free community services aimed at providing Orange County residents with much needed relief on Tuesday.

Bestselling author and pastor Rick Warren said that in the process of his church’s food pantry serving more than 72,000 people with free groceries during the last year-and-a-half, staff members discovered that people needed help in several other areas as well. While some financial analysts have been downplaying the severity and length of the nation's economic downturn, Warren believes the country is headed into its fifth year of the "great recession."

Long considered as a fairly affluent county with miles of coastal property and mega-rich land developers such as the Irvine Co., the Saddleback Valley region located in the southern part of the county struggles with an 11 percent unemployment rate and a high number of home foreclosures. more >>