Evangelicals

In an Easter Sunday interview on ABC's "This Week," megachurch pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren talked about a range of cultural and political issues, including President Obama's birth control mandate, the intersection of religion and politics and whether one can get to Heaven by being a good person.

Host Jake Tapper noted that Warren has been an outspoken critic of the Obama administration's decision to require employers to provide insurance coverage of free birth control without a broad religious exemption. In a February speech, Obama offered what he considered an accommodation. Religious employers with objections would not have to provide the coverage, but their employees must be offered the coverage at no additional charge by the insurance company. Warren said that his concerns were not satisfied by this change.

"The issue here is not about women's health," Warren explained. "There is a greater principle and that is, do you have a right to decide what your faith practices. Now, I don't have a problem with contraception. I'm a Protestant, I'm an evangelical. But I do support my Catholic brothers and sisters to believe what they want to believe." more >>

Latinos are also influenced by the "culture war" or "God gap" thesis, according to a new study. Evangelical Latinos are more likely to support Republicans and secular Latinos are more likely to support Democrats. Catholic Latinos are the least influenced by the culture war thesis.

The study, "Do Latino Christians and Seculars Fit the Culture War Profile? Latino Religiosity and Political Behavior," was published by Troy Gibson, professor of political science at the University of Southern Mississippi, and Christopher Hare, a graduate student in political science at the University of Georgia, in the April, 2012, issue of Politics and Religion.

In recent decades, religiosity has become an important predictor of election outcomes. Those with high levels of religiosity are more likely to vote Republican while those with lower levels of religiosity and those unaffiliated with any religion are more likely to vote Democrat. more >>

[UPDATE] 4/5 3:37 p.m.

Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship, has shown some signs of recovery after undergoing surgery to remove a pool of clotted blood on his brain, according to an update Thursday.

"Colson can hear, process information and execute commands given to him – 'And that makes all the difference,' said his attending physician," according to Jim Liske, CEO of Prison Fellowship Ministries. more >>

"American Idol" contestants need spiritual support and need to be ministered to, claims Leesa Bellesi, who is also known as the "Idol Pastor." The Orange County-based minister found herself convinced at one point, six years ago, that she should take up the task to protect the young contestants' faith and mental health from the cruelty of the industry and, as it later became clear, from cyber bullying, she has told The Christian Post.

Bellesi decided to get involved with "American Idol" during season five, after a string of occurrences which, she is convinced, were God's doing.

From being serendipitously linked to her first contestant, Katharine McPhee, in her husband's church in 2006 through the Bible verse from Jeremiah 29:11, "For I know the plans I have for you plans to give you a hope and a future," to opening her home for the contestants' families, Bellesi has worked behind the scenes of the popular reality TV show for the past seven seasons. more >>

In the 2012 presidential election, President Barack Obama could double the amount of support he got from evangelicals in the 2008 election, according to Barna Group, a Christian polling organization.

In 2008, Obama received the support of about 11 percent of evangelicals, according to Barna Group. In a March 14-21 Barna Group poll of 647 likely voters, twice as many evangelicals, 22 percent, said they were prepared to vote for Obama.

Barna categorizes "evangelical" more narrowly than most other polling organizations. Many polls simply include self-identifiers – those who say, when asked, that they are evangelical or born-again. more >>

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama continued the annual Easter Prayer Breakfast at the White House Wednesday morning, remembering the "tremendous sacrifice" of Jesus and the hope that his resurrection gives.

"We are here today to celebrate that glorious overcoming, the sacrifice of a risen savior who died so that we might live," he said to a room full of Christian leaders.

The prayer breakfast comes just days before Christians around the world mark the crucifixion of Jesus Christ on Good Friday and his resurrection on Easter Sunday. more >>