NEW YORK -- Starting from New York City Tuesday, Illinois Pastor Corey Brooks has embarked on a several-months-long journey across the U.S. to raise $15 million to fund his ongoing battle against the staggering levels of gun violence that plague the predominantly black youth of inner-city Chicago and others across the country.

"We all know that violence is a terrible thing and anytime a young person's life is taken prematurely by guns that is something that we cannot tolerate, nor is that something that we should be used to," Brooks said Tuesday at a press conference in New York City. "This is a sounding alarm for not just black America, but for America at large because anytime that children are affected it's not just a black issue, or a white issue; a Christian issue, or a Jewish issue; it's a humanitarian issue."

Pastor Brooks' initiative, known as "Project HOOD's Walk Across America to End Violence," started from Times Square directly after the press conference at The United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism. Brooks hopes his nationwide walk will help finance the building of a much needed community and economic development center on the south side of Chicago – directly across the street from his church. more >>

Christians from around the world have been flocking to Germany's oldest city to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the Pilgrimage of the Holy Robe, the seamless garment believed to be worn by Jesus shortly before his crucifixion.

The garment went on display for the first time in 16 years on April 13 in Trier, Germany as a part of the "Holy Robe Pilgrimage 2012," hosted by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Trier.

According to the Trier city website, 700,000 people made the Holy Robe pilgrimage in 1996, the last time the robe was shown. This year, 500,000 people are expected. more >>

The hardest part of a marriage in which the husband is not a Christian is balancing spiritual leadership roles, say relationship experts and authors Lynn Donovan and Dineen Miller.

Donovan and Miller, who co-authored the book Winning Him Without Words, spoke today about cultivating a healthy marriage in part two of a Focus on the Family radio broadcast titled: "Thriving in an Unequal Marriage."

Both women made it clear on the broadcast that they do not condone Christians marrying non-Christians, but their book and website seek to help spouses who have found themselves in the unforeseen circumstance of an unequal union after marriage. more >>

A little over a week after the death of Pope Shenouda III, the Coptic Orthodox church of Egypt is facing a crucial dilemma in the face of the rise of Islamism. Should the next leader speak for the rights of Christians, like his predecessor did, or should he be a peace-maker?

Names of three possible candidates are being discussed, 69-year-old Bishop Bishoy, an engineer graduate and senior member in the Church's governing Holy Council; 51-year-old Bishop Yoanas, who has a degree in medicine and who was Shenouda's personal secretary; and 73-year-old Bishop Moussa, known for his youth work and for Muslim-Christian relations.

The 88-year-old Pope Shenouda, who was both the spiritual and political leader of Egypt's Christian minority for four decades, died of longtime illnesses on March 17. After his death, President Barack Obama said Pope Shenouda would be remembered "as a man of deep faith, a leader of a great faith, and an advocate for unity and reconciliation." His commitment to Egypt's national unity is also a testament to what can be accomplished when people of all religions and creeds work together, Obama added. more >>

Evangelical leaders on the forefront of establishing relationships with Muslims in the United States admit they face unprecedented challenges. For Christians, the question remains – how do fruitful relationships between people from the two dramatically different faiths begin?

While some Christians embrace efforts to reach out to their Muslim neighbors, others are leery and point to a religion they believe is not about peace, but aggressive domination over others, including over Christians and Jews. For the latter, any association with members of the Islamic faith is seen as a "selling out" of Christianity.

Most recently, an effort by Rick Warren's Saddleback Church to reach out to neighboring Muslim communities in Southern California produced a firestorm of controversy over whether Warren would be compromising the Gospel in his efforts. Warren sharply denied he was downplaying the Gospel. more >>

If there is any common thread to be found among evangelical churches in America when it comes to relationships with their Muslim neighbors it may simply be fear.

Geo-political battles around the world between Islamic and Christian influences translate to strained relationships between evangelical Christians and Muslims in the United States, according to several Christian leaders interviewed by The Christian Post for this series.

It may still be premature to spot out any trends in bridge building efforts by churches in the U.S., but that doesn't mean Christian leaders are not taking a closer look and developing strategies on how to navigate the mission field within their own borders. more >>