Poverty

The drought and famine affecting some 12 million people in the Horn of Africa is being identified as the worst food security emergency in the world today. And yet agencies report that the crisis is worsening.

"The situation is getting worse," said UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos in a statement Friday. "If we are to avoid this crisis becoming an even bigger catastrophe, we must act now.”

According to the United Nations, the drought is the worst in 60 years and the emergency is expected to last for at least three to four months. Each day, thousands are fleeing the region to other parts of Africa to find relief and refuge. more >>

In Oakland California, a family was critically injured by gunshots early Wednesday morning as they delivered fish dinner to the homeless.

Paris Powell, 29, also known as “Brother John” in the community because of his generosity, his pregnant wife, 35, and his two young daughters were attacked when a shooter drove up to the family van and opened fire.

Brother John was shot in the head and was on life support. He died Thursday at 4 p.m. more >>

Dr. Anthony Bradley is associate professor of Theology and Ethics at The King's College in New York City and a research fellow at the Acton Institute. He talked to The Christian Post about his new book, Black and Tired: Essays on Race, Politics, Culture, and International Development.

CP: What was your purpose for writing the book?

Bradley: The larger purpose for writing the book was to give people an example of what it might look like to bring a Christian worldview to issues, public policy and social ethics that are clearly grounded in a Christian worldview, but aren't always explicitly Christian, but still makes a point that is reasonable and persuasive. And, to help people really think about the connections between anthropology and the ways we think about our governance – how we govern people given what we think about the nature of the human person. more >>

Amid ongoing negotiations on Capitol Hill over the national debt limit, Christian leaders are looking to make allies with Congress and the White House in order to ensure benefits and entitlements for the poor at home and abroad.

On Wednesday, faith leaders met with President Obama to pray, read scriptures and urge him to protect the poor. Before meeting the president, the leaders met with Republican Rep. Paul Ryan. They are now setting their sights on sit-downs with House Speaker John Boehner and Senate Minority leader Mitch McConnell.

"We are not among those who want to kick the can down the road," said Galen Carey, vice president of Government Relations for the National Association of Evangelicals. more >>

Bill Gates is getting his hands dirty again, seeking to change the lives of over 2.6 billion people, this time with a toilet – “Toilet 2.0.”

“‘Toilet 2.0’ – that’s right, innovations in sanitation have a big, positive impact for billions w/o access,” Gates tweeted.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which works to help people lead healthy, productive lives, announced on Tuesday their initiative to help bring safe, clean sanitation services to millions of people in the developing world who don’t have access to safe, reliable toilets. more >>

The number of unmarried couples living together has risen dramatically since the 1990s, with the greatest increase among those without a college degree, according to a new Pew Research Center study analyzing recent Census Bureau data.

In 2009, 58 percent of those aged 30-44 were married while 7 percent were living with their partner but not married. Thirty-five percent were neither married nor a cohabitant. The rate of cohabitation for this age group has doubled since 1995 when it was 3 percent. The study, authored by Richard Fry and D'Vera Cohn, also noted that rates of cohabitation before marriage have risen sharply. In 2010, 58 percent of all women aged 19-44 had lived with a partner outside of marriage, up from 33 percent in 1987.

The increased rate of cohabitation came mostly from those with lower levels of education, however. Cohabitation was twice as high among those without a college degree (8 percent) than among college graduates (4 percent). more >>