Poverty

According to a new study, 93 percent of Christians say they are concerned about global poverty, but many of them are unaware of the progress that has been made in the quest to eliminate poverty worldwide.

The study was conducted in September by the Barna Group, which surveyed 1,429 adults in the U.S. with an oversampling of young Christians. The survey was commissioned by Compassion International, a Christian organization that ministers to over 1.2 million needy children in 26 different countries worldwide.

One-third of Christians surveyed said they were “extremely concerned” about the world's poverty problems and four out of five of Christians said they feel a special responsibility to help solve them. more >>

A black pastor chided presidential candidate Herman Cain for tearing down African Americans with comments about political affiliation and unemployment, and encouraged him to follow God’s model of reconciliation to help his people.

As Cain’s momentum rises in the polls so is the criticism of his views of racism and economic opportunity. During an October CNN interview, he said, "I don't believe racism in this country today holds anybody back in a big way."

David Anderson, a Maryland pastor and president of racial reconciliation group BridgeLeader Network, acknowledges there is some truth to Cain’s statements. more >>

“I have dreams, but they will never come true,” an adolescent boy says of his indentured servitude, in an upcoming documentary. “So let me have no dreams at all.”

This is just one of the heartbreaking stories showcased in the documentary “58,” which will premiere in 51 cities across the country Thursday. The White House held a movie screening of "58" for evangelical leaders, including the head of World Vision and Compassion, on Tuesday evening in the auditorium of the Eisenhower Executive Office Building located next to the West Wing.

The film goes on to relate that the boy’s father, Sanjiv, is a wage slave in Bangalore, India, who sweats from sunrise to sundown breaking stones in an illegal quarry. Trapped in a debt he cannot repay, Sanjiv grieves the fact that he cannot give his children food to eat, much less a proper education. more >>

One of the Christian leaders arrested in a peaceful protest for the poor on Capitol Hill is calling fellow religious leaders to be a moral and nonviolent influence in the "Occupy Wall Street" protests occurring around the nation.

The Rev. J. Herbert Nelson, director of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Office of Public Witness, was one of 11 ministry leaders arrested July 28 after ignoring calls to leave the Capitol Rotunda and charged with a misdemeanor. The court dropped the misdemeanor charge against 10 of the 11 ministers Tuesday. One of ministers pled guilty and paid a $50 fine.

Despite his brush with the law, Nelson is urging religious leaders to get involved in other protests, namely the "Occupy Wall Street" protests. more >>

What is the role of government in helping people? What is the role of religion in governing? Can Christians be capitalists? These are just some of the questions presented by the authors of Left, Right & Christ: Evangelical Faith in Politics during a panel discussion at Union Theological Seminary in New York City Thursday.

Authors Lisa Sharon Harper and D.C. Innes served on the panel, which was comprised of members from both ends of the political spectrum. The authors were joined by Jim Wallis, a social justice advocate and influential progressive evangelical, and Richard Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist convention., who served as the right-leaning voice.

In the book, Harper, who works for Sojourners, a progressive Christian journal, presents the main liberal argument. Innes, a political science professor at The King’s College, offers a more conservative approach. The joint work is aimed at helping Christians see ways in which Scripture can interact with today's culture and political landscape. more >>

For the past 20 days, a crowd of more than 1,000 students, union members and other activists have been camped out in the streets of New York in a protest named Occupy Wall Street. The movement started on Sept. 17 and was organized mainly by social media tools such as Facebook and Twitter.

Occupy Wall Street originally started out with just a few college students camping out in Zuccotti Park, in lower Manhattan, denouncing the poor state of the economy. With union members and celebrities like Michael Moore joining the group, the protest has gained nationwide attention.

The protesters call themselves “the 99 percent,” in contrast to the wealthiest 1 percent of Americans. This diverse group has multiple reasons for the protest, ranging from taxes to debt; however, there seems to be one common enemy: Wall Street. The protesters are speaking out against what they perceive as the corrupt 1 percent of Americans who make the majority of the financial decisions in the country. more >>