A coalition of prominent Christian leaders has recently issued a letter urging members of Congress to spare the "hungry and poor" when implementing the forced spending cuts, due to take place this Friday.

The letter  encourages President Barack Obama, Majority Leader Harry Reid, Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, U.S. House Speaker John Boehner, and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to "frame the budget debate in terms of moral choices that are understandable to the American people."

"Important choices must be made: we must weigh the benefits of tax credits for low-income people and tax breaks for high income people; of nutrition assistance to low-income families and subsidies to agricultural businesses," the letter reads. more >>

PHILADELPHIA – The Justice Conference was designed to redeem the word "justice," founder Ken Wytsma explained at a Saturday press conference and interview with The Christian Post. Too often "justice" was simply an arguing point in a political debate between liberals and conservatives, but that misrepresents justice, he explained.

Justice is similar to truth, Wytsma explained, in that it exists always, everywhere, regardless of whether or not one thinks about it or searches for it. But, the way that justice has been used in political debates misrepresents its meaning.

"In the communities I've grown up in, there is this kinda left/right, Democratic/Republican, whatever it might be, battle that has gone on for a very long time where justice was thrown in as an arguing point in that debate, which really destroys the nature of what justice actually is. It throws it into a category or definition that is not correct. Until we understand justice correctly, we can't really have the right conversation. So, The Justice Conference was really my desire to try to redeem the word 'justice,'" Wytsma said. more >>

Correction Appended

PHILADELPHIA – In efforts to help the global poor, Christians need to listen, build friendships, and break down the power gap with those they serve, explained Stephen Bauman, president and CEO of World Relief, in a Saturday interview with The Christian Post at The Justice Conference.

The image of the white savior is a powerful one in relief efforts, many have observed. While well-intentioned, Westerners can perpetuate the power differential between themselves and those they serve. Bauman told a story of how he experienced this problem himself after he went to Africa in 1994. more >>

The third annual Justice Conference drawing attendees from nearly every state and dozens of countries around the world is officially underway this weekend in Philadelphia, where Christian organizers and speakers hope to promote discussion about social justice issues and equip participants to engage those areas theologically.

"The Justice Conference is interesting [because] we're not really cause-based, we really try and have a conversation about justice ... the theology of justice with the idea that hopefully, being able to speak to that and help people as they go into different causes, they're going to be able to do that from a different perspective," Ken Wytsma, who helped found The Justice Conference in 2010, told The Christian Post via phone Friday.

Wytsma is also a creative adviser for World Relief, president of Kilns College School of Theology and Mission in Oregon, and lead pastor of Antioch Church. more >>

The hunger relief organization World Vision begins its annual 30 Hour Famine (30HF) youth-orientated program to raise funds and awareness this weekend. The Christian-based group plans to leverage the source where most young people get their information nowadays – social media.

"When it comes to where teens are getting the majority of their information, they are on the peer-to-peer platforms so much that they are hearing about social justice and causes through Facebook and through Twitter much more than they are hearing from other sources, even their parents," Leah Swindon, national director of World Vision's 30HF, told The Christian Post.

"It's not that the parents don't care it's that they are hearing about it more [through social media]," Swindon said. more >>

A number of passengers from the Carnival cruise ship Triumph, which made national headlines last week after it was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico, revealed that they turned to the Bible during a time of stress and concern.

"The Bible studies were great," Joseph Alvarez said, who was one of the 4,200 passengers who began their cruise on Feb. 7. "We did it for four days. … It put our minds and our hearts at ease. We felt peace the whole time. We knew that there was a Mighty Power out there that would get us home and keep us safe so we could get home and see our children."

The 893-foot ship was left stranded in the Gulf of Mexico after an engine room fire, leading to a four-day delay with passengers having to endure less than ideal conditions before the ship was towed. Alvarez, who witnessed the firefighters responding to the fire that broke out inside the ship, revealed that the improvised Bible study sessions brought together different passengers who found courage and faith, the Billy Graham Evangelical Association noted. more >>