The 24th annual U.S. Capitol Bible Reading Marathon began Sunday evening as a way to celebrate First Amendment freedoms, encourage Americans to read their Bibles and prepare for the National Day of Prayer later this week.

Pastor Michael Hall, who has co-directed the event with his wife, Terry Shaffer Hall, for the last 20 years, told The Christian Post that the Scripture is read non-stop "without commentary or comment" until every verse, from Genesis through the Book of Revelation, has been read aloud.

"We do it because we believe in the importance of the Bible," said Hall. "We believe it's God's inerrant word. We believe that it was the foundation of this country; the laws and the precepts and everything come from the Bible. So we read it as a devotion, but also to be able to stand on the West steps of the Capitol where the president is inaugurated, and to stand behind a Bible-shaped podium and read the Bible aloud is a freedom that few people have in other countries." more >>

During his first interview since the attack against St. Mark's Cathedral, Coptic Patriarch H.H. Pope Tawadros II said that Christians in Egypt are being ignored by the country's government.

"Egypt's Christians feel sidelined, ignored and neglected by Muslim Brotherhood-led authorities, who proffer assurances but have taken little or no action to protect them from violence," Reuters quoted the patriarch as saying.

The patriarch also expressed his dismay at the regime's attack of Egypt's judiciary, calling it a pillar of Egyptian society that should not be altered. He also described the official accounts of the cathedral events as a "pack of lies." more >>

A prominent American cardinal will soon be honored by an evangelical Christian organization for his leadership on efforts pertaining to social issues and the HHS "preventive services" mandate.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York will be given the William Wilberforce Award at a conference in Arlington, Va. The honor will be bestowed by the Chuck Colson Center for Christian Worldview as part of a weekend of events that will be part of an annual event known as the "Wilberforce Weekend Conference."

Dr. Timothy George, chairman of the Chuck Colson Center, provided in a statement an explanation as to why Cardinal Dolan was receiving the honor. more >>

A U.S. Army officer who tried to access the Southern Baptist Convention's website on a government computer says he instead received a message indicating the site was blocked "due to hostile content."

According to a press release from the American Family Association, a group the officer informed about the incident, the message said SBC.net was being blocked by "Team CONUS," the Continental US Theater Network Operations and Security Center and Regional Computer Emergency Response Team.

A Defense Department spokesperson said in an email to The Christian Post that the block is not intentional, and the department is working to solve the issue "as quickly as possible." more >>

After the deaths of more than 1,000 Christians in brutal attacks on villages and churches in Northern Nigeria and that country's Middle Belt since 2012, regional experts will draw attention to the pre-genocide at a Congressional briefing in Washington, D.C., on Thursday.

The briefing will be the second biennial briefing by Justice for Jos, a project of Jubilee Campaign USA, in collaboration with the Washington Working Group on Nigeria. Experts will present an update on the terrorist insurgency of Boko Haram and recount firsthand testimony on recent events and local and international efforts to stanch the bloodshed. A report documenting the 2012 atrocities will also be presented.

"Representatives and spokespersons from the affected areas in Northern Nigeria and the Middle Belt will speak out at the Congressional briefing on Thursday in order to set the record straight as to who the victims are and why they are being victimized," said Ann Buwalda, executive director of the Jubilee Campaign USA, in a statement to The Christian Post on Monday. more >>

Former Lebanese Minister Wadie el-Khazen, Head of the Public Maronite Council, rebuked the kidnapping of his brother, Aleppo Archbishop for the Greek Orthodox, Paul Yazigi, and Aleppo Archbishop for the Syriac Orthodox Church, John Ibrahim.

An unknown armed group kidnapped the two archbishops from the Aleppo countryside on Monday afternoon and there are unconfirmed reports that the kidnappers killed the driver of Archbishop Ibrahim.

Khazen described the kidnapping as a stab in the national unity that Syria had protected throughout history as a model for peaceful coexistence between religions. more >>