Politics

Leaders of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, have asked President Obama to “do everything within the authority of your office” to free the American missionary team charged with abduction in Haiti.

In a letter dated Feb. 5, the leaders said it is “the consuming passion” of Southern Baptists to share the good news with the world and to “love every person He has created.” This characteristic is especially apparent during times of disaster when Southern Baptists work alongside other humanitarian groups to meet the physical and spiritual needs of people.

Though the leaders admit they do not know all the facts in the case of the detained missionaries, they say it is their understanding that the volunteers were trying to transport 33 Haitian children across the border for humanitarian purposes. more >>

North Korea said Friday it will release an American missionary who has been detained since Christmas for illegally entering the country from China.

Through state-run media Korean Central News Agency, North Korea announced that Robert Park will be freed after expressing “sincere repentance” for the transgression and for his “biased” view of the communist country. The government “decided to leniently forgive and release” Park because he admitted his wrongdoing, according to KCNA.

Park, 28, is a Christian activist from Tucson, Ariz., who crossed the frozen Tumen River and entered North Korea without permission on Christmas Day. Park, who had worked with North Korean refugees in China and advocated for greater human rights in North Korea while living in South Korea, said he hoped his illegal entry would bring international attention to the human rights abuse in the reclusive country. more >>

President Obama’s Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships will mark its first anniversary Friday, but it’s hard to determine whether the office has been successful or not.

The office, in an update Wednesday on its blog, looked back on the past year and said it carried out President Obama’s vision to help the federal government partner with faith-based and non-profit groups to better serve Americans.

Specifically, the office said it helped advance the president’s fatherhood agenda, implementing strategies to address the challenge of absent fathers in communities. It has also built partnerships between federal agencies and local nonprofits on key issues, brought together people across religious lines to work for the common good, and helped local organizations respond to the economic crisis, according to Joshua DuBois, the office’s director. more >>

WASHINGTON – President Obama called for civility in the public square and said prayer can help people become more humble, during his address at the National Prayer Breakfast.

“For while prayer can buck us up when we are down, keep us calm in a storm; while prayer can stiffen our spines to surmount an obstacle – and I assure you I’m praying a lot these days – prayer can also do something else,” Obama said Thursday morning. “It can touch our hearts with humility. It can fill us with a spirit of brotherhood. It can remind us that each of us are children of a awesome and loving God.”

Obama’s remarks about the power of prayer came after he called on Washington lawmakers in his speech to overcome division and learn how to “disagree without being disagreeable.” He said no political party has a “monopoly on truth” and that lawmakers need to leave their comfort zones to bridge divisions. more >>

WASHINGTON – The head of the World Evangelical Alliance sought Tuesday to address concerns raised by Chinese house churches upset over his organization’s decision to not visit or even mention them during a recent trip to China.

In an exclusive interview with The Christian Post, Geoff Tunnicliffe, the international director of the World Evangelical Alliance, said the over 150-year-old ministry has a long history of promoting religious freedom and its promotion remains a “core principle” for the organization.

“We believe that religious freedom and human rights are tied together and we are not going to step away from that kind of commitment,” Tunnicliffe stated. “In fact, we believe we will continue to be strong advocates for that.” more >>