As the presidential election approaches, the incumbent government seeks to win support with aid to churches and pastors.In many countries, politicians try to win over religious voters by highlighting areas of shared interest between their agenda and the faithful’s priorities. In Venezuela, candidates are offering pastors cash.With less than three months until Venezuela’s presidential elections, incumbent Nicolás Maduro is expanding two initiatives specifically aimed at the evangelical community, which represents 30.9 percent of the country’s population.Bono El Buen Pastor (“The Good Shepherd Bonus”), created last year, and Plan Mi Iglesia Bien Equipada (“My Well-Equipped Church Plan”) offer resources to pastors and their churches, including cash, chairs, construction materials, and expensive sound equipment—no strings attached. Mi Iglesia Bien Equipada exists under Misión Venezuela Bella, a government program that invests in recreation and arts spaces, which has remodeled nearly 3,000 churches since 2019.At the beginning of March, Maduro gathered 17,000 people in a pastors-only event in the northern city of Carabobo and announced that 20,000 additional pastors had become beneficiaries of the Bono El Buen Pastor program, which would deliver a monthly stipend of 495 bolivars (around $14 USD) to each new member. (Venezuela’s minimum legal monthly wage is 130 bolivars or $3.50.)Officially, the government says the program aims to give churchgoers dignified spaces where they can develop their faith. There are, however, those who view the state’s generosity with some suspicion.César Mermejo, president of the Evangelical Council of Venezuela and a leader of the Federación de Iglesias Mizpa de Venezuela, called these efforts by Maduro an attempt to buy the souls ...Continue reading...

As the presidential election approaches, the incumbent government seeks to win support with aid to churches and pastors.In many countries, politicians try to win over religious voters by highlighting areas of shared interest between their agenda and the faithful’s priorities. In Venezuela, candidates are offering pastors cash.With less than three months until Venezuela’s presidential elections, incumbent Nicolás Maduro is expanding two initiatives specifically aimed at the evangelical community, which represents 30.9 percent of the country’s population.Bono El Buen Pastor (“The Good Shepherd Bonus”), created last year, and Plan Mi Iglesia Bien Equipada (“My Well-Equipped Church Plan”) offer resources to pastors and their churches, including cash, chairs, construction materials, and expensive sound equipment—no strings attached. Mi Iglesia Bien Equipada exists under Misión Venezuela Bella, a government program that invests in recreation and arts spaces, which has remodeled nearly 3,000 churches since 2019.At the beginning of March, Maduro gathered 17,000 people in a pastors-only event in the northern city of Carabobo and announced that 20,000 additional pastors had become beneficiaries of the Bono El Buen Pastor program, which would deliver a monthly stipend of 495 bolivars (around $14 USD) to each new member. (Venezuela’s minimum legal monthly wage is 130 bolivars or $3.50.)Officially, the government says the program aims to give churchgoers dignified spaces where they can develop their faith. There are, however, those who view the state’s generosity with some suspicion.César Mermejo, president of the Evangelical Council of Venezuela and a leader of the Federación de Iglesias Mizpa de Venezuela, called these efforts by Maduro an attempt to buy the souls ...Continue reading...

As the presidential election approaches, the incumbent government seeks to win support with aid to churches and pastors.In many countries, politicians try to win over religious voters by highlighting areas of shared interest between their agenda and the faithful’s priorities. In Venezuela, candidates are offering pastors cash.With less than three months until Venezuela’s presidential elections, incumbent Nicolás Maduro is expanding two initiatives specifically aimed at the evangelical community, which represents 30.9 percent of the country’s population.Bono El Buen Pastor (“The Good Shepherd Bonus”), created last year, and Plan Mi Iglesia Bien Equipada (“My Well-Equipped Church Plan”) offer resources to pastors and their churches, including cash, chairs, construction materials, and expensive sound equipment—no strings attached. Mi Iglesia Bien Equipada exists under Misión Venezuela Bella, a government program that invests in recreation and arts spaces, which has remodeled nearly 3,000 churches since 2019.At the beginning of March, Maduro gathered 17,000 people in a pastors-only event in the northern city of Carabobo and announced that 20,000 additional pastors had become beneficiaries of the Bono El Buen Pastor program, which would deliver a monthly stipend of 495 bolivars (around $14 USD) to each new member. (Venezuela’s minimum legal monthly wage is 130 bolivars or $3.50.)Officially, the government says the program aims to give churchgoers dignified spaces where they can develop their faith. There are, however, those who view the state’s generosity with some suspicion.César Mermejo, president of the Evangelical Council of Venezuela and a leader of the Federación de Iglesias Mizpa de Venezuela, called these efforts by Maduro an attempt to buy the souls ...Continue reading...

The National Council of Churches of Christ in the USA is launching a series of events known as "Freedom Summer," hoping to mobilize voters and observe the 60th anniversary of the original summer of civil rights activism.

The human rights group Christian Solidarity International has appealed to the UN Human Rights Council to ensure that the Muslim-majority nation of Indonesia implements immediate reforms to protect Christians in West Papua, a region located in the archipelago's easternmost part, where indigenous people are predominantly Christian.

Studies find that while less than a third of Americans trust church leaders, 90 percent of Filipinos do.While less than a third of Americans rate clergy as highly honest and ethical, across the globe in the Philippines, 91 percent of the public trusts religious leaders, according to EON Group’s 2021 Philippine Trust Index. Respondents of the survey ranked pastors as the most trusted leaders in Filipino society, compared to a Gallup poll that found clergy in the US ranked lower than 10 other professions, including chiropractors and police officers.“When people outside of church find out I’m a pastor, their demeanor changes out of respect,” said Aldrin Peñamora, director of the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches’ Justice, Peace, and Reconciliation Commission. Some people even ask him for prayer.The disconnect is rooted in cultural differences, religion’s role in society, as well as the impact of church scandals. Still, pastors from both countries noted the importance of having pastors engage with their congregations and local communities to build trust.Drivers of trust in the Filipino churchIn the Philippines, Catholics make up 80 percent of the population, while evangelicals make up about 3 percent. Catholicism came to the Philippines through Spanish colonialism and stuck as Filipinos made their faith their own. Today, the Catholic faith has become a cultural attribute of Filipino life.The high view of church leaders also reflects traditional Filipino values, said Peñamora: “Filipino culture values respecting the elderly, which spills over to their submission to people in authority, including religious authority.”In the Philippines, older people are considered wise, and they provide a sense of order and direction to the life of the community, Peñamora ...Continue reading...

The United Methodist Church Council of Bishops has elected its first African American female president, who will take office in the coming weeks following the departure of over 7,000 churches from the denomination in recent years.?

David Closson with the Family Research Council criticized the recent New Haven Declaration as the latest example of progressives trying to paint Bible-believing Christians as subversives to oust them from the public square.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today, April 2, Family Research Council (FRC) Senior Vice President Jody Hice, published a new book, Sacred Trust: Election Integrity and the Will of the People. In addition to being a former Member of Congress and former pastor, Hice serves as president of FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of FRC....

WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Tuesday, April 2, Family Research Council (FRC) Senior Vice President Jody Hice, will publish a new book, Sacred Trust: Election Integrity and the Will of the People. In addition to being a former Member of Congress and former pastor, Hice serves as president of FRC Action, the legislative affiliate of FRC....

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Family Research Council (FRC), together with Dr. Michael New, Assistant Professor of Social Research at the Busch School of Business at The Catholic University of America, released the first phase results of a study of 11 perinatal hospice programs surveying 82 mothers who participated in these programs. ...

Jody Hice, Senior Vice President at Family Research Council, reacts to a judge's decision regarding Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis' involvement in prosecuting the case against former President Trump and his associates. ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council (FRC) along with post-abortion expert Dr. Martha Shuping submitted an amicus brief last week in the case of U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, which is currently before the U.S. Supreme Court and will be argued on March 26. At issue in the case is the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval of the abortion drug mifepristone and the agency's 2016 and 2021 removals of health safeguards for women and girls. Dr. Shuping, a North Carolina psychiatrist, has witnessed first-hand the psychological trauma women have experienced because of abortions, including through the effects of intimate partner violence....

Five Ways to Be Salt and Light in Today's AmericaBrandon CampbellThu, 02/29/2024 - 03:00 Here in the United States, we are blessed with an incredible level of religious liberty. But if we do not vigilantly guard this liberty, it will erode and eventually be destroyed. We must use the freedom that we have to be the salt of the earth and shine the light of truth.? Below there are five ways Christians can make a difference for Christ and stay engaged in ways that can preserve our religious liberty.1. Pray regularly for your elected officials.? As John Bunyan once said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” We should pray for our leaders and let them know we are doing so. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:1–2).2. Stay informed, and vote with a biblical worldview.? In every election—local, state, and federal—research the candidates and the positions they hold, and vote for candidates with a biblical worldview. We should also pray for more of these candidates to run for office.3. Attend local school board meetings.? Don't be afraid to speak up regarding biblical issues. Additionally, many Christians should consider running for the school board so they can have a direct vote on important issues.? 4. Attend local city council meetings or county supervisor meetings.? Introduce yourself to your mayor, city council members, and county supervisor. Thank them for their service, and let them know you're praying for them. As issues arise, don't be afraid to speak up on concern for religious liberty or public safety.? 5. Know and reach out to your state representative and senator.? Look up the names of those who represent your district in your state legislature. Make an appointment to meet them in their local district office.? Let them know you are praying for them. And call their offices to voice your approval or disapproval of significant legislation.? ? Category Christian Living Tags Patriotic America

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council today announced a new mobile billboard campaign that is traveling around Politico's DC headquarters and its New York bureau in response to recent comments from POLITICO national investigative correspondent Heidi Przybyla on MSNBC claiming that anyone who believes their rights are derived from God are "Christian nationalists."...

Five Ways to Be Salt and Light in Today's AmericaBrandon CampbellThu, 02/29/2024 - 03:00 Here in the United States, we are blessed with an incredible level of religious liberty. But if we do not vigilantly guard this liberty, it will erode and eventually be destroyed. We must use the freedom that we have to be the salt of the earth and shine the light of truth.? Below there are five ways Christians can make a difference for Christ and stay engaged in ways that can preserve our religious liberty.1. Pray regularly for your elected officials.? As John Bunyan once said, “You can do more than pray after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed.” We should pray for our leaders and let them know we are doing so. “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty” (1 Timothy 2:1–2).2. Stay informed, and vote with a biblical worldview.? In every election—local, state, and federal—research the candidates and the positions they hold, and vote for candidates with a biblical worldview. We should also pray for more of these candidates to run for office.3. Attend local school board meetings.? Don't be afraid to speak up regarding biblical issues. Additionally, many Christians should consider running for the school board so they can have a direct vote on important issues.? 4. Attend local city council meetings or county supervisor meetings.? Introduce yourself to your mayor, city council members, and county supervisor. Thank them for their service, and let them know you're praying for them. As issues arise, don't be afraid to speak up on concern for religious liberty or public safety.? 5. Know and reach out to your state representative and senator.? Look up the names of those who represent your district in your state legislature. Make an appointment to meet them in their local district office.? Let them know you are praying for them. And call their offices to voice your approval or disapproval of significant legislation.? ? Category Christian Living Tags Patriotic America

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Family Research Council (FRC) today released the newest edition of its Hostility Against Churches report, updated to include hostility incidents from calendar year 2023. The report's findings suggest that the rise in hostility against U.S. churches that were identified in FRC's inaugural December 2022 report has neither slowed nor plateaued; rather, it has accelerated rapidly. FRC identified 436 hostility incidents in 2023-more than double the number identified in 2022 and more than eight times the number identified in 2018, the first year for which FRC collected data. ...

Jody Hice, Senior Vice President at Family Research Council, highlights Willis controversy as evidence of Democrats' willingness to engage in "Lawfare" to silence political opposition....

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Yesterday Family Research Council President Tony Perkins delivered remarks at U.S. Rep. Chris Smith's press conference on "Growing concerns over the WHO 'pandemic treaty.'" The press conference called out the World Health Organization's (WHO) unprecedented rush to ratify the so-called "pandemic treaty" at their May meeting. As more attention has focused on the accord, which in effect is a legally binding treaty, a multitude of concerns have arisen over such issues as individual free speech rights, the opaque nature of negotiations over this treaty, the treaty's disregard for each nation's sovereignty, and the treaty's promoting of abortion. ...

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Family Research Council's Center for Religious Liberty today published an updated edition of its report "Free to Believe? The Intensifying Intolerance Toward Christians in the West," which seeks to provide a better understanding of religious freedom violations perpetrated by Western governments against Christian individuals, organizations, and churches. Between January 2020 and December 2023, FRC identified 168 such incidents across 16 countries....

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Family Research Council (FRC) submitted a comment to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) concerning the World Health Organization's (WHO) Pandemic Preparedness Agreement. The agreement has the potential to seriously undermine American national sovereignty, free speech, and human dignity among other troubling implications....

Tony Perkins, Family Research Council President, joined CBN's Faith Nation to discuss how Christian voters are responding to the current political climate and how we as a nation can posture ourselves for God's blessings....

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Earlier today, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced his decision to veto House Bill 68, also referred to as the Saving Adolescents from Experimentation (SAFE) Act. If enacted, the bill will protect Ohio minors from gender-transition procedures (including chemical procedures, surgical procedures, and psychological inducement) or from being diagnosed or subjected to gender transition counseling without the consent of at least one parent, legal custodian, or guardian. It also protects parents from losing custody over this issue--a known problem in Ohio since at least 2018....

Thirty years ago, Secretary of Labor Robert Reich saw something on the horizon most of us missed. He spoke to the 1994 Democratic Leadership Council: My friends, we are on the way to becoming a two-tiered society composed of a...The post Robert Reich was right in 1994, and we must pay attention now appeared first on Baptist News Global.

WASHINGTON, DC - Today, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released new data showing abortions increased by five percent between 2020-2021. Family Research Council's Director of the Center for Human Dignity, Mary Szoch, released the following statement in reaction:...