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Following Monday evening's first presidential debate between Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton and Republican candidate Donald Trump, evangelist Franklin Graham on Tuesday morning issued a challenge to politicians who proclaim they are fighting for children's rights. "You can't say you've spent your life standing up for children when you support killing them in the womb," Graham stated on his Facebook page. Regarding abortion, both current presidential candidates have supported pro-choice stances.

"The Dalit (revolt) issue is the single most significant civil rights issue in the world, and maybe in world history," said the Most Rev. Dr. Joseph D'Souza on Friday after India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi condemned the caste system that has disenfranchised hundred-of-millions of Indians for centuries. The Dalit Uprising began in the Indian state of Gujarat in July.

When employment circumstances are not ideal, it may be easy to forget God truly sees earnest efforts and that Bible verses promise that labor will be rewarded. Following are some uplifting and encouraging Bible verses in observation of 2016 Labor Day weekend.

When evangelist Rev. Billy Graham recently was asked what he thought was the biggest problem of today's world, he had three words: "the human heart." Then he explained the Bible puts it bluntly and he quoted Jeremiah 17:9, which states "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"

Archaeologists discovered a 5,000-year-old temple in the Andean Highlands of Peru that implies religion already was a highly sophisticated and organized institution for the natives of that time. This former place of worship is one of the earliest and best-known pre-Columbian sites. While many people think ancient religions were more open and less institutional, the findings at this site suggest the opposite.

Scottish law requires public schools to host six religious observance sessions a year, although school officials may choose to have more. To counterbalance, representatives of the Humanist Society Scotland (HSS) now are providing to parents who are concerned about religious influence in schools an atheist handbook as a guide for how to challenge teachers.

George Mason University professor Lincoln Mullen's new computer-based software, which he called America's Public Bible, became a tool that tracks the use of Bible verses, and he just found Bible verses were once everywhere in the print of 11 million pages of old newspapers.

Persecution is a cross that all of us Christians must bear, as it was obviously stated by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. A Middle Eastern Christian woman urged the American believers not to pray for persecution to stop. Now that's character!

Being a pastor is not an easy task, as one has to shepherd a flock that might end up less than grateful for your efforts. However, a pastor in a hostile environment often invites persecution and sometimes, death threats -- which was what this Christian pastor in India experienced after being beaten to death.

It is very rare that the minority in any nation would be able to rule over the majority and lord it over them. In fact, the opposite tends to happen -- the minority ends up being sidelined or even persecuted, and this is what has been happening to Egypt's Coptic Orthodox Christians.

Rev. Tony Evans, pastor of the 10,000-member Oak Cliff Bible Church in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday delivered a biblically inspired sermon entitled "Race, Culture and Christ" that has been viewed on YouTube nearly 160,000 times since then. He started with an appeal to God, saying people need Him today at a "level that is beyond the ordinary."

Evangelical crusader Billy Graham has advice for the mothers of the 15 million-plus American children being raised without a father: "Church is the best place for single parents." While Graham said he is convinced that being a single parent is one of the most difficult and demanding responsibilities anyone will ever face, he hopes single mothers will seek God's wisdom and help as they raise their children.

In an effort to stifle the growth of Christianity in the country, officials in China's southern Guangdong province shut down and sealed one branch of a house church, threatening to take action if the church attempted to reopen.

Politically associated media buys are ramping up in Cleveland, Ohio, where the Republican National Convention will take place next week. But one potential sponsor, representing the "God's Not Dead 2" new Christian drama movie, was nixed, which prompted an accusation of religious persecution.

Amid the shooting deaths of Philando Castile, Alton Sterling, and five police officers who were gunned down during a Black Lives Matter protest on Thursday night, residents of Dallas, TX are looking to the Church for hope, comfort, and unity.

While fear, angst and rage loom throughout Americans at the moment, many Christians don't know how to ultimately respond to the recent murders of LGBTQ community members in Florida, two African American men and 11 police officers. As Christians, some pastors say the answer should be simple: We stand against injustice, mourn with those who mourn, and love our neighbor as ourselves. All too often, people are silent when the values of unconditional love need to be spoken, reminds the TBC pastoral staff in California.

Since Russian President Vladimir Putin signed an anti-terrorism law, Christians among the country's churches have been praying and fasting to come together to cry out to God. While the bill was placed under the umbrella of "terrorism and extremism," most of the punishable, new crimes are related to worshipping at home, not reporting religious activity to authorities and not discussing God with non-believers.

Iowa Civil Rights Commission (CRC) officials issued a response to a demand letter sent by national legal entity First Liberty Institute earlier this week on behalf of Cornerstone World Outreach church in Iowa. The question being debated was whether religious activities by a church are exempt from the Iowa Civil Rights Act.

For 42 years, Garrison Keillor's soothing voice slid a slice of Americana into many lives through his popular radio show "A Prairie Home Companion." Keillor, who concluded his role as host on July 2 in an episode taped at the Hollywood Bowl, also injected a vigorous dose of religion into the show. For "church people," the stories and songs had a familiar, humorous ring.

A-list actor Matthew McConaughey has strong opinions on the state of religion and politics, which he generally keeps to himself. However, he recently shared in an interview what he referenced as the "bastardization of religion," calling it how it differentiates from its true origins.

First Liberty Institute representatives sent a demand letter this week to the U.S. Air Force on behalf of Oscar Rodriguez Jr., challenging the interpretation of USAF policies about religious neutrality and expression. Rodriguez is a 33-year Air Force veteran, who was removed by military personnel at a private, military retirement ceremony held at Travis Air Force Base in California, after his flag-folding speech was to include the word "God." Pentagon officials on Thursday launched an investigation into this matter.

Interpretation of religious neutrality associated with speeches delivered at U.S. flag-folding ceremonies is under debate, leading toward a potential federal lawsuit. A flag-folding speech attempted at Travis Air Force Base near the Bay Area in northern California sparked controversy, and raised questions about referencing God and prayer in military ceremonies. Now, the major question is where military control ends and individual rights begin.

Hundreds of pastors, evangelical leaders and social conservatives met with GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump in New York City Tuesday (June 21) to address "long-standing concerns" about his candidacy issues, including abortion, the pro-life movement, transgender rights and the question of religious liberty in the military and armed forces. During Trump's 2-hour window on stage, he answered pre-selected questions from attendees, and talked directly with former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Rev. Franklin Graham.

Oscar-winning actor and film producer Mel Gibson is moving ahead with a sequel to "The Passion Of The Christ" that will recount the resurrection, script writer Randall Wallace told The Hollywood Reporter.

Jean Christy, 111 years old, was a devout United Methodist who will be missed every time other people's birthdays come around in her congregation in southwestern North Carolina. She died May 28, leaving a void as the community's phone-based "birthday ambassador." The congregation of Andrews United Methodist Church celebrated Christy's life on June 4.