On October 8-9, the president of Northwestern College, Dr. Alan S. Cureton, attended the invitation-only Evangelical Leaders Forum held in Landover, Maryland and sponsored by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE). Cureton was one of approximately 200 national Christian leaders who were in attendance, including members of the NAE Board of Directors, denominational leaders and evangelical church leaders. The forum provided the opportunity for discussing vital issues facing the nation and church including creation care, evangelism, financial challenges, immigration, marriage, nuclear terrorism, poverty and the sanctity of human life.

"The streets of this country and the world cry out for mercy and justice," states Cureton. "It is time for evangelical leaders to raise our voices as one, specifically addressing key issues regarding the importance of family, sanctity of marriage, care for the poor and homeless, injustice of racism, and the protection of those too weak to speak for themselves. We go to this gathering in our nation’s capital as Nehemiah went to Jerusalem, with a specific prayer to do the right thing and begin rebuilding the morally decaying walls of this nation."

Special guest Senate Chaplain Barry Black talked about the role religious leaders can play in leading the nation through difficult times. Other notable speakers included Michael Gerson, columnist for the Washington Post and Senior Research Fellow at the Institute for Global Engagement, and Luis Lugo, Director of the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life.

For detailed information about the forum, see the NAE's news release online.