MIAMI—The Republican presidential contest in the Hispanic-rich state of Florida is providing an early test of the candidates' appeal to a group that could prove decisive in the November election.

NHCLC will distribute Focus marriage and worldview resources to the 16 million Hispanic born-again Christians it serves

One recession-driven social trend is attracting the attention of church growth experts: Immigration from Mexico and the rest of Latin America—once thought to be nearly bottomless—has dried up to a trickle.

BIRMINGHAM, Ala., Jan. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, also known as the Hispanic Evangelical Association, the nation's largest Christian Hispanic organization, held a justice rally in Birmingham, Alabama in commemoration and celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s legacy.

Christian conservative leaders meeting in Texas this weekend have voted to back Rick Santorum for the Republican presidential nomination. Well-known evangelicals are attending the event, including Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, the Family Research Council's Tony Perkins, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference president Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer.

(CNN) - A meeting of Christian conservative leaders resulted in the group backing GOP presidential hopeful Rick Santorum, Family Research Council president Tony Perkins announced Saturday.

The group heard pitches from surrogates for Republican candidates on Friday, and voted to support Santorum after voting on Saturday.

(CNN) - More than 150 conservative Christian leaders are headed to a Texas ranch on Friday for two days of meetings about the presidential race and the possibility of coalescing around one Republican candidate.

The news media has made much of the meeting, which will include such well-known evangelicals as Focus on the Family founder James Dobson, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference president Rev. Samuel Rodriguez and former presidential candidate Gary Bauer.

WASHINGTON (BP) -- Two Southern Baptist ethics leaders joined representatives from a diversity of religious groups to ask Americans Jan. 12 to protect marriage and religious liberty in the face of the advance of same-sex unions.

Richard Land, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), and Barrett Duke, the ERLC's vice president for public policy and research, signed with 37 other religious leaders -- including Catholics, Anglicans, Methodists and Lutherans -- an open letter to U.S. citizens.

Nearly 40 religious leaders, including Catholic, evangelical, Jewish and Mormon figures, issued an open letter Thursday that argues that the battle against same-sex marriage is a fight on behalf of religious freedom.

“Marriage and religious freedom are both deeply woven into the fabric of this nation,” clergy members wrote in their letter, “Marriage and Religious Freedom: Fundamental Goods That Stand or Fall Together.” It calls on all Americans to promote and protect marriage “in its true definition.”

(CNN) - It's a greeting that always makes Mark Jobe smile: "I really loved today's Mass, Father Mark."

Jobe is the senior pastor of New Life Community Church, which has 14 campuses across Chicago and its suburbs. He said he hears those words at least once a month, usually from newcomers - Hispanics raised in the Catholic faith who've started attending his non-denominational Christian church.