Costa Rica is in the middle of a presidential election, and a conservative Christian congressman is leading in the polls.

.News.com reports that 43-year-old Fabricio Alvarado, who is part of the evangelical National Restoration party, was leading in a poll released Tuesday night.

Alvarado is known for his conservative stance on issues, particularly when it comes to gay rights.

The election will be held on February 4, but experts say a second run-off election will likely take place after that since a candidate needs to receive at least 40 percent of the vote to take the election.

Alvarado is also predicted to win in a run-off against the other candidates, including conservative lawyer Juan Diego Castro of the National Integration Party and Carlos Alvarado, the candidate from Citizens’ Action Party, the party currently in power.

The conservative candidate, who currently serves as a representative in the Costa Rican congress, is popular among Christians, especially after he expressed his opposition to legalizing same-sex marriage. He also opposes legalizing marijuana, abortion, in-vitro fertilization, and the gay rights and transgender movement, which he has referred to as the “ideology of gender.”

.News.com notes that Costa Rica is one of the most stable countries in Central America.

Photo courtesy:…

The names Echol Cole and Robert Walker are far less familiar than the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

But it was the labor action over harsh working conditions triggered by the deaths of the two African-American sanitation workers that prompted the civil rights leader to travel to Memphis, Tenn., where he was assassinated on April 4, 1968.

On Thursday (Feb. 1), faith leaders joined political and labor officials to mark the anniversary of the 1968 deaths of Cole and Walker, who both had taken cover from a rainstorm inside their garbage truck when its compactor malfunctioned and they were crushed.

The city did not give their families enough money to cover their funeral expenses. Their deaths led to a protest in which local strikers from the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees carried “I Am a Man” signs.

King joined their cause, visiting the city twice for it, and commended the many clergy who had become involved in it when he preached his “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop” sermon on April 3, 1968, which would be his last.

Thursday’s observance is part of the “I Am 2018” campaign, in which leaders of the Church of God in Christ, the nation’s largest black Pentecostal denomination, and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees aim to draw attention to continuing needs for economic and racial…

An exciting new discovery has been made at Ein Hanniya Park in Israel, according to FoxNews.com. The discovery consists of a system of ancient pools which were built during the Byzantine era, dating back to between the fourth and sixth centuries A.D.

The Israel Antiquities Authority is in charge of the discovery, and reported that artifacts such as a rare silver coin, part of a pillar, pottery, and glass were all found at the site.

Irina Zilberbod, the excavation director for the Israel Antiquities Authority, explained the significance of the discovery:

“The most significant finding in the excavation is a large and impressive pool from the Byzantine period.This pool was built in the center of a spacious complex at the foot of a church that once stood here. Roofed colonnades were built around the pool that gave access to residential wings.”

It is thought this ancient pool may be where Philip baptized the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8:26-40.

“As they traveled along the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, ‘Look, here is water. What can stand in the way of my being baptized?’ And he gave orders to stop the chariot. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him” (verses 36-38).

“The baptism of the eunuch by St. Philip was one of the key events in the spread of Christianity. Therefore, identifying the place…