Contact: Tinatin Khorbaladze, Executive Director, World Congress of Families X, 815-997-7106, media@worldcongress.org 

ROCKFORD, Ill., April 28, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- The World Congress of Families X – in Tbilisi in the Republic of Georgia (May 15-18) – is now a little more than two weeks away. Besides leaders, activists and scholars, the roster of distinguished speakers includes Dr. Allan C. Carlson (The Howard Center for Family, Religion & Society), Dr. Everett Piper (Oklahoma Wesleyan University), Brian Brown (National Organization for Marriage), Dr. Candi Finch (Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary), Justin Murff (Christian Broadcasting Network) and Doug Napier (Alliance Defending Freedom).

Allan C. Carlson is a historian, author, founder of World Congress of Families and President Emeritus of The Howard Center for Family, Religion, and Society in Rockford, Illinois.  Carlson's most recent book is Family Cycles: Strength, Decline, and Renewal in American Domestic Life, 1630-2000.

Everett Piper is the fifth president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University in established in 1909.  Dr. Piper is the frequent radio and television commentator on shows such as Fox News, and The Glenn Beck Program.  He is also the author of Why I Am A Liberal, and Other Conservative Ideas and the viral op-ed, "This is not a Daycare, It's a University."

Brian Brown is the President and co-founder of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM) and the founder of ActRight.com.  NOM is the world's largest organization dedicated solely to the protection of marriage and the faith communities that sustain it.

Candi Finch serves as Assistant Professor of Theology in Women's Studies and is the Dorothy Kelley Patterson Chair of Women's Studies at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas.

Justin Murff is the Director of Development for the Christian Broadcasting Network. He works with foundations to partner with CBN operations around the world. CBN currently reaches 138 countries, in 39 languages and has a weekly audience of 250 million viewers.

Doug Napier, Esq., serves as senior counsel at Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) and executive director of ADF International, where he leads an international legal advocacy team engaged in defending religious liberty, the sanctity of life, and marriage and family values.

World Congress of Families Manager Larry Jacobs observed: "We are blessed by the participation of these American leaders and scholars who have been courageous in defending human rights for all persons consistent with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, defending the natural family as the fundamental and only sustainable unit of society, and affirming the sanctity and dignity of all human life from conception to natural death."
 
Some of the other speakers at World Congress of Families X include:

• Fr. Josiah Trenham, Member of the Secretariat of the U.S. Assembly of Orthodox Bishops
   
• Rev. Greg Johnson, Board Member, National Association of Evangelicals (U.S.)
   
• Stephen Phelan, Human Life International (US)
   
• Dom Duarte Pio, King of Portugal, Duke of Braganza (Portugal)
   
• James Kushiner – Fellowship of St. James and Touchstone Magazine  (U.S.)
   
• Steve Mosher – President, Population Research Institute (U.S.)
   
• Dr. Brian Ray, National Home Education Research Institute (US)
   
• Christine de Marcellus de Vollmer, President, Latin American Alliance for the Family (Venezuela) and Member of the Pontifical Council on the Family and Pontifical Academy for Life
   
• Dr. Alveda King – Director, Civil Rights for the Unborn, Priests For Life
   
• Alessandro Fiore, Pro Vita (Italy)
   
• Alexey Komov, World Congress of Families (Russia)
   
• Ann Kioko, Founder, African Organization for Families (Kenya)
   
• Christopher Carmouche, President, GrasstopsUSA.
   
• Don Feder, Coalitions Director and Coordinator of Regional Conferences, WCF (US)
   
• Doug Clark, Interim President, The Howard Center for Family, Religion, & Society
   
• Father Dmitri Smirnov, head of the Patriarchal Commission on the Family (Russia)
   
• Dr. Evan Lenow, Assistant Professor of Ethics, Director of the Richard Land Center for Cultural Engagement, and Chair of the Ethics Department, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary
   
• Dr. Ligaya Acosta, Human Life International Coordinator for Asia & Oceania (Philippines)
   
• Francisco Tatad, Former Majority Leader, Philippine Senate
   
• Fenny Tatad, Executive Director, Philippine Catholic Bishops Conference
   
• Ignacio Arsuaga, Founder, CitizenGo (worldwide); President, HazteOir (Spain)
   
• Igor Beloborodov,  Head of the Dept. of Demography, Institute of Strategic Studies (Russia)
   
• Irina Shamolina, home school advisor to Patriarch’s Commission on the Family (Russia)
   
• Jean-Marie Le Mene – President, Jerome Lejeune Foundation (France)
   
• Katharina Rothweiler, International Coordinator, Red Familia (Mexico)
   
• Larry Jacobs, Manager, World Congress of Families (U.S.)
   
• Levan Vasadze, Chairman, WCF X (Georgia)
   
• Lech and Ewa Kowaleski, Human Life International (Poland)
   
• Louise Kirk, Alive to the World (UK)
   
• Luca Volonte, Chairman, Novae Terrae Foundation (Italy)
   
• Natalia Yakunina, Chair, Sanctity of Motherhood Foundation (Russia)
   
• Paul Diamond,  Counsel, Christian Legal Centre (UK)
   
• Father Pavel Serdyuk, Orthodox priest (Belarus)
   
• Rebekah Ali-Gouveia, Elpis Centre (Trinidad)
   
• Lynette Gay, President, Engage Now Africa Foundation
   
• Elder Robert Gay, Chairman of the Self-Reliance Services/Perpetual Education Fund Committee, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
   
• Shelly Locke, CEO, Power of Mothers (U.S.)
   
• Silvio Della Valle, Association for the Defense of Christian Values (Italy)
   
• Stanford D. Swim, Chairman, WCF IX (U.S.); Board Member, Sutherland Institute
   
• Steve Weber, Regional Director Christian Broadcasting Network (Ukraine)
   
• Dr. Theresa Okafor, Foundation for African Cultural Heritage (Nigeria)
   
• Tinatin Khorbaladze,  Executive Director, WCF X (Georgia)
   
• Toni Brandi, Pro Vita (Italy)
   
• Vicki Thorn, Member, Pontifical Academy for Life
   
• William Thorn, Professor of Journalism and Media Studies, Marquette University
   
• Vladimir Mishchenko, Asst. Director, Sanctity of Motherhood (Russia)
   
• Marion Marchal-Le Pen, Member of the French National Assembly
   
• His Holiness and Beatitude, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, the Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan bishop of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazia, Ilia II

Jacobs commented: "Our culturally and religiously diverse group of speakers come from many countries on six continents around the world.  They are experts in their various fields but united in their belief that the natural family is the foundation of civilization and the necessary condition for a prosperous, virtuous, and sustainable society." Jacobs asked, "Isn't it refreshing and inspiring to see a multi-cultural group of global leaders come together to represent what true kindness, diversity and tolerance is supposed to look like in our society and in our families?"
 
Previous Congresses have been held in Prague (1997), Geneva (1999), Mexico City (2004), Warsaw (2007), Amsterdam (2009), Madrid (2012), Sydney (2013) and Salt Lake City (2015).  The Tenth Jubilee, World Congress of Families X – Civilization at The Crossroads: The Natural Family as the Bulwark of Freedom and Human Values - will take place in Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia (May 15-18, 2016).  This is the premier gathering of the world's largest network of pro-family leaders, parents, youth, lawmakers, scholars, religious leaders, and advocates united to support the natural family.  WCF X is uniting global leaders to defend family and faith and to developing a pro-family agenda for Europe and the World. 
 
To register and reserve your tickets for World Congress of Families X go to: www.eventbrite.com/e/world-congress-of-families-x-tbilisi-republic-of-georgia-may-15-18-2016-tickets-22669828066?aff=es2.

For more information on World Congress of Families X Tbilisi 2016 visit the Congress website: www.worldcongress.ge.