While being against immigration was a key component of Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and being for immigration was a key component of Joe Biden’s 2020 presidential campaign, the pandemic has taken Americans’ minds off the immigration debate as a…
This week, we witnessed a miracle of immigrant family reunification
There are miracles that happen around us every day. But most of those are ordinary miracles. The fact that the sun rises each day is amazing. But I also believe, each day, that it will happen. Then there are miracles…
What’s old is new again: Conservatives threaten funding over SBC’s ethics agency
From the Department of What’s Old is New Again: The Southern Baptist Convention’s ethics agency is being accused of liberalism and creating a distraction from the work of evangelism and missions. During the fundamentalist takeover of the SBC that began…
Refugee resettlement expected to rebound, but the pipeline is broken
Repairing the global damage done by the Trump administration to refugee resettlement work will take time but will happen, according a panel of evangelical Christians deeply involved in such work. The Jan. 27 press briefing was convened by the National…
Can you really be ‘evangelical’ if you don’t bring good news to the poor?
American evangelicals must be reminded that they are to bear good news and be good news. Numerous American Christians don’t care for the politicized label “evangelical” even though they are, in fact, evangelists. Many such non-evangelicals are more evangelistic than…
What would happen if immigration policies were based on majority opinion in the U.S.?
What would happen if U.S. immigration policy were crafted based on the majority views of Americans? The two major political parties express often polar opposite views on immigration, and even presidents who are perceived as open to immigration (Barack Obama…
Religious liberty groups praise Biden’s repeal of Muslim travel ban
Amid a flurry of executive orders issued by President Joe Biden on his first day in office was a repeal of the so-called “Muslim ban,” which prohibited entry to the United States by citizens of select countries mainly with majority…
A wish list for the common good in a new era
With the presidential inauguration, a new session of Congress and state legislatures gearing up, Americans receive fresh reminders to look toward the future with hope. Of course, we place ultimate trust in God and not government. But we propel our…
Anticipating a new day in immigration policy, a pastor, pilot and bricklayer keep an eye on Biden’s next move
In Johannesburg, South Africa, 8,000 miles away from the White House, Achy, a 39-year-old immigrant Baptist pastor from Zimbabwe, relentlessly watches events in Washington. From double impeachment to Biden’s first 100 days in office — on paper this stuff should…
Fellowship Southwest becomes independent, ecumenical ministry
Fellowship Southwest, founded by the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship in 2017 and known for its outreach to immigrants along the U.S.-Mexico border, has spun off from its Atlanta-based parent to become an independent, ecumenical ministry. “Fellowship Southwest is incorporated now in…
Trump’s parting gift echos his immigration policies toward Africa
Africans look with dismay on the parting gift U.S. President Donald Trump has given them: On the last day of 2020, Trump extended the U.S. government’s ban on green cards and work visas, which his administration imposed in April last…
In border migrant camps, it’s a cold and lonely Christmas — but there is hope for the new year
The little girl playing in a migrant camp in Mexico broke into a big smile when asked what she wants for Christmas. “A pair of skates,” 9-year-old Jennifer of El Salvador said through an interpreter during a Zoom call on…