By Greg Warner At the age of 7, Mary Htoo and her family fled civil war and persecution in their native Burma. They spent the next seven-plus years living amidst the poverty and confinement of a mountaintop refugee camp just…
Baptist missionaries hope song may soften hearts toward Syrian refugees
By Ken Camp After his wife and son witnessed the plight of Syrian refugees firsthand during a mission trip to the Middle East, Rick Brown wrote the words and music to For the Refugee both as a petition to God…
Baptist leaders help draft call to respond to refugees with compassion
By Bob Allen Southern Baptist Convention leaders helped draft a statement released Dec. 17 calling on evangelical Christians to respond to the Syrian refugee crisis with compassion rather than fear. The statement, approved by about 100 denominational, network and nonprofit…
Clergy urge welcome for Syrian refugees
By Bob Allen A Cooperative Baptist Fellowship pastor joined faith leaders from across metropolitan Louisville, Ky., in a press conference supporting the resettlement of Syrian refugees in Indiana and Kentucky. Joe Phelps, pastor of Highland Baptist Church in Louisville, Ky.,…
‘Jesus was a refugee’: An irrelevant argument
The massive right-wing opposition to the U.S. receiving Syrian refugees is deplorable, and those speaking out in favor of showing compassion for such refugees are to be commended. It is also praiseworthy that many of the latter are Christians, even…
In light of the Paris attacks, is it time to eradicate religion?
Paris is where a long trail of blood and tears, meandering through the centuries and from continent to continent, has now stopped – for a brief while. The Islamic State has taken the responsibility for the 129 dead and more…
The biblical reality of refugees
By Alan Rudnick As terrorist attacks impacted cities around the world like Paris and Beirut, we have learned that some of the terrorists falsely used refugee status to cross borders. As refugees continue to leave Syria in massive numbers, Republican…
Taking refugee work to the next level in North Carolina’s Research Triangle
By Jeff Brumley Stacie Blake knows a thing or two about refugees and refugee resettlement in the United States. Most importantly, it’s a massive job. As the director of government and community relations for the Washington-based U.S. Committee for Refugees…
American Baptists in Nebraska launch microloan ministry to address justice, poverty
By Vicki Brown Tom struggled to make ends meet, even though he had a full-time job. Willing to work more, he wanted to start a small landscaping business that would provide needed income and flexibility. Then Tom’s pastor told him…