Leading churches with ministries to internationals or with multi-ethnic congregations is becoming more challenging under a federal government hostile toward immigrants and refugees, faith leaders said during a recent webinar hosted by World Relief. Panelists focused on how the Trump…
MAGA ramps up attacks on US Christian groups
Donald Trump and his allies are widening their attacks on religious groups compassionate toward immigrants, refugees, the poor and LGBTQ people. The Catholic and Episcopal churches have faced the heat from the MAGA movement for some time and are again…
Trump world throws tomatoes at Phil Vischer
To understand how viciously MAGA world — including evangelical Christians — has turned against immigrants of all kinds, consider the plight of Phil Vischer. You probably know him as the creator of the “Veggie Tales” videos for kids or maybe…
‘My church may not be entered by federal agents, but it is not only my church that concerns me’
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement Jan. 21 that attempts to build the framework for federal immigration enforcement agencies to have the right to enter schools and churches to make arrests. This statement overturns previous ICE precedent…
CBF pledges to keep serving immigrants
Despite Donald Trump’s executive orders attempting to shut down all immigration into the United States, the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship says it will continue to serve immigrants and refugees in Jesus’ name. “We attend to the hungry and thirsty because Jesus…
Here’s a rundown of Trump’s ‘day one’ immigration actions
Donald Trump issued a slew of immigration-related executive orders on “day one” ranging from closing the southern border and ending birthright citizenship to closing asylum and refugee admissions. Trump has claimed immigration was the issue that got him elected and…
Advocates reeling as Trump shuts down legal refugee entry
On “day one,” President Donald Trump shut the door on legal immigration of well-vetted refugees into the United States. While much of Trump’s anti-immigrant campaign rhetoric focused on what he called “illegal” immigrants — people he uniformly equated with crime…
People are dying in Africa, but the world doesn’t notice
There’s a perception that numbers matter, and so, the more problems there are in a place, the more interest they arouse. Not so in the case of disasters in Africa in the last year compared to what’s seen of the…
Christians and Muslims overrepresented in world’s migrants
Christians make up close to half the world’s 280 million migrants, followed by significant numbers of Muslims, agnostics and atheists, according to a new study by the Pew Research Center. Released in August, “The Religious Composition of the World’s Migrants”…
Proposed bill to help welcome asylum seekers hailed by human rights groups
Human rights groups are lining up in support of new legislation designed to help states and cities welcome asylum seekers and refugees into local communities. The Destination Reception Assistance Act, introduced in Congress July 30, seeks to expand the federal…
Welcoming refugees is an opportunity for churches to practice the ministry of hospitality
As heated debates about immigration continue on the national stage, it is more important than ever for Christians to practice compassion to the vulnerable and the stranger — to shape the conversation around immigration toward greater hospitality instead of being…
The post-Christmas story that is relevant for our time
When we talk about the Christmas story, we often think of Jesus in the manger, the angels proclaiming good news to the shepherds and maybe the wise men bringing gifts. It is often easy to miss the next story in…