Last Tuesday, a massive fire destroyed a thirty-six-unit apartment complex in Columbus, Ohio. Most of the complex’s residents were recently resettled refugees from Bhutan, with other residents originally from Somalia and Mexico. While the exact cause of the fire is still unknown, the Columbus Fire Department says that it appears to have been […]Continue Reading →
Last week, an estimated 950,000 young people became immediately eligible to request Deferred Action status and Employment Authorization from the Department of Homeland Security. The status, offered by the Department of Homeland Security to certain undocumented individuals who entered the United States as children and who meet other criteria, will grant them a […]Continue Reading →
Last Wednesday, Chick-Fil-A reportedly hit an all-time sales record. Hundreds of thousands of Americans—many of them evangelical Christians—proudly purchased a chicken sandwich to show their support for the restaurant chain, known by many Christians for the owners’ efforts to operate their business in ways consistent with biblical values. The crowds on Wednesday came […]Continue Reading →
“If you want to get rid of illegal immigrants,” says Alabama sweet potato farmer Keith Smith, “quit eating.” The farmer, lamenting his inability to find adequate farm labor after Alabama passed its toughest-in-the-nation immigration law, HB 56, highlights an important reality: if you eat, you’re almost certainly benefiting from the labor of undocumented […]Continue Reading →
For the past several weeks, my wife and I have been traveling throughout East Africa. Here in Kigali, we’ve been guided by my good friend, Theogene, who is originally from Rwanda, whom I got to know when he was living in my neighborhood in suburban Chicago, and who now lives with his wife and […]Continue Reading →
Let’s be honest, fear fuels much of the political activism in this country, on both sides. Sometimes it’s advocacy groups with their latest fundraising letter or email sharing how the other side is “this close” to destroying the America we know. Sometimes it’s cable news shows with their smartly designed graphics, ominous music, and […]Continue Reading →
Last week, I had the privileged and honor of attending Immigrant Pathways Institute in Chicago. Basically, I spent about 9-10 hours a day learning, studying, and researching our current immigration laws. Additionally, I was able to engage in some challenging theological discussion with seminary students, Biblical theologians, professors, pastors, and lawyers. After only a week of […]Continue Reading →
Last week, Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole wrote a compelling, provocative article in The Atlantic critiquing what he calls the “white savior industrial complex.” Specifically mentioning the viral KONY 2012 video from Invisible Children, the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof and the popular TED talks (each of which, I should note, I’ve […]Continue Reading →
Immigration can be an overwhelming topic. While political pundits on both sides of a policy debate tend to reduce the matter to a simple, black-and-white issue, the reality is that immigration is complex. There are economic, cultural and political ramifications to how we respond to the arrival of immigrants to our country. Christians also […]Continue Reading →
Guest Blog by Josh Hanson Under what circumstances is it acceptable for Christians to use violence? For most of us, this question barely requires any thought at all. We are all familiar with the exhortations to “love your enemies,” to “put away violence and oppression,” and to “turn the other cheek.” Of course, […]Continue Reading →
