Don’t Underestimate the Impact of Lowering the US Refugee Ceiling

Why the recent reduction could lead more countries to follow suit—and continue to damage the church's reputation.

The US State Department has proposed a stark reduction in the annual number of refugees allowed to be resettled in the country—at most, 18,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2020, compared to an average ceiling of 95,000 over the past four decades.

As someone who has worked for many years at World Relief—an evangelical ministry that has resettled nearly 300,000 refugees since 1979, partnering both with the State Department and thousands of local churches—I’m heartbroken by the effects of this decision. At least 12,000 fewer refugees will be welcomed to the US this year compared to last year.

That number represents 12,000 human beings, each of whom is made in God’s image with inherent dignity. It includes individuals who have already waited years to be reunited to a spouse, parent, or child who is in the US, separations that are likely to be extended now that there will be fewer slots for resettlement.

It includes Christians from countries where Christians are persecuted, such as Iraq, Iran, Syria, Pakistan, and Burma. The number of persecuted Christians who have found refugee in the United States has already fallen starkly from 2016, and now could decline further. It also includes thousands of Muslims and those of other faiths, some of whom might have ultimately embraced Jesus in the US after encountering the hospitality and kindness of a team from a local church.

I grieve each of these impacts and pray the president will reconsider this decision.

But the effects of this decision actually extend well beyond those who will not be resettled to the US this year. This decision could have long-term ripple effects that should be troubling for the nation and, even more so, for the church.

This decision could effect ...

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The Prophetic Voice of Hong Kong’s Protesters

The political forces in the region also pose an existential threat to the church.

The people of Hong Kong have protested for greater freedoms for years, but the latest demonstrations represent a historic outcry.

Since 1997, July 1 has marked the anniversary of Hong Kong’s return as a territory of China after 150 years of British colonial rule. Beginning in 2003, it is also the date of annual protests by Hong Kong residents calling for increased democracy.

These demonstrations have been generally peaceful—until this summer, when a group of protesters stormed the Legislative Council parliament building. They were angry at what they saw as China’s most recent, and most egregious, effort to weaken the freedoms of Hong Kongers.

In April, Carrie Lam, the chief executive of Hong Kong, had introduced a bill that would allow Hong Kong to detain and transfer people wanted in countries and territories with which Hong Kong has no formal extradition agreement, including mainland China and Taiwan. The bill, she argued, was necessary to send a Hong Kong man wanted for murder to trial in Taiwan. It specifically included exemptions for political crimes, religious crimes, and certain white-collar crimes.

The Hong Kong public, though, saw the bill as a thinly veiled ploy to give China additional power over the semi-autonomous territory. The bill has kicked off nearly four months of protests that have, at times, had as many as 1.7 million participants—a remarkable number for a city of 7.4 million people.

Even as the extradition bill was suspended by Lam, and then withdrawn altogether, the protests against Chinese overreach have continued, with turnout spiking leading up to another anniversary: National Day. October 1 marks the 70th annual commemoration of the founding of the People's Republic of China. ...

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20 Truths from ‘The Church on Mission’

Dr. Craig Ott digs into the relationship between the church and the transformation of the world.

1. “God has created the church and commissioned the church for his purposes. That calling is spelled out for us in the Scriptures, and our role as his people is to clearly discern that calling. Time and again we must recalibrate our understanding of the church, examine the investment of our energies, and purify our motives so as to maintain alignment with that mission, God’s own mission” (Page 2).

2. “Transformation always has to do with change from something to something else, whereby the change is substantive and affecting the very essence or nature of the object” (Page 5).

3. “A transformational church is a church that becomes God’s instrument of such personal transformation through evangelism and discipleship” (Page 13).

4. “If transformation is the dynamic of our mission, and God’s glory is both the source and goal of our mission, then the church in the power of the Spirit is God’s primary instrument of mission in this age. The church is the only institution on earth entrusted with the message of transformation—the gospel—and the only community that is a living demonstration of that transformation” (Page 19).

5. “Without the gospel there is no forgiveness, no new creation, no church, no transformation” (Page 23).

6. “The church is a kingdom community. The kingdom of God is not only a future hope, but also has broken into history as a present reality in seed form, expressed in and through the life and influence of the church” (Page 31).

7. “A missional ecclesiology emphasizes that the church does not merely send missionaries (as important as that is), but the church itself is God’s missionary, sent into the ...

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History Is Important in Times of Despair

God has already revealed himself in Christ, and Christ promises to be with us.

“I just don’t believe anymore.” These were the last words I would have thought would come out of my long-time prayer partner’s mouth. Yes, she has had some challenges recently, but nothing compared to past trials. This phone call was different. The exhaustion and unbelief was palpable.

If we are honest, we have all been there—moments or even seasons of doubt and utter disbelief in God. I felt a wave of doubt this summer when ministering to children at an inner-city summer camp. I listened to children share about their horrific abuse, hunger, and absence of safety in the home.

To see a young person break down in tears and say “I feel forgotten” is heartrending. Then to come home to the nightly news of mass shootings in multiple cities and hurricanes ripping through communities…even the person with the strongest of faith can cry out, “God, where are you?”

Most people would agree that our world is groaning. During these times, one can wonder Is God real? Or perhaps, If God is real, is God good? I often hear people say, “I wish God would reveal himself to me. I wish He would speak to me and show me the way.”

With confidence, followers of Jesus can answer, “He has and he will.”

The challenges of our world reaffirm that our one and only hope is Jesus.

In our pluralistic climate, Jesus is often relegated to one of the many options of gurus or religious leaders one can follow to get a sense of peace and fulfillment. The Christian faith at best is touted as one of the many paths to God – “if one is into God at all.”

Oftentimes, followers of Jesus are deemed wishful thinkers, delusional, and those in need of a crutch. “You follow ...

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Duke-UNC Middle East Studies Center Flagged for Anti-Christian Bias

The Department of Education called out the program for sidelining non-Muslim faiths—but even Christians wonder whether the feds should oversee college curricula.

Certain evangelicals have long complained about bias in American universities. The government may now be doing something about it, as Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos examines a prominent Middle East studies program for downplaying Christianity and other non-Muslim faiths.

A three-page letter sent by the Department of Education chastised the Duke-University of North Carolina Consortium for Middle East Studies (CMES), jointly administered by the two universities, for its “considerable emphasis placed on understanding the positive aspects of Islam.”

The complaint also found “an absolute absence of any similar focus on the positive aspects of Christianity, Judaism, or any other religion or belief system in the Middle East.”

At stake is the Duke-UNC consortium’s status as a “national resource center,” a term created by Title VI of the 1965 Higher Education Act. It authorizes Congress to give grants developing the foreign language and cultural competency needed to develop foreign policy experts. In 2018 CMES received a four-year $235,000 grant per year.

But in July, DeVos announced she was opening an investigation. The department found, according to the recent letter, that CMES “lacks balance,” as it offers “few, if any, programs focused on the historic discrimination faced by, and current circumstances of, religious minorities in the Middle East, including Christians, Jews, Baha'is, Yadizis, Kurds, Druze, and others.”

Federal requirements

The 2008 amendment to the Higher Education Act changed language to require programs to reflect diverse perspectives and a wide range of views.

“There is no doubt that there are university religion programs that put Islam ...

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Tithing Over Text Is Now a Multi-Billion Dollar Industry

Digital giving is boosting the church’s bottom line—as well as companies like Pushpay and Tithe.ly, who process the donations.

A crowd of 1,300 gathered last May in an auditorium in Dallas to hear megachurch pastors and ministry leaders talk about casting vision, building church community, and promoting spiritual growth.

But even with familiar names like Life.Church pastor Bobby Gruenewald and Catalyst president Tyler Reagin on stage, this wasn’t just another ministry conference.

Pushpay—a tech company that made $98.4 million last year processing mobile giving for churches—put on the event, its fifth summit.

“It not only gives us an opportunity to see our customers and talk to them,” said the company’s chief ambassador, Troy Pollock, “but it creates an environment for people to grow in their jobs, which goes beyond digital giving.”

The popularity of online tithing coincides with moves to incorporate more technology and strategy into church operations.

Congregations have offered digital giving options for well over a decade, often relying on marketplace tools like PayPal and online bill pay (which still involves banks sending checks each month). But the latest batch of resources has more specialized, high-tech options to cater to churches in particular.

Companies like Pushpay, Tithe.ly, easyTithe, and SecureGive let members tap their way to a tithe through smartphone apps, text messages, websites, or kiosks at services.

Many congregations are now eyeing new technology as mobile payments become mainstream and paper checks fade from regular use. Plus, these tools can track giving trends, send off annual receipts, and integrate with programs for managing volunteers and communication.

Though most churchgoers still give the old-fashioned way, by cash or check in the offering plate, 15 percent now pay through their ...

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Evangelical Advocates Feel the Sting of More Trump Refugee Cuts

It’s the third consecutive year that the administration has reduced resettlement totals to record lows.

The Trump administration’s decision to once again cut the US refugee ceiling didn’t come as a surprise after significant reductions in 2017 and 2018, but as one evangelical leader said, expecting the move didn’t make it any easier to bear.

“That the administration had already telegraphed plans to slam the door on refugees by slashing the # to be resettled during FY2020 by 40% to a new low of only 18,000 takes away none of the sting,” tweeted Galen Carey, vice president of government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals. “Incredibly inconsistent w/ the pledged commitment to religious freedom.”

The official announcement of the new number came on Thursday, the same week as a historic speech by President Trump at the United Nations, where he touted US commitment to religious freedom and announced new measures to protect persecuted faiths.

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, which advises the federal government on religious freedom concerns abroad, condemned earlier reports of the proposed reduction.

“USCIRF is alarmed by reports that the #Trump administration is preparing to significantly reduce, or even zero out, the number of #refugees to be resettled to the US in FY 2020,” the commission tweeted.

President Trump’s administration has dramatically cut the number of refugees admitted to the US every year since taking office. Last year, CT reported on evangelicals condemning the decision to drop the refugee ceiling to then-historic low of 30,000 for the 2019 fiscal year. The year before, it was down to 45,000. Up until then, the cap for resettling refugees in the US hadn’t gone below 70,000 in 30 years.

As global religious ...

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