4 Ways Christians Can Help Refugees

1. Host a Refugee


Perhaps the most hands-on way to help a refugee is to host them in your home. This is a big decision to make as you would be allowing someone whom you barely know to live in your home. If this is a route that you decide to go, always go through a reputable organization that does all of the proper screenings including health and criminal history screenings.


Amid the growing world refugee crisis, an increasingly popular question is: what is the correlation between refugees and crime rates in cities and towns where many refugees have been resettled? If you are considering hosting a refugee in your home, this may be a question you have. 


In 2017 the New American Economy Research Fund analyzed the link between refugees and crime rates in the United States. The group looked at the 10 U.S. cities that received the most refugees proportionate to their pre-existing population. In nine out of 10 cities the group found that crime rates actually went down, and in some cases, they went down significantly. 


In Southfield, Michigan, for example, the violent crime rate decreased by 77.1 percent and in Decatur, Georgia it went down by 62.2 percent. Other places had less impressive drops like Clarkston, Georgia which only had a 4.8 percent decrease. W. Springfield, Massachusetts, was the only outlier in this study with a violent crime increase of 87.9 percent. According to the New American…

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Instagram account exposing pastors’ expensive footwear sparks controversy

PreachersNSneakers pairs pictures of posts shared by pastors of themselves online with a screenshot of the price of the footwear they’re wearing in the picture.

A 29-year-old Christian man called Tyler decided to create the account after looking for a song by Elevation Worship and noticing the lead singer was wearing a pair of Yeezy 750s trainers, which are sold for around $800 (£611).

 

This pushed him to find other popular pastors and youth group leaders he knew and was already following on Instagram, in photos wearing designer items.

Speaking to BuzzFeed News, Tyler – who isn’t revealing his surname – said he intended the account to be “open to interpretation”.

“I’m a Christian and [have] been for a long time and feel really strongly about the leaders of the Church and how high of a calling they have,” he said.

 

“I started questioning myself, ‘what is ok as far as optics…as far as pastors wearing hype or designer clothing?’ I don’t have an answer.”

He added that he thinks it’s important for believers to “have a discussion about what is appropriate”.

It seems pastors have also noticed the new account, including Chad Veach, a lead pastor of the Zoe Church in Los Angeles who was featured.

 

Defending the post he appeared in that exposed his Gucci trousers and backpack cost $2,795 (£2,137) in total, Veach said: “You wanna know what’s crazy? I legit did not pay for…

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Argentine Teachers Give Students Easter Eggs with Pro-Abortion Slogans on Them

Argentine Teachers Give Students Easter Eggs with Pro-Abortion Slogans on Them



Easter egg shaped treats reading “Aborto Ya” which is Spanish for “Abortion Now” were distributed by teachers to children in Argentina.


According to Life Site News, the eggs were passed out by members of a “radical feminist group” called The Feminist Front Evita Montonera as a part of a Holy Week pro-abortion protest.


Spanish news website Portco Noticias said that teachers in La Matanza public schools gave their students green sugar-coated egg-shaped treats as a part of a pro-abortion campaign called “Abort the surprise.”


The outlet wrote, “a large group of teachers grouped in the Feminist Front Evita Montonera decided to take advantage of Easter to give a blow of marketing. Under the motto “Abortá la sorpresaita”, green eggs were distributed with the slogan “Aborto Ya” written in sugar cream in different schools of La Matanza.” The outlet noted that parents did not take the action well or lightly. 


The move was both supported by some and found inappropriate by others. 


One person supporting the distribution praised the move on Twitter deeming it a good effort to raise awareness about abortion among young people.


Meanwhile, others found it wildly inappropriate. One person criticizing the distribution of the eggs wrote on Twitter that it was a “total shame and repudiation” noting that “most parents repudiated this.”


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Church urged to believe women as report finds police aren’t investigating stalking effectively

An inquiry was launched after 19-year-old Shana Grice was murdered by her stalker despite repeated pleas for help.

Sussex Police involved in the case will be facing disciplinary action over her death but Shana’s parents have said it is “too little, too late”.

 

Gender justice specialist Natalie Collins told Premier the concerns of women need to be taken more seriously.

Speaking during News Hour, she said: “It is a national issue and it’s very easy to go ‘oh, isn’t it bad in that particular area’ but we need to recognise that this is a systemic issue with how women are often not believed – particularly young women – and how the police don’t really know how to respond properly to stalking and harassment.”

Shana Grice (pictured below) reported Michael Lane to officers five times in just six months but was fined for wasting police time. He was eventually jailed for 25 years for her murder.

Sussex Police/PA Wire

 

The report said more improvements were needed to support victims and Sussex Police have acknowledged this.

Collins told Premier the Church also needs to do more to help women in need.

“I think the same goes for the Church – as I said with the police, that we need to believe women and the Church does not have a hugely good track record of believing women,” she said.

“We’re coming up to Easter very soon and the story of the resurrection…when…

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Airports Banning Chick-fil-A Are ‘Anti-Christian,’ Columnist Says

Airports Banning Chick-fil-A Are ‘Anti-Christian,’ Columnist Says



A syndicated columnist says two airports that banned Chick-fil-A from their facilities engaged in “anti-Christian, unconstitutional” behavior – and that it’s a preview of a future where anyone who affirms traditional views on sexuality will be shunned. 


A New York government body blocked Chick-fil-A in late March from opening in the Buffalo, N.Y., airport, merely one week after the San Antonio City Council blocked a Chick-fil-A from opening in that city’s airport. 


In both instances, government officials expressed concerns about the corporation’s position on LGBT issues. Chick-fil-A is owned by Christians. 


Columnist Rich Lowry labeled the actions “McCarthyite.” 


“This is about punishing the Georgia-based company for the faith of its leadership,” Lowry wrote. “The official bans are anti-Christian, unconstitutional and a harbinger of a larger effort to hunt down and punish any organization that has uncongenial views on sexual morality.”


The pushback against Chick-fil-A came as a ThinkProgress report criticized the restaurant’s owners for their donations to the Salvation Army, the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the Paul Anderson Youth Home.


“Needless to say, a lot of other people are guilty of the same offense, given that the Salvation Army raises about $2 billion a year,” Lowry wrote. “To consider all that the…

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Half of pastors in US worry about offending someone

This includes preachers who feel limited frequently (11%) and just occasionally (39%).

30% said they rarely feel limited and 20% said they never do.

 

 

In a separate question, 40% said they feel pressure to speak out on moral and social issues that they’re not happy discussing.

When asked what issues they feel limited to speak about they cited homosexuality at 44%, with same-sex marriage and gay rights specifically at 22%.

Abortion, politics and morality followed closely behind.

The issues which pastors felt limited from speaking about were the same as those they felt pressured to speak on, with the pressure to speak about homosexuality being felt by 37% and same-sex marriage at 32%. 

The statistics and analyses came from a series of national public opinion surveys conducted by Barna Group among 1,608 clergy in 2014, 513 Protestant pastors in 2015 and 2016 and 601 Protestant pastors in 2017. 

Roxanna Stone, Barna Group editor in chief said: “The pressure for leaders and especially faith leaders to satisfy everyone on all sides, and to avoid offense, is very real today, especially in the digital era.

“The public nature of social media only increases the stakes. As the research reveals, the issues pastors feel most pressured to speak out on are the same ones they feel limited to talk about. In other words, the squeeze comes from all sides: those demanding that the…

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wins Re-Election despite Pending Criminal Indictment

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Wins Re-Election despite Pending Criminal Indictment



Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will continue serving as the country’s prime minister after winning Tuesday’s election.


According to The Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu won about 65 seats out of about 120 seats in Israel’s parliament. 


The election marks Netanyahu’s fifth term in office, making him the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.


“It’s a night of tremendous victory,” Netanyahu told supporters early Wednesday. “I was very moved that the nation of Israel once again entrusted me for the fifth time, and with an even greater trust.


“I want to make it clear, it will be a right-wing government, but I intend to be the prime minister of all Israeli citizens, right or left, Jews and non-Jews alike,” he said.


Supporters of Netanyahu were concerned leading up to the election as the prime minister faced a pending criminal indictment on bribery and fraud charges. A hearing is expected in July and a final indictment could come as soon as six months later.


“This is a clear beginning of Netanyahu’s fifth term, but his fifth term might end up being his shortest one“, says Reuven Hazan, a political scientist from Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. “In another year, we might be in a battle for either leadership of the Likud or another election.”


Netanyahu had campaigned in the election against ex-military chief Benny…

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Young Christians urge ban on prostitution

The document, backed by 42,000 people, has attracted enough support to warrant a debate by politicians at the Dutch parliament in The Hague.

Named ‘I am priceless’, the campaign has been spearheaded by the Exxpose movement – said to include Christians and feminists within its ranks.

 

Louise Gleich, a policy officer for human trafficking issues, at Christian, Action, Research and Education (CARE), said: “It’s great to see a Christian-inspired campaign launched in the Netherlands which wants to criminalise the purchase of sex.”

“There is clearly strong support for a new approach in the Netherlands towards prostitution, especially among well-informed young people.

Massimo Catarinella/Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported

 

“This is hugely significant because the Netherlands has some of the most liberal laws anywhere in the world, as evidenced by the infamous red-light district in Amsterdam.”

The campaign advocates for laws – similar to Sweden, Norway and France – which would make it illegal to pay for sex in The Netherlands, to help protect vulnerable women.

 

It is hoped a change to the law would lead to fewer people paying for sex and dampen the activities of human traffickers in the country.

Currently, buying and selling sexual intercourse is legal between two consenting adults.

One of the founders behind the Exxpose movement, Sara…

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Stacy Abrams Calls Georgia Heartbeat Bill ‘Evil’ and Says it’s ‘Bad for Business’

Stacy Abrams Calls Georgia Heartbeat Bill ‘Evil’ and Says it’s ‘Bad for Business’



Stacey Abrams, a former Georgia gubernatorial candidate and 2020 Democratic presidential hopeful, believes her state’s “heartbeat bill” is “an abominable and evil bill…bad [not only] for morality and our humanity, it’s bad for business.” 


On MSNBC, Abrams condemned the HB481 bill and encouraged citizens of Georgia to consider the economic and moral impact of the bill. “I think Georgia has to realize that while we are experiencing an extraordinary boom in the film industry, there’s nothing that says it has to stay here,” Abrams said. “We’ve got to be friendly to the women in these businesses. You should not have to worry about bodily autonomy because the governor has pushed such an abominable and evil bill that’s so restrictive…”


Christian Headlines previously reported that several major movies and TV shows, including The Avengers and Game of Thrones are filmed and produced in Atlanta. Hollywood has threatened a boycott should the bill pass.


Abrams, however, does not support this boycott. She believes it would re-victimize the women in the state. 


“(T)he issue here is we do not often tie women’s autonomy to our economics. But they’re directly linked,” she said. “And when women start saying, ‘I’m not moving to Georgia because they have this abominable bill stripping women of autonomy and their choices,’ we…

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Vatican opens probe into decades-old missing girl case

The Orlandi family’s lawyer Laura Sgro confirmed the probe.

 

 

She said “the secretariat of state has authorised the opening of an investigation into a grave in the Teutonic Cemetery inside the Vatican”, after an anonymous tip-off indicated that people should look where a statue of an angel in the cemetery is pointing.

The Vatican said on March 27 it was handling a request from the Orlandi family to reopen a grave indicated by the angel.

Interim Vatican spokesman Alessandro Gisotti said that “at the moment I don’t have any statement to make on the issue”.

Stay up to date with the latest news stories from a Christian perspective. Sign up to our daily newsletter and receive more stories like this straight to your inbox every morning.

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