The Trump administration recently proposed 15,000 person reduction to the refugee admittance cap for the 2019 fiscal year. 2018 saw the lowest refugee admittance cap in U.S. history allowing for the acceptance of 45,000 people.  The 2019 fiscal year will set an all-time low, with the proposed cap of 30,000 refugees. 

Christian leaders across the country have condemned this proposal including members of the Evangelical Immigration Table of the Southern Baptists Convention. 

One notable leader who spoke out against the refugee acceptance deduction is Southern Baptist ethicist Russell Moore. 

Moore said in a statement, “Seeing yet another drop in refugee numbers should be a shock to the conscience of all Americans.” The author and former dean of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville continued saying, “One day we will be ashamed that we as a nation turned inward, and away from our great tradition of serving as a beacon of liberty to those fleeing for their lives.”

Though Moore agrees that it would be almost impossible to take “unlimited numbers of refugees” into the U.S. he believes that the “increasingly lower number” of refugees being welcomed into the U.S. “is far below the level where America could and should be in leading the world in compassion for those in peril.”

“As a Christian, I am concerned for the well-being of all those in peril,” Moore…

Jason Webb, senior pastor of Elmbrook Church, a nondenominational congregation that is among Wisconsin’s largest churches, has resigned “due to marital infidelity” and is expected to seek inpatient treatment for an unspecified addiction.

“It is with deep remorse that I write you this letter. As you are aware, over the last two years I have been on a journey toward emotional, spiritual and relational health. While I have been open with you about much of the journey, there is one part that I have kept hidden. I have also been struggling with a serious addiction, which has led to many betrayals, including unfaithfulness to my wife, Heather,” Webb wrote in a statement to his congregation in a letter cited by CBS-58.

“Words cannot fully describe how sorry I am for my sin. The gravity of all of this is not lost on me. I have lied to Heather, my counselor, the men in my life, the elders, the staff and the church. I am so very sorry,” he said.

He then promised to commit to six weeks of rehabilitation for addiction

“As I come to terms with this, I must take two difficult steps for myself, my wife and my children. First, I will immediately seek intensive inpatient treatment for addiction over…

Last month on August 17, Evangelist Anne Graham Lotz revealed on her blog that she has been diagnosed with breast cancer and asked people to pray for. A month later, on September 18, Lotz had surgery to learn more about the severity of her condition. 

The day before her surgery Lotz wrote in a post on her website, “What I want to convey to so many of you who are praying is that the storms may be swirling around me, but they are not swirling within me.”

Lotz continued, “I have total peace. Joy. Expectancy. Trust. I know I am in God’s hands. I know also the reason for what I can only describe as a vibrant calm is that I am not only being carried by our Heavenly Father, I am being carried by your prayers.”

“So before I know the outcome of the surgery, I want to praise the Lord for His great faithfulness, and also to say a heartfelt ‘thank you’ …to you! Please continue to pray,” she added.

Two days later Lot returned to social media to thank all who were praying for her, informing her Facebook followers that her cancer appeared to be contained. 

Lotz wrote, “Coach Sylvia Hatchell, who was so instrumental in getting me into the UNC cancer center, was at the surgical center to greet Morrow, Rachel-Ruth, Jonathan (taking the picture) and me as we checked in.”

She continued, “Their presence as well as my prayer team who gathered to pray me…

In a new medical policy statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics says it supports the surgical and hormonal transition of transgender children and teens.

The statement will be published in October in the AAP’s journal, Pediatrics.

According to The Christian Post, the document discusses ways for parents and health care providers to affirm the gender choices of patients, including encouraging primary care doctors to install gender-neutral bathrooms in their offices and signs that show the office is LGBT inclusive. The statement also suggests diversity training for employees to be “helpful for educating clinical and administrative staff.”

AAP is also recommending that doctors use the term “gender affirmation” instead of “gender transition” to discuss the gender identities of children and teens.

Dr. Jason Rafferty, a member of the AAP Section on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Health and Wellness, wrote the guideline.

The guideline also supports the use of chemical treatments to stop normal puberty, saying those treatments are “reversible.”

The treatments can be used until the child is 16 and gives time for the family to “explore gender identity, access psychosocial supports, develop coping skills and further determine treatment goals.”

“The available data reveal that pubertal suppression in children who identify as…

LGBT activists and protesters displayed rainbow flags in the city of Blackpool to protest American evangelist Franklin Graham and the three-day “Festival of Hope.”

“I’m glad to be in Blackpool, England, to preach the Gospel at the invitation of 200 area churches. This morning I went down to the historic Blackpool Tower where my father Billy Graham stood back in 1982 when he came here to preach,” Graham wrote on Facebook Thursday, ahead of the first day of the evangelistic event.

“Will you pray this weekend, that many will turn to Jesus Christ and find the hope and peace that only He can give?” he asked.

Some LGBT and Muslims groups, along with a few Christian churches and local politicians in Blackpool, have spoken out against Graham this past year, arguing that he has preached messages on same-sex marriage and Islam that they find offensive.

The Guardian reported that the Blackpool Tower, mentioned by Graham, will be lit up in rainbow colors and will fly an LGBT flag in opposition to the conservative Christian evangelist.

“The council is a strong supporter of all equalities issues and we use the rainbow flag and its derivatives on a regular basis to…

The Texas State Board of Education voted last week to remove several historical figures from their history requirements as part of an effort to streamline the curriculum. The most notable figures taken out of the requirements included former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Helen Keller, an Alabama woman born blind and deaf who went on to finish college.

The board opted to keep other figures recommended for removal, most notably Rev. Billy Graham, Moses’ influence on the United States of America’s laws, the Judeo-Christian influence among America’s founders, and a reference to the heroism of the Alamo’s defenders. They also voted to reinsert a reference to the conflict in Israel, saying that the “Arab rejection of the State of Israel has led to ongoing conflict.”

The board acted on recommendations from a workgroup who had been tasked with looking for ways to curb the number of required figures students had to learn about in history. One member of the committee explained that if students had to learn about too many figures, they would spend more time memorizing names than learning about history.

The workgroup recommended removing references to the nation’s “Judeo-Christian heritage,” but the board rejected that proposal, garnering praise from conservative groups in the Lone Star State. Jonathan Saenz, the President…