If Christians are going to be a preserving salt and a lifegiving light, they have to be in the world but not of the world, and they must “walk the talk.” The watching world needs to see Christians living out their faith as twice-born men and women who have been born again from above and people within whom God’s Holy Spirit dwells (I Cor. 6:19-20).
South Sudan's hard-fought independence was achieved on July 9, 2011 with celebration and hopeful expectation. Exactly three years later the young country tops the list of the most fragile countries in the world and finds itself in the midst of a deadly conflict and on the verge of a famine.
Recently, Christian author Kelly Monroe Kullberg spoke on a radio program about immigration policy, critiquing the Senate's bipartisan immigration reform bill. Ms. Kullberg suggested that the bill, if passed into law, would result in "open borders," which, she argued, would lead to an increase in human trafficking. As the President and CEO of World Relief, I respectfully disagree.
At a time when the Senate is considering the modernization of our immigration laws, they should also take measures to ensure the U.S. strengthens protections for those fleeing persecution. Christians and other faith groups are being targeted in many places around the world. Ethnic and political persecution is a significant problem as well.