WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. refugee and immigration advocates pressed Oct. 21 for more help for ethnic Chin Christians internally displaced in their native Myanmar, and those who have fled to neighboring India and Malaysia.

Some of the specifics for which they pushed include greater access by Myanmar’s military for relief workers to reach internally displaced Christians at numerous camps set up in Chin state; better integration into society of refugee Myanmar Christians now in camps in India and Malaysia; and an opportunity for them to enter the United States as refugees suffering from religious persecution.

The U.S. bishops’ Migration and Refugee Services has settled more than 63,000 Chins in the United States over the past two decades, according to Bill Canny, MRS’ executive director.

Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international aid and development agency, is “one of the several humanitarian agencies providing humanitarian relief” in the region, Canny noted. Chin state borders Rakhine state in western Myanmar; a military campaign to purge Rakhine of its Rohingya Muslim population has resulted in hundreds of thousands of refugees in southern Asia, and deep suffering for those who remain.

Zo Tum Hmung of the Chin Association of Maryland, which sponsored the Oct. 21 press call, cited U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees statistics that showed more than 153,000 Myanmar refugees in Malaysia alone. Two-thirds were Rohingya Muslims, but there also were 22,510 Chins in that number.

Canny was the first of many on the call to advocate for the U.S. raising its cap on the number
Source…

Sir, – Fr Tony Flannery writes that having been removed from the exercise of public ministry by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith eight years ago, he has begun to “read, reflect and to question in a way that I had never done before” (Rite & Reason, October 20th).

The result of his reflection is that he has decided that the church’s “serious mistake”, one dating back 17 centuries, is to “try to tame mystery by encircling it with definitions and rigid doctrines”.

Source…

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.” Colossians 3:18-19

Saying that wives should submit to their own husbands is not popular in our day, but this is what God, in His Word, commands. The world (as well as a great number of churches and church bodies) does not accept what the Bible says of women’s role in the churches — not to teach or usurp authority over the man but to learn quietly and in all submission as the law says (cf. 1 Cor. 14:34-40; 1 Tim. 2:11-15). Yet, this is the role created by God for women.

It is, as the Bible says, “fit in the Lord,” to obey God’s Word in this matter. Wives are to submit unto their own husbands “as unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). And it is rebellion against the Almighty to disregard His perfect will. He does, after all, know best. His ways are always good and right.

Though the world may think differently, every true Christian humbly agrees with God’s perfect Word and says with the psalmist: “Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128).

Even tougher, because of man’s sinful and rebellious nature, is what God commands of husbands and of men. Men are to love their wives and not to be bitter against them or treat them harshly. Men, this means putting your wife’s
Source…

“Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and be not bitter against them.” Colossians 3:18-19

Saying that wives should submit to their own husbands is not popular in our day, but this is what God, in His Word, commands. The world (as well as a great number of churches and church bodies) does not accept what the Bible says of women’s role in the churches — not to teach or usurp authority over the man but to learn quietly and in all submission as the law says (cf. 1 Cor. 14:34-40; 1 Tim. 2:11-15). Yet, this is the role created by God for women.

It is, as the Bible says, “fit in the Lord,” to obey God’s Word in this matter. Wives are to submit unto their own husbands “as unto the Lord” (Eph. 5:22). And it is rebellion against the Almighty to disregard His perfect will. He does, after all, know best. His ways are always good and right.

Though the world may think differently, every true Christian humbly agrees with God’s perfect Word and says with the psalmist: “Therefore I esteem all Thy precepts concerning all things to be right; and I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:128).

Even tougher, because of man’s sinful and rebellious nature, is what God commands of husbands and of men. Men are to love their wives and not to be bitter against them or treat them harshly. Men, this means putting your wife’s
Source…

Popular conservative talk radio host Rush Limbaugh declared that he is clinging to his faith in Jesus despite a new health update revealing his cancer is progressing.

“I have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ,” Limbaugh said on his radio program Monday. “It is of immense value, strength, confidence. That’s why I’m able to remain fully committed to the idea that what is supposed to happen will happen when it’s meant to.”

The iconic political commentator thanked everyone who has sent forth prayers and well wishes. He called the support “a series of blessings.”

“There is some comfort in knowing that some things are not in our hands, there’s a lot of fear associated with that, too, but there’s some comfort. It’s helpful to be able to trust and believe in a higher plan,” added Limbaugh, who received theSource…

Edward Everett Hale, American author, historian and minister, penned these familiar words: “I am only one, but I am one. I cannot to everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot to everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”

A great word for a voter.

I’m going to do something that I never do.

I’m going to write an article on voting, politics. But let me be very clear. My concern is not about who you vote for, but only that you vote. It is both our Christian and American responsibility.

In addition, I am not concerned about how you vote (absentee, early, Election Day). However, I am concerned with why you vote. You see, if the Christian faith is the major resource for our lives as believers, then it should have an impact on us as we enter that voting booth. So what does the Faith offer when we vote?

In this article, I’d like to share two thoughts to possibly consider prior to voting.

Christianity is a conviction we live, not so much about opinions we hold.

When the great reformer Martin Luther was dying, severe headaches left him bedridden. In his pain, he was offered a medication to relieve the discomfort.

He declined and explained, “My best prescription for head and heart is that
Source…

The nomination of Amy Coney Barrett in the White House Rose Garden was supposed to be a triumphant moment for a long-standing alliance between Republican presidents and conservative Christians.

On Sept. 26, evangelical leaders sat in the rows behind Barrett’s family. Catholic leaders from the University of Notre Dame, where Barrett teaches, filled more seats. Other attendees included members of conservative advocacy groups that grew out of the Moral Majority movement initiated by evangelicals.

A prominent segment of that faith group had worked for decades to build enough political influence to advocate effectively for right-leaning appointments to the U.S. Supreme Court. Barrett would be Trump’s third such appointment.

“For white evangelicals, who have become largely single-issue voters, this is the moment they have been waiting for,” said Brandon Rottinghaus, a presidential politics researcher from the University of Houston. “They want to see the court turn, and they want, in particular, for Roe v. Wade (and the constitutional right to abortion) to be overturned. This changing seat is the key to that.”

The nomination event Sept. 26 gained widespread public attention for a different reason.

At least 14 people in attendance – including the president
Source…

I was kicked out of my church due to my political beliefs.

Well, not technically kicked out. A pastor strongly suggested that I leave the church, where I had been a member for more than 10 years and held various leadership positions.

My crime? Defending LGBTQ rights online and questioning the senior pastor on a message I felt was insensitive to transgender individuals.

While such an experience may shake one’s belief, it has only strengthened my faith in Jesus Christ as my savior. And that is why I cannot vote for Donald Trump on Nov. 3.

More than 80% of white Evangelicals supported Trump in 2016 and his road to reelection once again has an express lane through the Bible belt.

But is a conservative supermajority on the Supreme Court
Source…