Tag: News

“Oblivious”

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

You lie on beds adorned with ivory and lounge on your couches.
You dine on choice lambs and fattened calves.
You strum away on your harps like David and improvise on musical instruments.
You drink wine by the bowlful and use the finest lotions,
but you do not grieve over the ruin of Joseph. –Amos 6:4-6

According to Forbes magazine, there were 813 billionaires living in the US in 2024 with a total net worth of $5.7 trillion. Elon Musk, now the richest man on the planet, has a net worth of almost $195 billion. He just got richer this week, when shareholders of Tesla approved a compensation package for the CEO valued at up to $1 TRILLION over the next 10 years.

I’ve often asked the question, “How much is enough?” John D. Rockefeller, who was the world’s first billionaire, famously answered that question, saying: “Just a little more.” Rockefeller was worth an estimated $1.4 billion at the time of his death in 1937. That represented almost 1.4% of the total Gross National Product (GNP) of the US economy at the time.

Some will say that excessive wealth is not a sin–and some will point to Rockefeller’s philanthropic gifts as evidence that wealth can be a tool for good–but excessive wealth comes at a cost. Jesus warned against accumulation and greed multiple times. “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” Luke 9:25. Pursuit of wealth deadens people to the plight of others. Wealth inequality blinds them to the “ruin” around them. One can live as if poverty does not exist, hungry children are “fake news” and the unhoused are to blame for their condition. .

Nowhere was that obliviousness more obvious than at Mar-a-Lago on October 31, 2025, when the president of the United States threw a “Great Gatsby” party for well-heeled donors, members of the administration, and friends. The wine flowed by the bowlful, the finest cuts of meat were on the menu, and guests danced to the tunes of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ while scantily-clad women lounged in oversized martini glasses. Just hours later–on November 1–42.5 million Americans lost their Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. No one at the party, which went by the theme, “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody”, seemed to notice the state-sponsored ruin for those families without the means to put meals on their tables or the irony of the theme with the reality that this little party probably did result in someone’s death by starvation.

God’s word through Amos was clear: obliviousness to the “ruin” will lead to “ruin” for those who have turned a blind eye to those in need and have failed to grieve. God help us see, feel and weep.

“Invasion”

~ Bruce Ray ~ 2 Comments

October 3 was my birthday, but my celebration was overshadowed by terrible events in Chicago neighborhoods–including incidents just blocks from our church property.. Some of you have reached out to see if we are OK, and I appreciate your concern. Honestly, I would prefer that you reach out to your representatives and senators and demand an end to the lawless and provocative tactics of ICE in Chicago, Chicago suburbs and beyond.

We have experienced nothing less than an invasion of militarized ICE agents. For the past 3 weeks, ICE has been detaining dozens of people–most of them who have no criminal record. But on my birthday, ICE agents deployed teargas in our streets, ransacked an apartment building in the middle of the night, separated children from their parents and placed them in zip-ties, and shot rubber bullets at peaceful protesters. Happy birthday to me! I would have preferred a spray of flowers over pepper spray.

Even US citizens have been caught in their indiscriminate dragnets. Agents handcuffed Alderperson Jessie Fuentes in a hospital emergency room simply for asking agents if they had a judicial warrant for a man who was being treated. Of course, they did not. Jessie is a friend. It broke my heart watching her be mistreated for exercising her constitutional rights and protecting her constituents from unlawful detention.

Since the beginning of “Operation Midway Blitz”, Latin@ parents are afraid to walk their children to school, Latin@ workers are afraid to go to their jobs. Latin@ citizens are carrying passports and REAL IDs out of fear that they will be stopped simply because they are brown.

All of these unlawful and immoral acts have been verified as factual, The stories are not “fake news.” Let me be clear: these acts do not increase safety and security in my neighborhood. Instead, they increase fear, sow mistrust, create chaos and escalate violence. The Administration would convince you that Chicago (and other cities with Democratic mayors of color) are riddled with criminal activity, and that only solution for restoring “law and order” to the streets is use of military power. It is deception used to justify taking control of the city. Our streets were just fine until ICE showed up.

Today, the Federal government further escalated the tension in our city. Four hundred National Guard arrived from the state of Texas to “protect ICE agents and federal buildings” in Chicago and the state of Illinois. Governor J.B. Pritzker–who has never requested federal help or deployment of the National Guard–called it “Trump’s Invasion.”

Do not listen to Karoline Leavitt. She quotes statistics to reinforce racist tropes and urban criminality. Listen to the people on the ground. Right now, the only lawless criminals I see are the ones who wear street clothing and cover their faces, openly carry weapons, and terrorize our neighborhoods looking for anyone who doesn’t look like Chip.*

But Chip better watch out too. ICE doesn’t like journalists or people who protect their neighbors (aka “the enemy within”)..

Please pray for Chicago–and every other city threatened by ICE–cities like Portland, Memphis, New Orleans, Baltimore, Philadelphia and more to be named. And please do more than pray. Stand up for basic human rights and human dignity. Our faith demands it.

*This is a reference to an interview of US Border Patrol Commander Gregory Bovino by NPR reporter Chip Mitchell, who asked, “How can you tell [if someone is an ‘illegal alien’] by appearance?” Bovino then asked the reporter his name and responded, “How do they appear in relation to what you or other people look like?” Governor Pritzker accused Bovino’s agents of “harassing people for not being white.” You can read the entire transcript of Chip Mitchell’s interview HERE. BTW, Chip is white.

Rescind Congress

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

“Do not refuse to help those people who need help. If you are able to help them, do it!  (Proverbs 3:27 – Easy English Bible)

Early yesterday morning, while it was still dark, the Senate voted to rescind billions of dollars in funding that had already been approved. While much of the debate (and news coverage) focused on rescinding $1.1 billion in funds for National Public Radio and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, $8.3 billion in funding was originally earmarked for foreign food aid, global health initiatives and global disaster relief.

The rescission package was then sent back to the House, which passed the package late last night 216-213, sending it to the president’s desk for his signature. Mission accomplished.

Supposedly, all of the programs that will lose their funding have been rife with “waste, fraud and abuse” for decades. But let’s be clear: $9.4 billion dollars may sound like a lot of money, but it represents only 1/10 of 1% of all government spending. And that’s less than $28 per person in the US.

Meanwhile, there seems to be plenty of money for other things.. By the end of July, there will be 60 new detention centers opening or expanding across the county and Cuba to process and deport migrants–costing $45 billion dollars. Operating the new detention centers will cost taxpayers even more. According to the Associated Press, the new detention center in the Everglades will cost taxpayers at least $450,000,000 per year.

Where is all that money coming from? Obviously, not from the “savings” from the rescission package. According to Kristi Noem, Florida will be reimbursed for the costs of operations through FEMA. That’s right. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, will use funds from FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program–a significant shift from the program’s original purpose.

Once again, our leaders are revealing their priorities. And their priorities are skewed. They have shifted from helping people who need it (both at home and abroad) to detaining and removing people who no longer fit our definition of “American.” These shifted priorities run counter to the mandate of Scripture and the model of Jesus.

Every “Christian” in Congress needs to ask themselves, “What would Jesus fund?” and “What would Jesus cut?” I don’t believe Jesus would support cutting funds that prevent starvation and disease and promote education in order to fund incarceration and mass deportation. And if they think differently, those Senators and Representatives should be rescinded as soon as possible.

Coming Soon to a City Near You

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

The images of armed National Guard troops and armored military vehicles entering McArthur Park in Los Angeles on Monday morning sent chills down my spine. There had been no riot. There had been no armed uprising. But according to the Department of Defense, the troops were present at the park to “ensure the safety of federal agents.” The Department of Homeland Security called the takeover of McArthur Park part of “ongoing enforcement operations.” Los Angeles Mayor, Karen Bass, called the show of military force “absolutely outrageous” and “un-American”, designed to “strike fear into the heart of the city.” It worked. It was scary.

Then, in Chicago on Tuesday afternoon, Homeland Security agents attempted to gain access to the National Puerto Rican Museum in Humboldt Park. The agents were denied access after they did not show any identification, present warrants or answer questions on why they were on the private property. There was speculation that they were making plans for upcoming festivals in Humboldt Park that highlight and celebrate Latinx culture including Barrio Arts Fest, The Great Columbian Festival and Fiesta Boricua. No one knows for certain what those plans might include.

Today, in response to the incident at the museum, local, state and national elected officials representing the Northwest Side of Chicago issued a strongly worded statement condemning any efforts by the Department of Homeland Security to intimidate, surveil, and terrorize the Latinx community and stating, “ICE is not welcome in Humboldt Park or anywhere in Chicago or Illinois.” At a press conference, U.S. Rep. Delia Ramirez (IL-03), who has repeatedly called for the resignation of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, accused the federal administration of violating the constitution by detaining and deporting people without due process, and she denounced the tactics of ICE. “If you have to cover yourself up to [take] people, then you’re a terrorist yourself,” she said.

Back in Los Angeles, Border Patrol El Centro Sector Chief Gregory Bovino was interviewed by Fox 11 Los Angeles. He made it clear that operations like the one on Monday would happen again. He promised, “The Federal government is not leaving LA… We’re going to be here until that mission is accomplished.”

He then added, “Better get used to us now, because this is gonna be normal very soon.”

Your city could be next.

If You Say You are Pro-Life…

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

On Saturday, June 28, as part of the National Celebrate Life Day in Washington, DC, the organizations Students for Life of America (SFLA) and Students for Life Action distributed 392,715 “EveryLife” diapers, which symbolized the number of abortions performed by Planned Parenthood in 2022-2023. Kristan Hawkins, President of SFLA, used the diaper collection and distribution to counter the narrative that pro-life advocates don’t care about children once they leave the womb. She said, “Our ambitious diaper goal…tells the real story: when we say we’re pro-life AND pro-family, we mean it.”

I’m not convinced. The same group issued a statement celebrating the passage of the Big Beautiful Bill Act by the Senate on Tuesday, saying that the redirection of healthcare funds away from Planned Parenthood for 1 year is a step in the right direction toward their goal of an “abortion-free America” and praised GOP legislators for acting to protect the unborn.

However, there was no mention of the Bill’s cuts in funding for SNAP benefits for low income families; no mention of the $1.1 TRILLION cuts to Medicaid over the next 10 years; no mention of the changes in eligibility requirements for receiving federal benefits; no mention of cuts to the Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (aka WIC); no mention of the cuts to funding for school lunches for poor children; no mention of the increased spending for border security, ICE, detainment centers, and deportation that separates children from their parents; no mention of the $1+ TRILLION budget to fund war and weapons that kill and displace families; no mention of the $3.4 trillion that will be added to the deficit–a deficit that will be shouldered by our grandchildren and great-grandchildren. And there was no mention of the estimated 16,642 preventable deaths that will occur annually if the Bill is passed by the House in its current form.

If you say you are pro-life and if you say you are pro-family, you cannot also be pro-Big Beautiful Bill. The two are antithetical.

Putting Xenophilia into Practice

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Here are some suggestions for making sure you’re not hitting the “snooze button.” There are videos to inspire, stories that stir up feelings–including righteous anger–and actions to engage. Let these daily disciplines help you “get woke” and “live woke’ for migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.

  • PRAY DAILY that the Church in the US will wake up and defend the aliens and strangers among us. And pray for God’s protection of those who are living in fear of deportation or loss of their protected status. 
  • “GET WOKE” by reading the New York Times article (excerpt below) about Artemis Ghasemzadeh, a Christian woman from Iran that came to the US to seek asylum because of religious persecution.  
  • ACT to protect those who are vulnerable by calling your elected officials. Find the phone numbers for your elected at https://5calls.org/  Tell them to restore funding for refugee resettlement, unfreeze asylum applications and vote against increased funding for ICE.
  • FAST from at least one purchase this week and give your savings to help refugees that have already arrived in the US, and are still in need of support. Organizations like “REFUGEE ONE” a Chicago organization that resettles refugees and provides rental assistance for 6 months so families can get settled and find work. Refugee One, along with World Relief, Catholic Charities and others, lost their federal funding thanks to an Executive Order. They need private funds to make sure these families don’t lose their housing and support. Learn more about the plight of refugees and the organizations that want to help HERE.
  • WATCH this inspiring video about a couple of 90+ year old nuns in Chicago who have been advocating for immigrant rights for decades. You’re never too old to ‘get woke,’
  • PROTEST or sign petitions that oppose Executive Orders that target migrants, asylum seekers and refugees.  

This Christian Convert Fled Iran, and Ran Into Trump’s Deportation Policy

By Farnaz Fassihi and Hamed Aleaziz
Published in the New York Times on 2/23/25 & Updated 2/26/25

She first entered a church on a visit to Turkey. She remembers feeling a sense of calm so overpowering that she purchased a small Bible. She wrapped it in her clothes and smuggled it back to her hometown, Isfahan, in central Iran.
Artemis Ghasemzadeh’s conversion from Islam to Christianity evolved over a few years starting in 2019, through an Iranian network of underground churches and secret online classes. Three years ago, she was baptized and, in her words, “reborn.”

Converting was colossally risky. While Christians born into the faith are free to practice, Iran’s Shariah laws state that abandoning Islam for another religion is considered blasphemy, punishable by death. Some members of her Bible-study group were arrested. So in December, Ms. Ghasemzadeh set out for the United States.

“I wanted to live freely, to live without fear, to live without someone wanting to kill me,” Ms. Ghasemzadeh, 27, said in a series of phone interviews.

Her journey has landed her in a migrant detention camp on the outskirts of the Darién jungle in Panama. She and nine other Iranian Christian converts, three of them children, are among dozens detained at the Saint Vincente camp. Their fate remains uncertain.

People fleeing violent religious persecution are normally eligible for asylum. But they have been caught in the Trump administration’s deportation push as the president tries to fulfill a campaign pledge to close the southern border.
“We don’t deserve this. We are in a place where we feel helpless,” Ms. Ghasemzadeh said. “I am waiting for our voices to be heard, for someone to help us.”

Panama, which is separately under pressure from the Trump administration over control of the Panama Canal, has become a landing place for migrants who otherwise would have languished in detention in the United States — or potentially been released.

Panamanian officials have said that United Nations agencies are helping the migrants return to their countries or seek asylum in other nations, including Panama.

Read the full article HERE.

Budgets Are Moral Documents

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

On Tuesday, February 25, the US House of Representatives passed a budget by the slimmest of margins (217-215). Once a budget is passed by the House, it goes to the Senate, where it will likely be met with a competing budget that will have to go through a process of “reconciliation.” The final budget may look different from the House version–at least I hope so.

The budget passed by the House was exactly what the President wanted–$4.5 trillion in tax cuts, about $2 trillion in spending cuts, but with spending increases in the hundreds of billions of dollars for the military and border security over the next 10 years..

So who suffers from the spending cuts? Though the budget is not specific to program, it is widely assumed that the cuts will be targeted at programs that make up the safety net for poor and working families–programs like Medicaid (healthcare), Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program – aka SNAP (hunger), and HeadStart (early childhood education).

And who benefits from the tax cuts? The budget proposal extends the President’s previous tax cuts which reduced corporate rates from 35% to 21%. Tesla (owned by Elon Musk) has paid NOTHING in federal taxes in 2 of the last 3 years despite making a profit in each year. And giving tax cuts to the wealthy increases the national debt. The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget estimates that the deficit would increase at least $2.8 trillion to the deficit in the next 10 years. (see Financial Times).

In the end, most of us lose with this budget. Budgets that make the rich richer on the backs of the poor aren’t just unfair, they are immoral. Proverbs 22:16 speaks to the immorality of robbing the poor and giving gifts to the rich. “One who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and one who gives gifts to the rich—both come to poverty.” God’s justice protects the afflicted. Jesus announced his mission to “announce good news to the poor.” This budget is an announcement of bad news for anyone already struggling. Reducing SNAP benefits while grocery prices continue to rise is condemning children and seniors to malnutrition. Cutting Medicaid is sentencing people to sickness and death. Cutting HeadStart is delivering children to the school to prison pipeline. Every cut to the social safety net is a cut to the heart of Jesus.

These cuts expose the truth. The very same people who called for the elimination of foreign aid so we can take care of the problems in the US, actually have no interest in helping people or solving social problems. The cuts make it obvious that their priority is their own wealth and power. And God has a name for that: idolatry.

Now is the time to tell our Senators that we will not accept a budget that delivers hardship to those already suffering. We will not accept any cuts to Medicaid, SNAP, HeadStart or any other social program that protects the vulnerable and is necessary to their survival. We. will not accept an immoral, idolatrous budget. Period.

Is This What You Voted For?

~ Bruce Ray ~ Leave a comment

Every day, there is yet another assault on our faith, our freedom, our constitutional rights, and our democracy. The government is methodically being dismantled by unelected, unaccountable appointees using illegal and unconstitutional means. We are watching an internal coup.

And while some (mostly Democratic) Senators and Representatives have spoken boldly in opposition to the take over the Treasury Department, the closing of USAID, the unconstitutional firing of Inspectors General, the illegal withholding of grants, the elimination of DEI policies and programs, etc.; many more congresspeople have either been silent or are publicly supporting the takeover.

Why are we shocked at what is happening? This is what #47 said he would do, and he’s doing it with a speed that would impress Adolf Hilter (who dismantled the Weimar Republic and its constitution in 53 days)! When he was campaigning for President, #47 made his agenda clear–a policy agenda articulated by Project 2025 (though he strenuously denied knowing anything about it). Mass Deportations. “De-weaponizing” the Department of Justice and the FBI. Scaling back USAID and placing it under the direction of the State Department. Ending DEI programs. Drill, Baby, Drill! It’s all there and the executive orders mirror it–sometimes almost word for word.

Lots of people I know voted for #47 because he was going to secure the southern border and make sure “the worst criminals.” would be taken off our streets, restoring order–especially in our cities. But something different happened. On the day of his inauguration, he signed an executive order to begin the deportation. Six days later, ICE agents descended on Chicago and other “sanctuary cities” and arrested hundreds of undocumented individuals–many with no criminal arrests or convictions. When asked about the arrests on January 28, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt confirmed that “the Trump administration sees all undocumented immigrants as “criminals” and isn’t just seeking to deport those who commit violent acts.” Families were separated; children were traumatized; non-citizens with and without documents felt fear and anxiety.

And then it got worse. By executive order, #47 rescinded Temporary Protected Status for Venezuelans. And announced daily arrest quotas for ICE agents. Could it get worse? Yep.

#47 placed a 90-day freeze on Refugee Resettlement and the funding agencies tasked with helping refugees (including Christians experiencing religious persecution in their home countries) count on. Those agencies (World Relief, Church World Services and many other faith-based agencies) have been forced to furlough staff and end assistance for those in the process of resettlement. The closure of USAID has also shut down humanitarian assistance provided by organizations like World Relief. The innocent will die.

On February 2, billionaire Elon Musk and his unconstitutional “Department of Government Efficiency” called funding of Lutheran Family Services–a faith-based organization with a 150 year history of service in multiple states including Illinois–“illegal payments,” that “must be shut down” citing General Michael Flynn, who posted on X: “Now it’s the “Lutheran” faith (this use of “religion” as a money laundering operation must end): Lutheran Family Services and affiliated organizations receive massive amounts of taxpayer dollars, and the numbers speak for themselves.” The work of the gospel is under direct attack!

Is this what you voted for? Maybe it isn’t, but it is what you got. I’m fighting the temptation to say, “I told you so!” but pointing the finger and blaming isn’t helpful. It only shuts people down, So, instead of heaping guilt on those who voted for this administration but may be having second thoughts, I want to say this:

If the acts and executive orders of the past two weeks are taking this country in a direction that is different than you expected or want, please consider changing your own direction. It is difficult to admit when we’ve been scammed, and we tend to try to hide it because we feel shame and guilt. We’ve all experienced it, but hiding isn’t helpful for our souls. Adam and Eve know something about that. They hid after making a life-altering (bad) decision, afraid of exposure. But, God still sought them out. There were consequences, but God mercifully covered their exposure. Voting for Donald Trump has had real-life consequences–many of them threatening to human flourishing, but God is still seeking us, ready to help us confront our complicity and lead us to transformation.. The apostle John wrote, “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, [the one] who is faithful and just will forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” It’s time for an altar call!

Will you stand up and speak up for Jesus’s kingdom values of neighbor-love and justice, or will you minimize (or worse–justify) the current crisis and just hope that things will work out? I hope you have the courage to honestly face this existential crisis, turn from the way of destruction, and walk anew in the way of Jesus.