Marvin Olasky

3 weeks ago | christianitytoday.com | Marvin Olasky

An America without immigrants is a lesser America. June is National Immigration Heritage Month, a time to remember the millions who have come to America from a land far, far away. Among those millions were four children from imperial Russia. The first, Szmuel Wonsal, was born in 1887 and made it to Baltimore in 1889, one of 11 children of a shoe repairman. Drifting through odd jobs in Ohio in 1903, he happened to watch a 12-minute silent movie, The Great Train Robbery. Thanks for signing up.

1 month ago | fixhomelessness.org | Marvin Olasky

“Morning by morning new mercies I see.” That line from the hymn written in the 1920s, “Great Is Thy Faithfulness,” summarizes not only the Christian life but the way some beaten-down humans suffering homelessness come to believe that God can change their lives — or at least they can improve their own lives by moving from cereal (morning by morning) to bacon and eggs. “Bird by bird, buddy.” In the 1990s, Annie Lamott wrote Bird by Bird, a book about becoming a writer.

1 month ago | christianitytoday.com | Marvin Olasky

How some Christians warned about and mourned the Trail of Tears. May 26, 1838, was the start of what we know today as the Trail of Tears, the forced deportation of 16,000 members of the Cherokee tribe. This year, the anniversary falls on Memorial Day, America's national commemoration for brave soldiers. But not every solider wears a uniform. Some wield pens occasionally-but not usually-mightier than swords, as one Christian journalist who stood up for the Cherokee learned.

1 month ago | christianitytoday.com | Marvin Olasky

A new biography shows how he contended for a faith whose followers are always seeking substitute saviors. Matt Smethurst has written a clear and concise biography of Tim Keller, who died two years ago today. Its title- Tim Keller on the Christian Life: The Transforming Power of the Gospel -summarizes well what made a non-shouting pastor exceptionally effective in reaching the ears of educated and elite New Yorkers for nearly three decades.

1 month ago | fixhomelessness.org | Marvin Olasky

Several readers have asked me what I’ve learned from interviewing homeless people during my stays in shelters. Hmm. One book about health care costs features this title: “Never Pay the First Bill.” I’ve encountered exceptions, but if we hope to be both compassionate and constructive, our rule should be, “Never Accept the First Explanation.”I tried to stay at shelters for at least four days.