A Quick Word About Syrian Refugees and Migrants

I told my Facebook friends they have my permission to skip a couple of craft beers and drink cheap beer if they give the extra money to help some fellow humans who have fled their homes and their nation.

That’s kind of a big deal—I mean, for me to tell people they can drink cheap beer. I wrote a rather snobbish newspaper column about craft beer, imports and microbrews for seven years. If you think I get irritated on this blog about The Gospel Coalition crowd, then certainly don’t get me started on Bud Light, which just proves that with enough marketing power, you can make a household brand from cow piss.

OK; deep breath.

Google is doing something really cool: matching donations and giving the money to a donor-advised fund called Network For Good, which will be distributing the money to Doctors Without Borders, International Rescue Committee, Save The Children, and UN High Commissioner for Refugees. Click here to donate.

The International Committee of The Red Cross is on the ground in the region surrounding Syria. If you donate to the Red Cross, you’ll be helping efforts like this massive aid distribution just a week ago:

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), has distributed 90 tons of food to around 10 thousand Syrian refugees in northern Lebanon. The distribution was supported by the Lebanese Red Cross. Food was also given to Lebanese families who have been hosting the refugees in the area of Dreib Al Awsat in the governorate of Akkar.

“It’s the first time we have made such a large food distribution in Lebanon since the Syrian crisis began,” said Jeroen Carrin, the coordinator of the food distribution for the ICRC. “It’s a sign that needs are growing significantly.”

I’m sure there are more. The important thing is that we indeed help in the ways we can.

I don’t know anything about helping refugees, and honestly, some of them would probably prefer tents over staying in my house.

I’m pretty sure the above-mentioned organizations know how to help humans who have been driven from their homes. We can give the organizations some money.

It’s football season. Thanks to a  multi-million dollar advertising and marketing juggernaut, Bud Light is almost synonymous with football. So no one will even notice you’re not drinking good beer. You’ll take a weekend off from good beer and use the savings to help your fellow humans.

The Gospel Coalition crowd’s fine print argues that God makes every sin happen and then holds each person accountable for what He made them do, so if The Gospel Coalition folks donate for bad reasons or don’t donate at all, it was all God’s idea in the first place. Nothing could be done.

And while they’re maintaining that lofty position, the rest of us can think about “the least of these.”

Donate. Or, donate.

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