A Christian Response to the Immigration Problem

 Several years ago, I wrote a piece called “Man the Lifeboats.” At the time, the situation at our border with Mexico was going from bad to worse. Since that time, the policies of the current administration in Washington have multiplied the problems exponentially. When I originally wrote the article, I was accused of being xenophobic – that I hated foreigners. That was not true then, and it is not true now. I love with the love of Christ all people regardless of their ethnic or national origin. This means I care about how they are treated. I sympathize with people who due to political or economic conditions find it difficult to stay where they are. I just don’t know the best way to show that love and sympathy.

A few months ago, Phillip Yancey wrote about a church near the southern border that was attempting to put a face and hands on the Jesus who loves the people who are streaming into America illegally. I wrote a response to Yancey in which I agreed in principle but disagreed with his conclusions. Since then, I have been struggling to come up with a Christian solution to the immigration problem. There is no dispute that individual Christians are to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and shelter the homeless when possible. The greater problem is how a secular government can do its duty to its citizens while providing something like Christian charity to the immigrants.

My suggestions address several aspects of the problem. First, we must close the border. Completely. This is a primary role of American government according to our Constitution: protect its citizens by maintaining border control. Without borders, a country is simply a land mass and not a nation. With uncontrolled immigration, real enemies and essential threats to our way of life will flood the country. Read the statistics; they already have. Set aside the criminals and terrorists for a moment. The innocent families that flock to our country for a taste of the American dream are causing a tremendous strain on an already busted budget. As I wrote in “Man the Lifeboats,” we cannot rescue every person in the world who wants to come here. If we try, we will sink our own boat. It is the responsibility of our federal government to assure that that does not happen.

Once we slam the door on illegal immigration, we must apply the immigration laws that are on the books. We welcome anyone who comes here legally. We apply due diligence to assure that they are not going to bring us grief if we let them in. Yes, I know the wait to enter legally is up to ten years in some cases. There is a reason for that: we can only absorb a limited number of new people at a time. This allows the immigrant to become a productive member of society, thereby contributing to his own welfare. When immigration is allowed to flow unrestricted as it has for the past several years, our support systems are overwhelmed with people who are providing nothing to maintain the system. Legal citizens are then forced to provide support through their taxes. Many citizens resent that; it smacks of taxation without representation. Sounds like the patriot’s cry of 1776.

Third, we must deal firmly but fairly with the millions who have entered illegally. As much as I might like to say throw them all out, Christian charity demands a more nuanced approach. At the very least, sanctuary cities must be eliminated. For cities who want to defy federal law, all federal programs must be withdrawn. This is common sense and abides by the biblical standard of reward and punishment. The New Testament clearly promotes individual submission to authority; the same principle must apply to groups of individuals who identify as a city. Fair is fair.

Next, we must transport any illegal entrants we can identify back to the place they fled, unless it can be proven that dire harm will come to them by that action. There may be diplomatic or fiscal measures that can be taken to encourage the cooperation of those countries who may deny access to the information we need. The carrot or the stick method is usually effective in tough situations. It is difficult if not impossible to estimate how many illegals are actually in need of asylum, but I believe the few who qualify can be found, and the rest can be repatriated. As an alternative, adult illegals could be offered a path to citizenship by serving in a branch of our military for four years active and two years reserve. Honorable discharges could be given the opportunity to become citizens.

My next suggestion is unfair to those who are waiting to enter the country legally, but I think it reflects a Christian attitude. If a person or family has been in the US for a considerable time (5 years? 10 years?), they should be given the opportunity to apply for citizenship if they have no criminal record, and if they are gainfully employed and self-supporting. Before allowing them to apply for citizenship, an arrangement must be made to pay their back taxes and their Social Security and Medicare contributions since many will not have had a Social Security number – at least not a legal one. If those conditions are not met, they too must be repatriated.

I realize that sending people back to where they came from will be a difficult and costly process. I suspect it will cost less to fly a family home than to feed, clothe and house them for a year. More importantly, if allowed to stay, the family would burden our economy for many years. Ultimately, it is not about what it costs but what we gain. Some might say this sounds un-Christian or at best unfair. I do not believe it is either one. However, if adopted, it should eventually have the effect of stemming the flow of immigrants. If they realize that the door is closed and people are being sent back, fewer will try to break in.

Make this personal. If a stranger walked up to your house, broke open your door and demanded that you feed, clothe, and house him, what would you say? When you discovered that his extended family numbered in the hundreds, and he had given them directions to your house, what would you do? Does your Christian duty require you to accede to his demands and turn over your home and your bankbook to him? I think not. The Fourth Amendment promises security in our persons and dwellings. You don’t have to be a Christian to recognize that criminal trespass is not acceptable. The Fourth Amendment simply echoes what the Bible teaches: God’s people have a right to private property. Violation of that right was dealt with seriously in the Mosaic law and reinforced in the New Testament.

Finally, my last suggestion has to do with individuals, not the government. Any Christian who is serious about helping the less fortunate – in this country or elsewhere – has the responsibility to give of their resources either directly or vicariously through any one of many Christian organizations that are fulfilling the biblical command to help the poor. Buy a bunch of thrift-store blankets and make a bagful of sandwiches and go to the homeless in your town. Be Jesus to them. If that is not practical for you, write a check every month to a charity that is doing God’s work. If every Christian did this, the plight of the poor and destitute would be improved worldwide. That is my Christian response to the immigration problem. If you like it, you have my permission to send copies of this article to your US Congresspersons.

Related posts: Examining Christian Charity; Loving Biblically

The Hidden Things

Several years ago, I wrote an article called “Daily Bible Reading.” I confessed to having abandoned my reading habit because I was getting depressed with the depiction of God as a God of wrath. (See also “The Goodness of Wrath.”) It is hard to imagine a way to bring modern people to worship a wrathful deity. As I wrote then, “The idea that God is sovereign, and humans must bow to His will is distasteful to pagans in any age.” Besides the distastefulness of wrath to moderns, there are many other things about God that are hard for them to understand.

I am fascinated by Moses’ address to the Israelites just before they crossed the Jordan into the promised land. God had revealed to Moses that He knew His people were going to become unfaithful and fall into idolatrous worship. He promised He would punish them and send them into captivity, but that He would preserve a remnant to fulfill His covenant promise. Moses told the people, “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, but the revealed things belong to us and our children forever, so that we may follow all the words of this law.” In other words, don’t try to figure God out; just do what He says.

A bit later Moses made this statement: “See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands, statutes, and ordinances, so that you may live and multiply, and the Lord your God may bless you in the land you are entering to possess.” In the King James Version that first sentence is rendered, “See, I have set before thee this day life and good, and death and evil.” Obey Me and all will be well; disobey Me and things will get nasty.

Our self-made, self-important generation doesn’t like the idea of humility, especially when it includes the hidden motivation of a God who makes “evil” happen. The truth is that evil is not a thing at all; evil is the absence of something: goodness. As I have explained before, the Hebrew word for evil is not necessarily a moral judgement; it simply describes a situation where God’s goodness is absent. When Israel fell into idolatry, God’s presence was removed, and all manner of bad things happened. That was their fault, not God’s.

In my study today, I learned something interesting about the word “humility” in the New Testament Greek. “The Greek word for  humility is a compound word. The first part means “low.” In a metaphorical sense it was used to mean “poor” or “unimportant.” The second part of the word means ‘to think’ or ‘to judge.’ The combined meaning is to think of yourself as lowly or unimportant.”

I learned that this word never appears in classical Greek. It had to be coined by Christians. The Greeks and Romans had no word for humility because they despised that attitude. Many people in our day have the same opinion. Humility is considered weakness. This requirement of Christian living is a mystery to non-believers, but it should not be a “hidden thing” to Christians. We are told to, “Humble yourself in the sight of God, and He will lift you up.”

The clearest expression of this is found in Paul’s letter to the Philippians. He says, “⁵ Think this in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider being equal with God something to be grasped, but emptied himself taking the form of a slave, becoming in the likeness of people. And being found in appearance like a man, he humbled himself becoming obedient to the point of death, that is, death on a cross. Therefore, also God exalted him and graciously granted him the name above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow.”

 

There is no hiding the fact that we are to adopt the same attitude that Jesus had. His incarnation and death on the cross are the ultimate demonstration of humility. His unconditional love for all humankind is a result of His humility which we are also called to imitate. God’s reasons for allowing adversity in our lives may remain hidden until we join Him in glory. However, Moses’ words to the Israelites apply equally to us. “See, today I have set before you life and prosperity, death and adversity. For I am commanding you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commands… so that… the Lord your God may bless you… But if your heart turns away and you do not listen… you will certainly perish.”

The world around us is certainly perishing. The reason why God is allowing that to happen may remain hidden to some. No one who reads the Bible with an open heart will wonder why. If the hallmark of our lives is humility and love, those around us will have the opportunity to uncover some of the things that were hidden from them. They may make the decision to place their faith in the God who never hides His love. Why He loves us may be hidden, but how He loves is there for all to see. We just have to show them.

Related Posts: Necessary Obedience; Blessings of Obedience

Long Distance Relationships

In this age of the Internet, long distance relationships are more common than they used to be. Previous generations had two options: mail that might take days or weeks to arrive and more recently, phones service was available that required long distance toll rates to connect. Today, I can email or text someone and expect it to be delivered within seconds. Video services make it possible to have virtual face-to-face contact at no charge with the right provider. Amazing.

We have all heard of people meeting on the Internet and ending up married, sometimes with less than pleasant results. Even with the ease of connecting online, there are vital components of a relationship that cannot be duplicated. Sociologists are noticing a change in the way young people interact with one another. They rely on and often prefer virtual contact instead of IRL (in real life) as they put it. Eye contact, body language, tone of voice, and physical contact are missing from online relationships. Those things matter.

Now, you might be wondering how Heaven matters in this. First, God made humans social beings. It is true that our interpersonal relationships were affected by the fall into sin, but damaged or not, we need social interaction with others. God’s command to care for others always has a physical component not possible in virtual reality. True, I could Zelle you some money if you are in need, but that seems hollow in comparison with handing you the cash or bringing you a meal or fixing your car. Caring for the needy online just doesn’t seem to cut it.

The second way Heaven matters in relationships is more complicated. This is why I was prompted to write this article. John MacArthur has been emphasizing the need for a relationship with God in his Strength for Today devotional that I am reading. I have been asking myself if I truly have an intimate relationship with God. There are many aspects of my relationship with Him that resemble long distance relationships. I love Him dearly, but He is not physically present to me. I can talk to Him in prayer, but I have only heard a voice response (I think) once. I believe He meets my needs, but there is seldom a one-to-one correlation between the need and the provision.

Someone is thinking about now that my relationship with God is spiritual in nature; therefore, it will be different from human relationships. True. But I cannot deny feeling the longing expressed by the Psalmist who said his heart longed for God like a deer pants for water. The deer can lap up the water; I can only bask in the knowledge that the Spirit of God dwells in me – spiritually.

MacArthur made a good point saying that knowing God is not sufficient for the kind of relationship we are supposed to have. Many people know a great deal about God, but do not have nor desire a relationship. When Jesus said that eternal life was found in knowing God and the One He sent, He used a Greek word for “know” that implies an experiential knowledge. We are supposed to experience God. I am a highly intellectual person; I know a great deal about God from years of studying the Scripture. But, I am beginning to question the experiential nature of my relationship with Him.

I believe I have experienced what Paul called the witness of the Spirit with my spirit. I have experienced the overwhelming presence of God in my life many times, but a meaningful relationship must have day-to-day remnants of the mountain top moments, I think. I sympathize with the Psalms when they ask where God has gone; why is God far from me. Knowing He is there and feeling His presence are two different things. Maybe my desire to have a relationship is enough. I agree with David that one day in the courts of the Lord is better than a thousand elsewhere.

I read somewhere that Mother Theresa spent the last decades of her life with no conscious presence of God in her life. Her ministry to the poor continued, and I suspect many were blessed by her persistence. She did not feel the blessing herself though. Then there is the popularity of the Dark Night of the Soul which describes “a crisis of faith or a difficult, painful period in one's life.” It would seem to imply that it is a common experience to go dry and seek water like the deer.

Maybe my intellectual nature has gotten me too deep into my head; you think? Maybe it is enough to want the relationship even though it is a long distance one. There is one bit of knowledge that should comfort me: I know He lives in me, and He promised He would always be with me. One of my favorite movies has Jack Nicholson agonizing about his difficulty overcoming his flaws when he says, “Maybe this is as good as it gets.” I get that, but I also know that it will get better. The promise that I will dwell continually in God’s presence eventually is exactly why Heaven matter most in my life. If I could just find those streams of water in the meantime.

Related Posts: The Presence of God; Merely Christian