Posted on 07/10/2014 9:59:28 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
“He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:18 (ESV)
Christians are used to hearing people say “it’s the Christian thing to do.” Most often, it is by people deeply hostile to Christianity who say it. I get this all the time — even more so since I announced I am going to seminary. Liberals with no sense of Christianity want to tell Christians how they must behave and, by and large, hate us when we behave as Christians.
Now, I know many of you do not share my faith. But there is a larger point that must be made here so bear with me. Tolerance is not a Christian value. It is necessary in the course of civil and democratic society to be tolerant of other people’s ideas and opinions, but tolerance for the sake of tolerance is not a Christian value.
Charity and mercy are Christian values. I look at the deep and hostile reaction to Glenn Beck’s effort of late to provide charity to the illegal immigrants at the border and I am shaking my head at some of my fellow Christians and fellow conservatives.
I do not think the government should be helping these people stay here. I do not think the government should be bussing them to other places. I do not think we should let these people stay here. But I think while here we should, in private charity, show mercy and give comfort where we can.
I think of the Emma Lazarus poem, “The New Colossus,” at the base of the statue of liberty.
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
I am a citizen of the United States and I appreciate people are yearning to breathe free in America. But I am a citizen of the United States and want our laws enforced, our borders secured, and these illegal aliens — some not yearning to breathe free, but here with other motives — sent home.
I am also a citizen of the Kingdom of God. And I want these people, particularly the children, to know Christian charity and love and to go home understanding that we are willing for them to come — but to come legally and lawfully through secure borders.
What Glenn Beck is doing is the kind thing to do. He is using his own money, while calling on the government to enforce the law. Conservatives and Christians can both want American borders secured and our laws enforced. But we should also be willing to show personal and private grace, mercy, and charity to the many troubled souls who have come here as they have.
I hope you might consider donating to Samaritan’s Purse to help.
People are fond of asking “what would Jesus do” in these types of situations. As my friend Mollie Hemingway has pointed out before, we already know. Jesus would submit himself to torture, be crucified, and die for us. Then he would conquer death itself and through his act save all of us who accept him into our lives.
So the question should not be what would Jesus do, but what would those of us who love him do.
I think we would honor the law and want others to honor the law, but would also show faith, hope, charity, grace, and mercy to those who need it as we work to send them home. And we would do so on our own without needing government spending to pave over the government incompetence that got us to this point.
“The native people showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.” Acts 28:2 (ESV)
What’s he gonna take for the MS-13 gangbangers to play with?
I hope he has all his shots.
He is writing about helping children. You see children as the enemy? Yes they need to go back or placed with legal relatives and go through the legal avenue of becoming residents. That does not mean we can not show private charity and mercy to them.
Bonhoeffer called he wants you to know that plan is often not an option.
“He is writing about helping children. You see children as the enemy?”
Would “foreign invaders” suit your sensibilities better?
I say show them support & love and ship them back ASAP. Is it not also love to love and protect our American bretheran? If we don’t stand up for them, then we don’t stand up for anything. If we allow our system to fall under the weight of illegal actions then we are guilty of doing it ourselves.
If he really wasn’t doing it to toot his own horn it would be “private” charity.
They all need to be sent home, not placed with legal relatives or go through any legal avenue to become residents. If they want to go through legal avenues they need to do it from their homes.
To a point - I listen to what Yashua says, not some ecclesiastic interpretation ..... and no, I do not believe in obeying a totalitarian government like the Nazi’s or Stalin ...obeying immigration laws is quite a bit different and I believe you knew exactly what I meant ...
Thanks for clarifying. I was not sure if you meant there should be no exceptions. I apologize for making an uncharitable assumption. I have no doubt this crisis is to a certain extant orchestrated to overwhelm our resources. Which is one reason we have immigration policies to avoid such a scenario.
Private charity and care for children being used to advance a crisis does not mean I think we should ignore the law.
Not a problem ... R/Janey
Glen Beck is going to Seminary??? Really? Which one?
BINGO
Also, illegal aliens (most of whom are somewhat illiterate or poorly educated) are the only growth area the LDS church has right now and conversion from Catholicism to Mormonism is pretty common as well. It isn’t surprising they have backed illegal immigration.
I say Beck should be giving them little U.S. Marine Teddy Bears......in a cage.
“Obama plans to spend $60,000 each on resettling them in this country. They will all have brick houses in gated communities with servants and gardeners.”
Not on my dime, he won’t.
You assume correctly, unless they are children in your eyes.
That may indeed what should be done but it does not change the fact that the children are pawns and victims.
This makes an even stronger case for the children as victims.
Yes, they are. But what does that change, exactly?
Are we supposed to take in every victim, everywhere, even if it means the collapse of the nation?
If those children stay, they will grow up into adults who vote Democrat. Then WE will be the victims.
The kids are pawns, but those pawns need to be given some food and water, put on planes, and flown right back to their countries.
Really? You can't?
Who says?
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