Nothing illustrates the inner conflicts Christians might experience, and
the brutal truth that we live in a fallen world better, than the question of
immigration. On the one hand, we are law and order people; we believe laws are to be obeyed
– so all illegal immigrants, on Christian principles, should be sent home
immediately, right? “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities”
(Romans 13:1).
What would the “default” Christian posture on immigration be? I suspect it is to steer clear of hostile or
suspicious attitudes, and if possible to err on the side of hospitality. But why?
Modern America has something in common with ancient Israel that seems
pertinent. Repeatedly, God told the
Israelites, “The stranger shall be to you as the native; you shall love him as
yourself, for you were strangers once” (Leviticus 19:34). “Love the sojourner,
for you once were sojourners” (Deuteronomy 10:19); “You shall not oppress a
stranger, for you were strangers once” (Exodus 22:21). Israel entered the Promised Land as
immigrants from another place – so God urges them to be kind and welcoming to
immigrants.
America too is a nation of immigrants.
Way back we all came from somewhere.
The records from Ellis Island are free online; I’ve found quite a few
Howells there. While there has always
been nagging prejudice against the Irish or Italians or Middle Eastern people
and now Hispanics or Arabs, we never evade the eloquence of the poem Emma
Lazarus composed for the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty, which so many
immigrants passed as they arrived on our shores: “Give me your tired, your
poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free… Send these, the homeless,
tempest-tost to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” These thoughts are not only kin to the Bible;
back in those days, American thought on many issues was still shaped by the
Bible!
This default mood doesn’t settle policy.
Security certainly matters.
Israel must have had the occasional immigrant who proved to be a
criminal. But the baseline way we look
at them, feel about them, and treat them is to be Christlike. Churches all over the country are engaging in
significant ministries of welcome and aid – something that pleases the heart of
God. Conservative evangelicals and
mainline progressives are increasingly united in their determination to welcome
refugees and press for immigration reform.
Here’s
something that fascinates me: Bishop
Daniel Flores of Texas compares the deportation of immigrants to abortion –
believing that in both cases the innocent and vulnerable are exposed to death:
“Why is it that one party is blind to the dignity of the unborn child, and one
party is blind to the dignity of the immigrant?
Why does one party exalt choice above life, and the other exalt economic
power above the good of family life?”
A
consistent Christian ethic that is pro-life will surprise and overturn classic
political party alignments. Could it be
that pro-life, pro-immigration, anti-death penalty and anti-guns might fit
together more neatly than we could have imagined?
