As Americans celebrate two hundred and forty-two years of independence and freedom today, thousands of immigrants are being held in “immigration detention.”
The Trump administration campaigned on the back immigration reform. Unlike many of his predecessors, Trump is actually fleshing out most of what he campaigned to do, leaving millions in the wake of his decision weather wise or unwise.
Whether we admit it or not, the issue of immigration reform is not an issue of American politics. What has people up in arms over Trump’s immigration policy is the stark difference of thought among evangelical Christians in America today. The issue is over a Christ-follower’s role in light of a secular governments policy on immigration.
How should Christians respond to immigration reform? That’s the question.
Some of you feel justified in your contempt for illegal immigrants. “Finally someone’s going to come and protect our tax dollars, cut down on violence, and save America from being infiltrated with foreign religions.” That’s what I tend to hear from people who are supportive of Trump’s immigration reform.
Others, however, are infuriated that children are being separated from their families, that people in need of protection, safety, and a place to call home are being turned away at the border. They are appalled at how many believers of Christ are cheering such dramatic actions.
The question keeping them awake at night is this: Shouldn’t Christians love and help everyone? Didn’t Jesus teach us to take care of those who have need?
I feel the same frustration and confusion. I don’t always appreciate so much of my money going toward helping people who entered this country illegally. Yet I am also astonished at the not only unbiblical, but un-Christlike response many of my fellow brothers and sisters have.
There are plenty of articles floating around the web surmising about what is right and what is wrong regarding immigration reform. I have no desire to add to the noise of everyone’s reactions. However, I would like to share a bit of a perspective from someone who actually works with these people every week.
I spent three years living in southeast Asia teaching school at a small international school for children of families who were either in the country for missionary purposes or because they fled their homeland for security reasons. Before that I lived right in the middle of Los Angeles California—right in the middle of sanctuary city. This is where we are again, today, and there isn’t a week that goes by where we are not faced with the question of how do we help immigrants, and what do we do about those who have already entered illegally.
To show you how this issue has little (if anything) to do with politics, let me back up to November of 2015.
One of my students’ family, having fled Pakistan because of a death threat, was preparing to come to the US on a student visa. They had paid roughly $1,500 in application fees, which were nonrefundable. They had gathered all the proper documentation and submitted it to US embassy.
But then the San Bernardino shooting happened and the US, under the Obama administration, shut down all immigration into America from Middle Eastern countries. This dear Pakistani family was out $1,500 (the average annual household income in Pakistan was $568 in 2014), and no hope of being able to enter America anytime soon.
The media will try getting you think this is a Republican versus Democrat issue. They want you to believe that at the heart of immigration policy is political policy—“What is best for the people?”
The reality, however, is this is not a political party issue. It’s not even a political policy issue.
At the surface each party has their pet campaigning fight. Democrats pretend to care for the minorities, Republicans pretend to protect life. Reality is, however, Democrats will never actually help minorities thrive, and Republicans will never actually do what it takes to protect and preserve life because if they would they would lose their campaigning leverage.
At the bottom of this issue of immigration is Americanism.
You see too many here in the United States of America have fallen in love with what they were given and have now made it their life‘s purpose to hoard their gifts or to take control of them. And unfortunately, many Christians have fallen into this mindset as well.
Either we hoard our freedoms and rights by fighting a political and cultural battle seeking to keep them, or we try to take control of them by fighting a political and cultural battle to bend them our way and push forward our personal agendas.
It seems we have forgotten that God has been in control of these gifts all along. God has certainly allowed us to experience freedom and luxuries for a time. But has never promised to let us have them all our lives. In fact, He seems generally unconcerned with our temporal, national wellbeing outside of his sovereign, eternal purposes.
To be honest, it seems as we have forgotten God altogether. And I don’t just mean the American culture has forgotten God.
I mean the American church.
The antithesis of Americanism is the Gospel, Jesus Christ.
Did you catch that? Let me word it differently: the antithesis of Jesus Christ is Americanism. Or something awfully close.
You see, Jesus said to love our enemies. In fact, he said to those who ask of us, we are to give. And to those who take from us, we are not to demand it back.
The Gospel is all about how God is creating a new humanity who walks united in Christ, shining his glory, and pushing forward his purposes on earth.
It’s not about Americans versus Mexicans. It’s not even about Christians versus Muslims. The concept that we are on separate teams trying to convert as many as possible to our team is nothing but an American concept at its core.
Jesus died so that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who died to save them (2Co. 5:14-15). It doesn’t matter where they live, where they came from, or even what belief system they have. Jesus died, so we all could have eternal life.
Life on this earth is not about us. It’s not about our rights and freedoms—even as I get to enjoy them.
Just because I grew up in a nation where I could experience freedom and personal rights doesn’t mean I am now obligated (as a Christian) to fight for and protect those rights and freedoms given to me by my nation. As a Christian, I am now no longer to think in fleshly, carnal ways (2Co. 5:16), focused on protecting my rights and freedoms. Instead, I am now to live for the one who died for me. And the one who died for me, died for all. Including people wanting into my country.
Including people who are in my country illegally.
In America, we have a crisis of Christians having a low view of the Gospel. We have been duped into thinking we are given what we’ve been given from our nation primarily, and from God secondarily. So many of us are trying to solve these questions through nationally minded means. We’re trying to solve them at a political level, doing little to actually engage and help in practical, face-to-face terms.
How should a Christian respond to immigration reform? Let me give you three responses I believe every Christian should have.
First, we must embrace a Gospel-centered approach to life.
We ought to take what we’ve been given, what we see and experience, the situations we find ourselves in having done nothing to get here, and ask ourselves “What would Jesus do.” I don’t mean the cliché WWJD. I mean seriously thoughtful, down-to-earth, humble, broken, “Oh my God! What would you do?” fleshed-out sort of way.
If we’re not careful we fall into one of two ditches. Either we assume that because we have the opportunity to experience these privileges means we should do whatever we can to keep them, or we totally reject our freedoms altogether. Either we hoard them for ourselves or we deny them, as if because others aren’t able to experience these privileges we shouldn’t experience them either.
Neither approach is a gospel centered approach. We live. And we happen to live with incredible privileges and opportunities.
But because of Christ, we are to live (with these privileges) for him, not for ourselves.
Second, we must honor our government by not distorting truth, yet making appeals where we can.
Along with being appalled at Christians appraisal of Trump over the last year and a half, I am equally appalled at how misrepresented Trump is by those who don’t like him. This article brings to light some of the falsehoods about children being separated from their parents. I’m not saying I agree with the action. But distorting truth doesn’t help the cause.
Let’s honor our President by being honest about what he is actually doing so that we can have an ear with him when we appeal about a better way to go about doing what he’s doing. This also begs the self-reflection of whether not we actually know a better way to go about doing what he’s doing.
Third, we must reach out to local immigrants and help them get the proper documentation they need so they can thrive.
Part of the problem is we forget (or don’t understand) why people want to come to America in the first place. Here in Los Angeles, many have come for “a better life.” Many want to be able to get better jobs then they could in Mexico. So they come take advantage of LA being a sanctuary city and send the extra cash back home.
And for those of us sitting in comfortable midwestern, two-story homes with two acres of lush, green yard and a gravel driveway with a camper parked in the middle of it—hearing somebody crossed the border illegally for “a better life” sounds ludicrous. We have it nice already. To do something illegal to make it better is in comprehensible.
We then make the mistake of assuming the people crossing the border illegally for “a better life” had been sitting in Mexico in the same position we find ourselves in the middle of Indiana (or whichever Midwest state we want to pick on).
But people coming from Mexico or El Salvador for “a better life” are not coming from a nice two-story home with a luscious yard. Many of them are coming from a one-bedroom apartment, working ten to fifteen hours, taking home $5.10 for the day. To come to LA and wash cars for $10.50 an hour is like someone making $15 per hour finding a job that pays $308 per hour.
I’d be obsessed with getting that job as well!
A better life isn’t the only reason people come to America, however. Many come for security reasons. Most eastern immigrants are coming because if they go back to their homeland they will most certainly die. Even some from Central and South America are coming from situations where their lives are at risk.
And just because we can’t fathom our lives being at risk doesn’t mean they are exaggerating when they say theirs are. I know faces and names of people who personally received threats just for being a Christian in their home-town.
But they couldn’t come because Obama and Trump shut down the migration of all Arab and Persian immigrants (regardless of their religion).
This isn’t a Democrat versus Republican issue. This is in Americanism versus the Gospel issue.
Don’t be sucked into Americanism.
Don’t live life with a low view of the Gospel.
Become an active disciple of Christ, not a passive spectator of politics. Reach out to immigrants near you and help them find what they need to thrive where they are. If they are here illegally, take the time to help them sort out the papers and find the money to get their residency done right. In so doing you will help make the world a better place.
Not only that, you will discover deeper purpose in your own life by helping those with real, practical needs find freedom and sustenance for theirs. Perhaps even more importantly, immigrants will get to know Jesus through your love instead of through American prejudice.
The world needs people to rise above politics and prejudice and reach out and love. It needs people who can confront a government focused only on protecting itself without degrading and belittling its leaders.
If you can embrace a gospel-centered approach to life, honor your government, yet reach out to local immigrants and help them thrive, you will move from contempt towards immigrants (or the government) to becoming a world-changer. You will use the privileges and opportunities handed to you as tools for helping others in dire need.
If there’s anything to get excited about, it’s that!
Have you been able to help immigrants in your community? Tell us how you did it (or are doing it) in the comments below.
