In this week's conversation between Dr. James Emery White and co-host Alexis Drye, they discuss a recent Gallup poll that found Americans believe the most important problem facing the country right now is immigration (you can read the article HERE). To be sure, there has been an influx of more than 300,000 people crossing the border in the month of December alone. This has made it an incredibly hot-button issue in our current culture, whether you're a Republican or a Democrat.
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The issue at our borders is a mess. We seem to be losing control of both the number of immigrants entering and how to deal with them when they're here. This is a struggle for Christians who do have concerns about the influx, but who also believe that it's our call as Christ followers to care for immigrants with loving compassion.
Fear is a big part of this cultural issue. Dr. White recently wrote a blog on this subject titled “Voting Out of Fear” highlighting how we can let fears drive how we land on certain issues, and even how we vote. Whether bigotry or racism, a prideful sense of nationalism or conspiracy theory, entirely too much of how we land on the issue of immigration comes from fear. Here are a couple of recent articles that show how fear is driving people.
Aaron Earls, “More Evangelicals See Immigrants as a Threat and Economic Drain,” Christianity Today.
Odette Yousef, “The Border Crisis Is Helping to Mainstream a Dangerous Conspiracy Theory,” NPR.
James Thompson, “UK Churches' Outreach to Muslim Migrants Scrutinized After Clapham Attack,” Christianity Today.
We all have incalculable worth and value because we were created by God and made in His image. This includes immigrants. So when it comes to issues like these, especially when it comes time to vote, we need to think Christianly. Dr. White gave a series at Meck called “Where Angels Fear to Tread: Meck Talks Politics.” We suggest you check that out. And wherever you stand on immigration reform, the Bible does call us to care for those who are foreigners, aliens or even “strangers” (for example see Exodus 22 & 23 and Matthew 25).
Finally, Christians can rally together to try to make a difference when it comes to the immigration issues. We suggest you read the article by Lauren Villagran in USA Today called “Could Evangelical Christian Women Hold the Key to Compromise on Immigration Reform?”
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