In recent days (as there has been since 2015). there has been a lot of back and forth between Christians on either side of the immigration debate. Those who I believe are true brothers & sisters in Christ hold to positions that in American politics can be found on either the right or the left, and in that I do not questions their desire to reflect Christ in the midst of a divisive issue during divided times.
The part that I have been struggling with, as I often seem to do is walking the via media, or the middle way that John Wesley (and his Anglican heritage) was famous for.I find myself stuck between two camps warring with each other, both making excellent points, while also seriously glazing over other realities. It is in this light that I want to try and address briefly an issue I see with both sides, and hopefully present an alternative.
First to the left.
As just happened during the Inauguration Prayer Service held at the National Cathedral in D.C., a generally unobjectionable homily was presented, calling for peace and unity in our nation. And yet, at the end it was punctuated with obviously left-leaning political positions on border policy, and sexuality questions. This was then of course followed by the shield rattling from both sides, getting up in arms defending or attacking all that went on, with the expected utilization of several verses, presumably giving Christian a blanket mandate to accept a certain type of border politics, often resembling open-border policies.
“When an alien resides with you in your land, you shall not oppress the alien. The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the native-born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt.” – Leviticus 19:33-34
“Thus says the Lord: Go down to the house of the king of Judah, and speak there this word, and say: Hear the word of the Lord, O king of Judah sitting on the throne of David – you, and your servants, and your people who enter these gates. Thus says the Lord: Act with justice and righteousness and deliver from the hand of the oppressor anyone who has been robbed. And do no wrong or violence to the alien, the orphan, and the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place.” – Jeremiah 22:1-3
These are two of the primary examples of the verses that I have seen be apart of this discussion. The problem that I have is not with the general message that I believe all Christians should accept. There are many in need, and we should be generous, kind and loving to those as it is an opportunity to share the hope of the Gospel. Yet, it is often taken a step further to presume that the only way to interpret these verses is with a basically open-border policy. When I have seen these verses used, it is completely devoid of any actual context, or careful interpretation as to the application today as the times Scripture was given was vastly different than our own. This is not a situation where there is a one-to-one application. In an excellent article titled, The Use and Abuse of the Bible in the Immigration Debate, James Hoffmeier carefully presents three key considerations when looking at texts in the Old Testament in regards to their modern application. These questions are, “1) Was there such a thing as territorial sovereignty in the second millennium B.C. when these laws originated; 2) Within that socio-legal setting, what was a “stranger” or “sojourner;” and 3) How does one obtain this status?”
As he fleshes out these questions, it becomes clear that for Christians living in the 21st Century, there is not a blanket transfer of these verses in applying them to modern border policy. I believe that Christians who attempt to apply these texts and others in this way are sadly being either misinformed, or dishonest in not seriously considering the complexities of the application at the time of writing, and then do the same for out modern day immigration discussion.
Now to the right.
Being someone who is generally more conservative in his politics, I have been appalled the last decade at some of the discussion surrounding immigration. I have witnessed or heard language that is obviously racist or xenophobic (I don’t use those terms lightly). While diligence should be used in our immigration policy, that can also be used as a pretense to be closed off, and not open to the real dire situations of people around the world.
The mass migration of many people is in my mind one of the greatest ministry opportunities afforded to the American Church, likely since our nations founding. With people coming from many nations, even hostile to us, could be the opportunity Christ is affording for them to hear the Gospel. I remember hearing a story several years ago of someone who immigrated from the Middle East, and when they came over they brought many gifts that they could give out when they would get together with people. But some time after coming to the US, they were dejected because not one person had shown hospitality, and invited them for a meal where they would have bestowed one of their gifts.
Much of the response about immigration on the right side of the aisle is built on fear, and a holding to the idea that American is the solution, and we have to keep her alive. Don’t get me wrong, I love this nation, and I believe God has used America, and will continue to (as imperfectly as we follow). But, like St. Augustine realized with Rome, God’s purposes do not start or end with an earthly nation. Instead, all subjects of King Jesus are really foreigners in lands that are not our own.
The via media
Is there a balance that can be struck between these two seemingly impossible sides? I believe that there is. The Gospel provides answers that frankly makes both sides shiver a bit because it throws into questions motives and answers as not complete, without balance.
Being merciful and loving to those in need is not mutually exclusive to having legitimate border policy. I hear people talking on an on about how we need to accept people in to show we love them, while much of the crossing into the US is conducted by human traffickers who take advantage of those they are leading in many ways. I believe that if we truly cared for those seeking to come into this country, it would be in a way that protects them from drug-mules and human-traffickers.
Also yet, we in the American Church need our hearts checked. So much fear has been built up around this issue. Do we not believe that God is in control? Better yet, do we not see what is going on (whether we agree with it politically or not), as an opportunity for us to proclaim the Gospel, and love as the hands and feet of Jesus in a way that we couldn’t do before? For many of us, hopping on a plane to minister in another country isn’t feasible. Well…the nations are at our front door.
This is a challenging discussion, and these certainly are not all my thoughts on this discussion. But I wanted to present a window into a perspective that I feel is not getting to see the light of day, one that is not lop-sided to either the right or the left. An ideal that hold the difficult realities and complexities of life in tension with each other.