A Very Personal Immigration Story | While there are theological debates about, what is a foreigner or stranger in scripture, there can be no debate about how we are to treat people according to Jesus. All people. Even our enemies. Exploitation and mistreatment aren't on any "do this" command list.
Maybe so. However, we don't have the means to put 20 million people in front of a judge.
MS-13 is in the same category as the Taliban, and we still hold them at Guantanamo. I'm not going to protest the defense of our nation.
I'm willing to be wrong, and I understand your concerns. I'm especially concerned about the welfare of fellow believers, and maybe we should take more care to do better.
I think our nation is at a an impasse, not seen since Lincoln, when he stated words still true today:
"Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces."
I think we have to face that the country is divided by two different camps who seek fundamentally different paths for the nation.
I appreciate your perspective as well. The polarization on both sides makes civil discourse almost impossible.
But it is possible. Thank you.
I can’t help millions. I don’t have all the answers. I am trying to help one family that I know who have done nothing to deserve being deported.
You want to guess how many other people have responded to help?
2.
And so a blind father will be shipped back to the gang violence he risked everything to escape. His wife and few month old baby will likely be separated from him.
How many more of the “millions” are stories like these. They are not statistics. These are people created in the image of God.
Some higher good doesn’t negate the command to do good to all people. Shouldn’t a Christian nation err on the side of compassion?
Yes, and thank you. I completely respect your position. It’s tough. I think we can be compassionate, to a point, until compassion turns into negligence. The Vatican has walls. America can’t save the world. We have a Constitution, uncopyrighted, that every nation is free to emulate.
For four years, Biden basically said, “If you want to be American, come on in.” Trump was elected primarily to stop the insanity of his globalist, godless policies.
My most honest opinion: I’m not a fan of it, and I don’t take delight in it, but it must be done.
At the risk of offending you… which is not my intention…. I know you think that is the right perspective. And I’m not suggesting lawlessness or wide open borders. I lock my doors at night too.
But imagine, standing before Jesus to answer how you treated the least of these and answering… I was giving Trump the benefit of the doubt.
There are innocent Jesus followers being forced back to torture and persecution among all this. So what? Is that worth some benefit of the doubt?
I don't have a good answer. I supposed we could let everyone stay and take 10 years to hear every case and then by then people will be screaming, "they have been here 10 years."
I am not sure if we are responsible. There are billions of the least of these in the world. If the whole world comes in we all become the least of these.
But I get your point. I do. And you might be right. I am not sure. If we let it play out one by one we risk the world taking even greater advantage.
I know there are real people with real suffering but we can't give up the country. But maybe we should. Maybe the liberals are right. Borders be damned. Let's live like the earliest Christians sharing all amongst ourselves. If only that worked at scale. Not saying it can't but everyone has to play willingly at not by force which gets in the way in a country as large as ours.
This has definitely been productive and I thank you. I am not a heartless, hatefilled anti immigration MAGA radical. I just tilt towards Trump being more Christlike than the the other side overall.
This conversation has been very encouraging man! And in no way do I believe or intend to imply that you are some heartless MAGA nut.
And maybe I’m the nut but I do believe that a community of believers can exist like Acts where there were no needs among them. Who knows if it can scale if we simply say that’s not possible.
I don't think illegals or non-citizens here on visas have much constitutional recourse under the law. Even the Vatican, the only real Christian country on earth, led by the Pope himself, has stricter laws. I think we may believe we are acting Christlike, but in reality, we might be doing the opposite. I'm not hard-core on this issue; I'm simply giving Trump the benefit of the doubt.
If we allow the world to pour in and upend the lives of our neighbors, is that Christlike? Is it Christlike to harm our neighbor for the sake of another? Many cities in this country have seen their populations double under Biden, straining resources and shifting the dynamics of their communities. Is that Christlike?
I think running a country based on our personal interpretation of Christlikeness can lead us into negligence. We will end up as poor and impoverished as those we're trying to help.
Jesus did right by denying earthly kingship. But rest assured, Heaven has walls and impenetrable gates.
Again I am open to being wrong. This is my current position.
I understand to an extent. But something has to be done. I am not losing any sleep over foreign terrorists being sent to CECOT. I know we are to be kind to migrants, but what Biden allowed was criminal. Biden let 20 million people cross the border. We also need to think about our own people.
What Trump is doing is working. Gang members are leaving the country, and many are pleading to stay in our prisons. Being nice is not how you handle these people. They have been taking advantage of us. They know we don't do anything. Well, that changed.
But, I do agree that as a Christian, I need to check myself. There was a time in my life when I was no angel. I could have just as easily been one of these gang members given being born at the wrong place and time.
But there is also a kindness that isn't really kindness because it hurts others while thinking you are being kind. You can't hurt your own people and call your actions Christlike. That's what Biden did. Now, unfortunately, Trump has to do what is difficult to bring back some order.
But I won't disrespect you for your empathy. I get it. I am not heartless. I know many of these folks are probably well intended people. But we don't have the resources to find out. Biden let in too many of them.
Of course something has to be done but you can’t do the right thing the wrong way. Without the rule of law and due process how do we know who is who?
How do you know that everyone being scooped up is a foreign terrorist or gang member? How do you know those are all gang members? Do they deserve a secretive prison camp without even being sentenced for a crime?
When did it become okay to throw due process out the window? When did it become okay to simply defy court orders and the constitution? Shouldn’t a Christian nation at least have compassion for Christians who have no criminal record and have been legally granted asylum protection? Don’t they have the right to a legal process to determine if they deserve to be sent back to where they have been tortured and persecuted?
Did you hear about the Afghan Christians who had escaped torture by the Taliban who were given a deportation deadline of Good Friday?
This family I wrote about are also Jesus followers. No criminal record. Entered legally and did everything by the book. Isn’t heavenly citizenship what matters? Shouldn’t we care enough to do something?
1 John 3:16-17 (NET)
16 We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. 17 But whoever has the worldʼs possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?
I’m going to stand before Jesus and have to answer for what I did for the least of these. It was Biden’s fault won’t cut it as the answer.
Maybe so. However, we don't have the means to put 20 million people in front of a judge.
MS-13 is in the same category as the Taliban, and we still hold them at Guantanamo. I'm not going to protest the defense of our nation.
I'm willing to be wrong, and I understand your concerns. I'm especially concerned about the welfare of fellow believers, and maybe we should take more care to do better.
I think our nation is at a an impasse, not seen since Lincoln, when he stated words still true today:
"Both read the same Bible and pray to the same God, and each invokes His aid against the other. It may seem strange that any men should dare to ask a just God's assistance in wringing their bread from the sweat of other men's faces."
I think we have to face that the country is divided by two different camps who seek fundamentally different paths for the nation.
I appreciate your perspective as well. The polarization on both sides makes civil discourse almost impossible.
But it is possible. Thank you.
I can’t help millions. I don’t have all the answers. I am trying to help one family that I know who have done nothing to deserve being deported.
You want to guess how many other people have responded to help?
2.
And so a blind father will be shipped back to the gang violence he risked everything to escape. His wife and few month old baby will likely be separated from him.
How many more of the “millions” are stories like these. They are not statistics. These are people created in the image of God.
Some higher good doesn’t negate the command to do good to all people. Shouldn’t a Christian nation err on the side of compassion?
Yes, and thank you. I completely respect your position. It’s tough. I think we can be compassionate, to a point, until compassion turns into negligence. The Vatican has walls. America can’t save the world. We have a Constitution, uncopyrighted, that every nation is free to emulate.
For four years, Biden basically said, “If you want to be American, come on in.” Trump was elected primarily to stop the insanity of his globalist, godless policies.
My most honest opinion: I’m not a fan of it, and I don’t take delight in it, but it must be done.
At the risk of offending you… which is not my intention…. I know you think that is the right perspective. And I’m not suggesting lawlessness or wide open borders. I lock my doors at night too.
But imagine, standing before Jesus to answer how you treated the least of these and answering… I was giving Trump the benefit of the doubt.
There are innocent Jesus followers being forced back to torture and persecution among all this. So what? Is that worth some benefit of the doubt?
I don't have a good answer. I supposed we could let everyone stay and take 10 years to hear every case and then by then people will be screaming, "they have been here 10 years."
I am not sure if we are responsible. There are billions of the least of these in the world. If the whole world comes in we all become the least of these.
But I get your point. I do. And you might be right. I am not sure. If we let it play out one by one we risk the world taking even greater advantage.
I know there are real people with real suffering but we can't give up the country. But maybe we should. Maybe the liberals are right. Borders be damned. Let's live like the earliest Christians sharing all amongst ourselves. If only that worked at scale. Not saying it can't but everyone has to play willingly at not by force which gets in the way in a country as large as ours.
This has definitely been productive and I thank you. I am not a heartless, hatefilled anti immigration MAGA radical. I just tilt towards Trump being more Christlike than the the other side overall.
This conversation has been very encouraging man! And in no way do I believe or intend to imply that you are some heartless MAGA nut.
And maybe I’m the nut but I do believe that a community of believers can exist like Acts where there were no needs among them. Who knows if it can scale if we simply say that’s not possible.
With God, all things are possible!
But if we trash our constitution to “fix” the problem, the fix IS the problem.
Even worse, if we trash the Commands of Jesus… that’s an eternal problem.
No matter how good the goal is, if the means to accomplish it compromises scripture and the rule of law it’s no longer good.
So many Christians have fallen for wolves in sheep disguises who have led them to believe you can do the right thing the wrong way.
I don't think illegals or non-citizens here on visas have much constitutional recourse under the law. Even the Vatican, the only real Christian country on earth, led by the Pope himself, has stricter laws. I think we may believe we are acting Christlike, but in reality, we might be doing the opposite. I'm not hard-core on this issue; I'm simply giving Trump the benefit of the doubt.
If we allow the world to pour in and upend the lives of our neighbors, is that Christlike? Is it Christlike to harm our neighbor for the sake of another? Many cities in this country have seen their populations double under Biden, straining resources and shifting the dynamics of their communities. Is that Christlike?
I think running a country based on our personal interpretation of Christlikeness can lead us into negligence. We will end up as poor and impoverished as those we're trying to help.
Jesus did right by denying earthly kingship. But rest assured, Heaven has walls and impenetrable gates.
Again I am open to being wrong. This is my current position.
“He’s gone liberal!”
I hear your pain, I've heard that, and I've heard the exact opposite, "He's a right-wing fascist!"
It's exhausting.
Thank you for shining light on this issue, continue to be salt and light my friend.
God bless.
I understand to an extent. But something has to be done. I am not losing any sleep over foreign terrorists being sent to CECOT. I know we are to be kind to migrants, but what Biden allowed was criminal. Biden let 20 million people cross the border. We also need to think about our own people.
What Trump is doing is working. Gang members are leaving the country, and many are pleading to stay in our prisons. Being nice is not how you handle these people. They have been taking advantage of us. They know we don't do anything. Well, that changed.
But, I do agree that as a Christian, I need to check myself. There was a time in my life when I was no angel. I could have just as easily been one of these gang members given being born at the wrong place and time.
But there is also a kindness that isn't really kindness because it hurts others while thinking you are being kind. You can't hurt your own people and call your actions Christlike. That's what Biden did. Now, unfortunately, Trump has to do what is difficult to bring back some order.
But I won't disrespect you for your empathy. I get it. I am not heartless. I know many of these folks are probably well intended people. But we don't have the resources to find out. Biden let in too many of them.
Of course something has to be done but you can’t do the right thing the wrong way. Without the rule of law and due process how do we know who is who?
How do you know that everyone being scooped up is a foreign terrorist or gang member? How do you know those are all gang members? Do they deserve a secretive prison camp without even being sentenced for a crime?
When did it become okay to throw due process out the window? When did it become okay to simply defy court orders and the constitution? Shouldn’t a Christian nation at least have compassion for Christians who have no criminal record and have been legally granted asylum protection? Don’t they have the right to a legal process to determine if they deserve to be sent back to where they have been tortured and persecuted?
Did you hear about the Afghan Christians who had escaped torture by the Taliban who were given a deportation deadline of Good Friday?
This family I wrote about are also Jesus followers. No criminal record. Entered legally and did everything by the book. Isn’t heavenly citizenship what matters? Shouldn’t we care enough to do something?
1 John 3:16-17 (NET)
16 We have come to know love by this: that Jesus laid down his life for us; thus we ought to lay down our lives for our fellow Christians. 17 But whoever has the worldʼs possessions and sees his fellow Christian in need and shuts off his compassion against him, how can the love of God reside in such a person?
I’m going to stand before Jesus and have to answer for what I did for the least of these. It was Biden’s fault won’t cut it as the answer.