I know this will anger some folks, but my goal is not to create any ill-will or frustration. Christians seem to mix politics and patriotism with God's Kingdom. That mixture can be dangerous. I want to preface these next statements by stating that I am pro-America, Pro-Jesus, and I constantly have our troops (family and friends especially) in my prayers. I am grateful for a nation that allows me to freely worship God, freely write about God, and freely critique, without judicial consequence, higher powers. I am grateful.
We have a massive problem in our country. We have an estimated 11.2 million undocumented and unauthorized persons in this nation. That means a lot of things. It means they are as stereotypes state: taking our jobs, distorting our culture, increasing crime, getting government hand-outs.
I 100% agree with my conservative friends; the government should not be taking care of these immigrants. The government should not be in the business of watching after our orphans. The government should not be running food shelves and giving out food stamps.
I agree with you. That is not fair.
The government should not be doing this, because we should; The Church should. My tax dollars should not be going towards this, but my personal money and assets, however, should. We as the church have a huge responsibility. We are to care for a lot of people. We are to care for prisoners, strangers, sick, thirsty, hungry, naked (Psalms 146:7-9, Matthew 25), enemies (proverbs 25:21), orphans and widows (James 1:27, Zechariah 7:10), foreigners (Deuteronomy 10:18), voiceless and oppressed (Proverbs 31:8-9), the list could go on.
So it beckons the response, why are many (obviously a broad stroke) christians so anti-anything to do with immigration. How do they balance America and God's Kingdom? Whose calling comes first? Again, I feel it is necessary to state that I am pro-America, and 100% grateful to be a part of this great nation. I just sometimes question where my true allegiance lies.
Three points that seem bizarre to me:
1) I often hear people say that the immigrants are taking our jobs. What jobs are they taking? Either way they are paying taxes, with no refund. It was estimated that the government makes roughly 11.2 BILLION dollars off illegal immigrants (Institute for Taxation and Economic Policy) in 2011. That estimate jumps up to $13 Billion in 2013 (Estimated by Social Security Administration) to payroll taxes and $3 billion to medicare (Harvard University study). Amos 5:10-15 is rather convicting at this moment. But it is bizarre to me that we are up in arms about immigrants taking our jobs here in America, yet we aren't fully up in arms that american companies are leaving to go to countries were labor is much cheaper.... Aren't those corporations who are persons taking our jobs too? So should the stereotype read "immigrants and corporations are taking our jobs" from now on? Obviously I am jesting, but someone challenged me with that thought, and I see their point.
2) We are seeing numbers surge of over 57,000, and climbing, undocumented (illegal) child immigrants. all of whom are unaccompanied. No parents. Orphaned. 30,000+ have been released to sponsors. President Obama is seeking $3.7 billion (Office of Refugee Resettlement) which will go to the entity responsible for them, the Department of Health and Human Services, who care for them after they are released from the custody of Customs and Border Protection. These individuals often enter our country, illegally, and are surprisingly under educated if educated at all.
3) Sex trafficking of minors and adults is ridiculous. It is estimated 14,500-17,500 (US State Department) are trafficked into the United States, which includes the recruitment, expliotation, smuggling, coercion and rape of children. These illegal immigrants are promised a better life and then transported into the US to be raped by americans. Even worse, many of these trafficked victims were held for ransom while they extorted their families in their native countries. The sickening part, this is just a drop in the bucket. This exploitation of trafficked persons (sex, slave, servitude, etc...) is increasing all around our world with an estimated 29.8 MILLION PERSONS being enslaved, trafficked and exploited. How did we let the wicked get such a tight grip?
Can you imagine if we all let go of the trivial fights like trying to reinstate a nickname and logo at a college or background checks on guns or defending Phil Robertson? Can you imagine if we used the $84 million dollars the Evangelical and Mormon churched raised together in 2008 to defeat proposition 8 in California for aftercare facilities for trafficked minors in the sex trade? Or creating a program to educate, cloth, house, and feed the children who are unaccompanied illegal minors? What if we all refocused our finances and energy towards building a future for our youth to be the generation that cares more about the ministry of reconciliation that we are called to in Corinthians?
So if I take verses like Psalm 82:3-4 "Vindicate the weak and the fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and the destitute. Rescue the weak and the needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked" as truth, then I must live differently if I am to believe what it says in revelations 21:1-8 will one day happen.
The writers of Psalms and Proverbs seem to be good at reminding me the truth about how God responds to the oppressors (including me as I so often stay neutral):
Psalms 72:4: May he vindicate the afflicted people, save the children of the needy and crush the oppressor.
Proverbs 22:22-23: Do not rob the poor, because he is poor, or crush the afflicted at the gate, for the Lord will plead their cause, and rob of life those who rob them.
Proverbs 17:5: He who mocks the poor taunts the Maker; He who rejoices in calamity will not go unpunished.
All of this means nothing if I don't have a faith in Christ. This isn't a moral calling, this is Christ calling the rescued to be rescuers. This is Christ calling Americans to use our influence, freedom, personal finances, and faith to rescue the destitute. This is what a relationship with Christ looks like. It is out of the pews, out of the small groups, out of the youth and children programs. My faith in God requires of me more than a moral aptitude test, it calls me into the darkness, it calls me into a deeper understanding. It calls me.
So the question still remains, what are we as Christians to do? First decide where you stand, and then get involved.
Three ways to get involved:
1) Immigration reform. I do know this. I stand for Immigration Reform. God's Kingdom does not know earthly borders. I am in the process of educating myself, learning what this means, learning how it could work. A healthy and efficient path to citizenship is what is best for our nation and our nations immigrants.
2) Organizations like World Relief, KIVA (small micro-finance business), World Vision, International Justice Mission, As Our Own, Tubmen, Merrick community services, Global Fingerprints, are just a small sample of organizations fighting to care for our immigrants, our trafficked, our widows, our orphans, our unemployed, our oppressed, and our future generations. Support and promote them as much as you support and promote Gluten Free Diets, Nike Apparel, Apple Products, Samsung Galaxys, TV shows, and any of your favorite restaurants.
3) I ask myself this all the time. Am I willing to open up my home? Am I willing to sell everything I have and give to the poor as the Lord asks of the rich young ruler in Matthew? Am I willing to allow Jesus to interrupt my life?
Again, this was not to say that anyone who has a differing opinion is right or wrong. This is where I am at, I am still learning, I am still growing. I value differing opinions stated in a healthy way. I also enjoy conversation. If you are looking for ways to get involved, I will surely help. Lets grab coffee.
Much Love,
Casey
