Pandora s. A Dialogue between Old Truths and New Realities. Winter Lecture Series Covenant Church of Naples ı PCA Dr.

Transcription

1 Opening Pandora s Box A Dialogue between Old Truths and New Realities Winter Lecture Series Covenant Church of Naples ı PCA Dr. Robert Petterson 1 di a logue noun \ˈdī-əә-ˌlo g, -ˌläg\ a discussion or series of discussions that two groups or countries have in order to end a disagreement: a conversation between two or more people trying to find mutual understanding. DIALOGUE FOUR: Evangelicalism & Immigration Reform: Balancing Compassion with the Rule of Law

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3 Pandora s Box is a story from ancient Greek mythology. According to the myth, Pandora was the first woman on earth. Zeus presented her with a beautiful jar containing all the evils known by the gods. Pandora was told not to open it, but curiosity got the best of her. By opening the jar, those evils escaped and spread across the earth. That myth has spawned a well-known phrase: Opening Pandora s Box the can of worms we never open because what comes out causes distress. But the box must be opened if there is to be a dialogue between new realities and old truths. The convictions that have long been the underpinnings of our Western Christian culture are under withering attack (or being disregarded as irrelevant) by neo-relativists. Things that were once unthinkable are now the new normal. Increasingly, older conservatives and traditionalists feel like strangers in their own land. Baby Boomers find themselves increasingly at odds with their millennial children. The old generation gap has been replaced by the new values gap. Monumental social changes that once took centuries now happen in a matter of 5-10 years. Parents and children find themselves trying to communicate ideas in languages, technologies, and feelings that are foreign to each other. This has produced debilitating polarization in the postmodern American culture. One of the greatest differences is that conservatives speak in terms of convictions. Progressives tend to speak the language of compassion. In an age that increasingly says I feel rather than I think, the compassion argument regularly trumps the conviction or truth argument. It is our contention that progressives need to listen to the conviction argument and conservatives must hear the compassion argument. Truth without compassion is barren, and compassion not based on truth is fraudulent. Compassionate truth is our ideal! This series argues that there are seven areas of massive moral sea changes where the generation gap is widening, and polarization is increasing. We believe that we must first listen, dialoguing rather than shouting each other down or writing each other off. That is why this series has as its subtitle, A Dialogue Between Old Truths and New Realities. But this can only happen if we have the courage to open Pandora s box. May what was said of this ancient Israeli tribe, be said of Christians today: From Issachar (there were) men who understood the times and knew what Israel should do. I Chronicles 12:32

4 We are focusing on key issues that often divide and polarize older generations from their children and grandchildren, and are causing an unprecedented exodus of those under 30 years of age from the Evangelical church. We believe that the ability to know our own convictions, listen to the convictions of those who differ, empathize with them, and dialogue with Christ-like compassion, can build bridges of understanding rather than walls that divide. During the first two sessions, we examined the hot-button issue of new frontiers in sexuality in general and homosexual marriage in particular. More than any other issue, millennials are most turned off by what they perceive as Evangelical hostility and intolerance toward gays in general and gay marriage specifically. Last week we looked at the second issue that most divides us from our children and grandchildren: the perception that Evangelicalism has wedded itself to conservative Republican politics as an illegitimate partnership to enforce traditional values. In this fourth dialogue we look at an issue that most surveys show to be the third hot-button issue: a perception that Evangelicals, in their allegiance with conservative Americanism, are generally hostile to undocumented aliens and immigration reform. They believe this to be a lack of compassion and commitment to social justice. Let s look at this issue, remembering our two guiding principles: 1. We will not be moved from our convictions. As fully devoted followers of Jesus Christ, we are bound by his Great Commission: teach them (or disciples) to obey everything that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:20) We are bound to the dictates of the King to whose kingdom we belong. They never change, they are not subject to repeal or revision, nor can they be abandoned in the face of persecution or martyrdom. Though we are not moved from our convictions, we are willing to dialogue with those of opposing viewpoints. Dialogue tests our convictions, and sharpens our ability to give an answer to anyone who asks a reason for the hope that lies within... (1 Peter 3:15) Dialogue also helps us to understand others so that we can share our convictions in a language that speaks to their minds and hearts. We should dialogue with humility, recognizing that even those who vigorously oppose our positions may offer insights that purify our own convictions. No one ever grew spiritually

5 or intellectually by only listening to or conversing with those with whom they violently agree. The intellectual integrity of our biblical convictions is honed in the arena of give-and-take dialogue, not in the contrived niceness of the politically correct or the smug fellowship of the orthodox. Dialogue never works when we try to outtalk, outshout, outwit, talk down to, or mock those who disagree with us. Convictions do not demand that we convince others. If our beliefs are true, they will stand on their own. We can also disagree without being disagreeable. Advancing the ball (even if only a little) is often the best we can hope for in a dialogue. Wars are not won in single skirmishes nor are minds or hearts. Hopefully there is a tomorrow to dialogue again if we don t go nuclear and destroy any possibility. Finally, minds are often changed not by the logic of our dialogue but in the Christ-like manner in which we interact with those who disagree with our convictions. As we shall see, when it comes to dealing with the sojourner in the land, biblical convictions become difficult as they demand what seems, on the surface, conflicting responses. In short, biblical Christians can find much about which to disagree when it comes to this complicated immigration debate facing our nation today. This should humble even the most opinionated among us. 2. I will be moved by my compassion. Jesus gave this as a final decree to his disciples: A new commandment I give you: As I have loved you, you should love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another. (John 13:34&35) Surely Jesus loves spiritual wanderers who are sick of the poverty and famine of the Far Country, and have left looking for the goodness of a Father s House they do not yet know. These who are thirsty and hungry for righteousness they cannot find in themselves, often cross illegally over invisible borders into God s kingdom. They attend church, try to blend in, learn the language and sing the hymns of Zion. They even labor in the vineyard of the Lord. But, they have not yet been born again. They are undocumented spiritual aliens, in the visible kingdom of God illegally. But Jesus reaches out in grace, and changes their hearts (no fees, no penalties, no waiting list, no deportation, no jumping through bureaucratic hoops), and, because of his redemptive work, graciously offers them citizenship in his kingdom with the immediate rights and privileges. Having been loved this way by Jesus, we should love each other the same

6 way. We must hear the words of Old Testament prophets: Treat the sojourner among you with compassion, because you were once aliens in Egypt. This is a compassion that should inform our dialogue on this difficult tension between a Christian s call to obey the laws of the land while having compassion for those who have broken them through illegal immigration. This is the compassion that our children long to see in us. The surveys are in. The most dependable (recent Pew Research and Gallup Polls) show a striking generational gap on this issue. About 75% of millennials favor the current immigration reform bill before the congress (though most don t know what s in it). Some 70% of millennials favor complete amnesty and a pathway for citizenship for those undocumented aliens who have not committed serious crimes or pose a risk to our security. This number is 30% higher than that of Baby Boomers and those older. Of interest is the general opinion of the majority of millennials that tying amnesty to strengthening the borders is irrelevant because it s an impossible task anyway. A recent mass mailing from the organization Rock the Vote to members of Congress warns that legislators should vote for the current immigration reform bills if they want to stay in step with millennials (an implied threat that they will not only lose the Hispanic vote, but that of millennials too). Though immigration reform only ranks 16 th on the list of priorities of the general voting public, it ranks in the top five issues of millennial voters. This issue is more important to our children and grandchildren than it is to almost any other demographic other than Tea Party Conservatives. According to The Barna Research Group, this immigration issue is another reason church-raised millennials are dropping out of the church. Let s look again at two comments from Rachel Evan (expert in all things millennial) of CNN s Faith Blog: We want to be challenged about holiness, not only when it comes to sex, but when it comes to living simply, caring for the poor and oppressed, pursuing reconciliation, caring for our creation, and peacemaking. Millennials, raised in a media saturated society and powerfully

7 influenced by cultural and political progressives, are deeply moved by the compassion argument, particularly when it is linked to social justice for the poor and oppressed. For this reason, Jesus Christ has a high approval rating among millennials. Organized religion does not. Polls continually show that this issue of immigration reform is an area where millennials accuse conservative Evangelicals of putting monetary and security concerns ahead of biblical compassion. We want churches that emphasize allegiance to the kingdom of God, not a single political party or nation. Millennials also see opposition to immigration reform as another smoking gun proving that Evangelicals may have more affinity and allegiance to their American citizenship, and the patriotic preservation of this country, than to their heavenly citizenship and the advance of God s kingdom throughout the world. As one millennial put it to me: We are looking for integrity in the church where Christians identify with people of every tongue, tribe, and nation rather than American exceptionalism first. Ouch! If we are going to dialogue, we ought to reexamine and make sure our convictions are clearly biblical rather that nationalistic, and not false assumptions based on hearsay, sloppy research or bogus talking points. Though this study won t answer all our questions (and may even give birth to new ones), hopefully it will get us delving into the issue with more biblical depth and integrity. 1. The curse of fallen humanity is rootless wandering. After paradise was plunged into sin, we read about the first Adam: So the Lord God banished him from the Garden After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden cherubim with a flaming sword flashing back and forth to keep him from the tree of life. (Genesis 3:23&24) John Newton in his famous poem Paradise Lost, says that we are all wanderers somewhere between the paradise lost by the first Adam and the paradise yet to be brought by the Second Adam. We try to create our own paradise spurred on by utopian dreams, but none will suffice (not even the artificial Paradise called Naples). So we are doomed to wander in frustration, looking for a home that never really exists. Janet Joplin captures this in her poignantly sad song, Me and Bobby McGee One day up near Salinas, Lord, I let him slip away. He s looking for that home, and I hope he finds it. The Rolling Stones summed up the saga of Adam and Eve s children: I can t get no satisfaction, though I try, and I try, and I try

8 When Cain killed Abel, God proclaimed to him, You will now be a restless wanderer on the earth. Sin does that to us all. But redemption only makes it worse. The old African-American spiritual says it best: This world is not my home, I m just a passin through. I m looking for that home, somewhere beyond the blue. The angels beckon me from heaven s open door, and I can t feel at home in this world anymore. From Seth to Noah, that line of ten generations of faithful descendants of Adam and Eve were always aliens among the sons and daughters of men. After the flood, the descendants of Noah became a swarm of nomads on the move. (Genesis 11) Nimrod tried to hold them together by building the first Babylon with a ziggurat tower to plot the stars (turning to creation rather than the Creator of the stars). God put a stop to that nonsense by confusing them with new languages and scattering them over the earth. We need to understand that tribes, tongues, and nations are a consequence of disobedience. All borders are artificial. Tribalism, nationalism, and religious division is a necessary evil but evil nonetheless. God s covenant with Abraham (Genesis 12,15&17) prophecies a new kingdom in which the patriarch s great Son will bring people out of every tongue, tribe and nation. Paul identifies that Son as Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:16) He will knock down all the walls (and borders) that divide people from God and one another. (Ephesians 2:14) St. Paul says, Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God s people. (Ephesians 3:19) 2. We may dwell in various nations, but citizenship in them is secondary to our primary citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. Babylon, in its many reincarnations is always a counterfeit even the Babylon called America (though it may have many blessings from its Christian heritage). Babylon is a utopian attempt to recreate paradise lost, and is therefore doomed to fall short while it prospers and eventually fall altogether [even America will suffer this fate]. The division of nations in Genesis 11 prefigures the Day of Pentecost when peoples from languages and nations come together to hear the gospel through a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. Babylon divides tribes, languages, and nations; Pentecost unites people into a new Kingdom. In Christ, the curse of Babylon is lifted. At Armageddon, King Jesus will destroy all the nations who have drank the wine of the dream that was Babylon.

9 St. Paul is crystal clear: But our citizenship is in heaven, and we eagerly await a Savior from there (Philippians 3:20) When he became a fully devoted follower of Christ, St. Paul no longer saw his primary citizenship as Roman, or his identity as Jewish. Though I hold a U.S. passport, and get a lump in my throat whenever Old Glory passes by, I am more of a fellow-citizen with an undocumented alien who has bowed his knee to Christ than an American who does not know my Savior. This surely keeps me from using phrases like us and them when I look at people from other nations (especially those who are Christians or potential believers). 3. The Patriarchs were aliens and sojourners. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tents. Abraham was called out of his city state in southern ancient Iraq, and called to wander the rest of his life without a place to call home. He crossed the borders of Canaan and lived as an undocumented immigrant. Hebrews 11:13 says that Abraham and his immediate descendants saw themselves as strangers and foreigners on this earth. Hebrews 11:16 says, they were longing for a better country. Abraham was looking for a city not made with human hands, whose architect and builder is God. (Hebrews 11:10) This city is what St. Augustine called The City of God the Kingdom Jesus established that transcends all artificial borders dividing us from one another. 4. All believers are aliens and sojourners. Joseph was a foreigner in Egypt. Daniel was a foreigner in Babylon. Esther was a foreigner in Persia. Even though God used them mightily, they never forgot that their first allegiance was to the Kingdom of their LORD. Joseph was willing to go to prison, Daniel into a lion s den, and Esther into a king s bedroom to plead for God s people, even though he had the power to kill her for impertinence. Moses was a prince of Egypt, but Hebrews 11:24-27 says that he walked away from his identification with this Babylon on the Nile to identify with Christ and his people in their invisible kingdom. The sons of Jacob and their descendants spent 400 years as aliens without a land to call their own. St. James was beheaded because he refused to give his allegiance to King Herod Agrippa. St. Paul was beheaded and St. Peter was crucified because they refused to bow their knee to Caesar and declare their first allegiance to Rome. History is littered with the broken bodies of martyrs, from Greece to China, who followed their King rather than to submit to a lesser citizenship in a temporary Babylon. 5. Jesus was an alien in Egypt. Actually he was an outsider everywhere he went. John 1:11 says, He came to his own, and his own did not receive him. Mary, Joseph, and Jesus spent some

10 years as sojourners in Egypt. Though Jesus respected the leaders of ancient Israel, he refused to submit to their authority when they called him to deny his true heavenly citizenship. Though he let Rome put him on a cross, he refused to bow his knee to Pontius Pilate. Almost all of his disciples died in foreign lands as wandering evangelists, extending a kingdom without borders. When we understand who we are as Christians citizens of a kingdom without borders we might find ourselves to be less quick to define others in terms of us and them or we are citizens but they aren t. 6. God s people are called to exercise a special compassion toward the sojourner, remembering that we too have been (and, until Jesus comes, will continue to be) sojourners on this earth. Leviticus 19:33&34 When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them. The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God. Exodus 22:21 Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 27:19 Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner. Ezekiel 47:22 You are to allot it (the land God gives his people) as an inheritance for yourselves and for the foreigners residing among you and who have children. You are to consider them native-born Israelites: along with you they are to be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. Jeremiah 7:6 do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow Zechariah 7:9&10 This is what the LORD Almighty says: Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner and the poor These are just a few verses that show conclusively that the only nation God ever established on this earth was given laws that were more liberally compassionate toward the sojourner than are the immigration laws of most nations today including those of the U.S. 7. Jesus says that the proof of the reality of our faith is in the way we treat sojourners. In Matthew 25 he tells how he will separate the sheep and the goats on Judgment Day. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me. I

11 was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me. Matthew 25:35&36 The Greek word for stranger is the word for foreigner, alien, immigrant, or sojourner. It is often a word used to describe a wandering or rootless person who has no home. Jesus says that when we invite this person into our home and life, we are embracing Jesus. Jesus chooses to identify with the immigrant. This is a grave warning: we should make our decisions on how to respond to the sojourner as if that person were Jesus. [Unless, of course, he or she is a predator out to harm us, our children, or our neighbors. Then we have a Christian duty to defend those we love.] St. Paul writes that the elders should be given to hospitality (1 Timothy 3:2) The Greek word for hospitality is a combination of two words: xeno (foreigner or alien) and phileos (brotherly love). From the word xeno we get our word xenophobic, or fear of foreigners. St. Paul is saying that those who are most mature (elders) will love foreigners as if they were brothers. He carries on the Jewish Old Testament concept of special treatment of sojourners. Hebrews 13:2 says, Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it. Again, the same word for hospitality is used (xenophilios). The word for strangers is the same word Jesus uses in Matthew 25 for the foreigner or alien. This is a startling point: Jesus identifies with the sojourner and sometimes sojourners are actually angels in disguise (most likely they are undocumented too). We have an obligation to factor these biblical principles and commands into the mix of our convictions on this issue of immigrants (documented or undocumented) and the immigration reform question before the United States today. They do not solve all the problems, but they should give us a much more humble and compassionate attitude which goes a long way in the dialogue with our children and grandchildren not to speak of our own walk with the LORD who has laid them out in Scripture. If all biblical questions were so easy and evident, there would be no debate, or need for dialogue. But, after all the above biblical principles there is that statement by Jesus: Render unto Caesar what is Caesar s (Mark 12:17) Though our primary citizenship does not first belong to any nation of this earth, we are still under the rules of the nations in which we live this side of heaven. As long as

12 the governing authorities (established by God) do not call us to disobey our God ( and render unto God what is God s. ), we must obey those rules established by the civil princes. Therefore it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience. Romans 13:5 St. Paul is writing to Christians under one of the most totalitarian states that ever existed (Rome) and a mad emperor to boot (Nero). And, yet, wherever possible they were to obey the rule of law, even as matter of good conscience. [whenever those laws do not violate the laws of God] Submit yourselves for the Lord s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right I Peter 2:13 It would seem, when it comes to laws of the civil state regarding immigration, we must obey them. It is appropriate to use the term illegal immigration. But, at the same time, we are privileged, in our secondary citizenship as U.S. citizens, to participate in shaping and changing immigration laws we deem unjust in the arena of public debate and through the electoral process. It is one of our privileges, rights, and even responsibility in a democratic republic. As Christians, we have an even bigger responsibility to bring biblical convictions into the public arena and engage the electoral process to effect changes that glorify our Lord Jesus Christ and bring public good. Social justice toward the widow, fatherless, oppressed, and immigrant makes a nation superior and her citizens better for it. This truly brings the patriotism of our heavenly citizenship into synergy with patriotism to our secondary U.S. citizenship. Often it is our anger, hostility, appearance of arrogance, and even ignorance of the facts (often fueled by talking heads with talking points designed to polarize people and drive up media ratings, as well as politicians who appeal to our worst instincts to win votes) that cause Evangelical conservatives to be less than attractive to the watching world. Here is a short primer that might at least bring some light and drive down the temperatures a little: When it comes to laws, crime, and punishment there are two terms used in our system of laws (the definitions are provided by one of

13 America s best young immigration attorneys, Rachael Petterson, Esq. of a leading Washington D.C. immigration law firm): 1. Crimes that are Malum In Se literally from the Latin, Bad in themselves. These would include obvious crimes like murder, rape, stealing, extortion, and almost all felonies. 2. Crimes that are Malum prohibitum (plural mala prohibita, literal translation: "wrong [as or because] prohibited") is a Latin phrase used in law to refer to conduct that constitutes an unlawful act only by virtue of statute, as opposed to conduct evil in and of itself, or malum in se. Malum prohibitum are violations of statues that the state has set (at least in principle) for its security and the good of its citizens: speed limits, seat belt laws, drug laws, tax laws, etc. If you are ticketed for going over the speed limit you are guilty of a mala prohibita. If you steal across a border to live and work without legal status within another nation, you are guilty of a mala prohibita. If you knowingly hire undocumented aliens to work for you, you are guilty of malum prohibitum. It s important to understand that this is not malum in se. It is at this point that the moral and ethical dilemmas arise. Two weeks ago, the daughter of this syllabus author was in stress. Labor contractions were coming quickly. Her unborn child was two months premature, and in a breech position. If the baby entered the birth canal, things would get critical. Her husband, a Naval Seal Commander, knew how to deal decisively with such situations. He drove several miles over the speed limit, through stop signs and red lights to get his wife and unborn child to the emergency room of their hospital, normally a 25 minute drive away. He didn t just commit a single mala prohibita; he was guilty of malum prohibitum at the midnight hour. If he had to do it over again, he would do it in a New York minute. Here s the question: Would you do the same thing, if your spouse and unborn child were in the same situation? The answer is probably yes. It would be quite another matter if you were forced to choose between a mala in se and the life of your family. But it would be an easy choice if it were a mala prohibita. Now, take the issue up a notch. Suppose you lived in a country where your life was in imminent danger from death squads or totalitarian threats? Or suppose your family was in the throes of famine or medical emergency? On the other side of the border from your land of famine, there is a land of plenty. To cross that border, you will render yourself mala prohibita. Over the next

14 several years of living and working illegally (and maybe availing yourself to entitlements allowed only its citizens) you would work up a ticket book full of malum prohibitum. Would you do it if you perceived yourself or your family to be in dire straits? Certainly, Abraham took that chance when he went down to Egypt during a famine in Canaan. So did Jacob s sons when they went to Egypt to find food. Joseph, Mary, and their toddler Jesus crossed the borders of Egypt to escape a death squad. At this point, as an armchair hypothetical immigrant living in the land of plenty (especially if you want to protect your good life from foreign encroachment) you might say, No, I would not. I would go through the proper channels and do this legally. And you would be right if your situation weren t dire or time sensitive. Now consider the brutal facts of U.S. immigration. 1. The arbitrary nature of the System. Article 1, Section 8, Clause 4 of the U.S. Constitution gives Congress the power to establish uniform laws of naturalization. The first law passed was The Naturalization Law of It had four requirements for citizenship: 1) Two years residency. 2) Notice to apply a year in advance. 3) Must be a free white person. 4) Must be a person of good moral character. It wasn t until 1870, almost a century later, that the requirement to be white was struck as a citizenship requirement. It wasn t until 1846 in the 14 th Amendment that children of noncitizens born here were accorded citizenship status. The laws of immigration have been arbitrary, ever changing, subject to racial and social prejudices, changing national interests, and political maneuvering. In the 1840s laws were passed to stop the flow of Irish immigrants because of the political pressure applied by hostile Protestant leagues. In 1870, after much political pressure, African Americans were finally given citizenship (more than five years after their emancipation). In 1882, the U.S. Congress passed The Asian Exclusion Act banning Asians from entering America, or those here owning property or gaining citizenship, because there was a national hysteria over what newspapers called The Yellow Peril. In 1924 The National Origins Formula was enacted by Congress to stop the influx of Southern and Eastern Europeans (the real aim was to limit the influx of Italians and Jews). This is only a small example of hundreds of disturbing statutes. National interests and the mood of the voter also make the system fluid and ever-changing. After Castro took over Cuba, Cubans went to the head of the immigration lines. A Cuban who comes to America illegally by boat has a vastly better chance of legal status

15 than any other Latin American crossing the Mexican border. (Had a right wing dictator, rather than a Communist one taken over Cuba, this might well have looked different). After the Vietnam War, those Southeastern Asian tribal peoples who assisted the U.S. army were given preferential treatment not available to other Asians. After September 11 th, Muslims from Middle Eastern Countries went to the back of the line. 2. The inefficiency and backlog of the system. Hundreds of thousands of applications for visas are backlogged in terms of decades. For example, if a Filipino American applied to have a relative come to the U.S. as a legal resident in 1983, his application would just now be processed. In short, someone in dire circumstances, especially in a country that is not in good standing with America, might wait years to get through the legal system. 3. The Cost of the System. There are extensive processing fees to gain a visa (not only fees charged by the U.S. government, but those charged by the country of origin). The cost of getting a green card that allows you to work in America is more than $1,000. To file for citizenship is more than $700. Multiply this by the number of family members, if a whole family is applying. This does not include ancillary costs of language classes, tutoring, lawyers, etc. Remember too, the immigration system is not funded by our tax dollars, but by the fees and penalties paid by immigrants so costs to them are spiraling. On the other hand, if the alien takes the risk of crossing the border, Coyotes (guides who promise to get them across) charge thousands of dollars and often let them die in the desert, or sell them to sex traffickers. To cross over into Mexico first, subjects Central Americans to hellish dangers. Once in America, especially women are subject to the sexual advances of supervisors or bosses who turn them in to the Immigration Control Authorities if they don t submit. Immigrants are often exploited by those who hire them. They are despised by many Americans. Often their families back home fall apart, and, in their loneliness many start new families in America (ultimately abandoning their families back home). But, because they are here illegally, they cannot get a marriage license here without exposing themselves. So people just live together, and the strong family values of Latin American culture are corrupted. Because one cannot come back into the country legally for ten years if they entered this country illegally, many immigrants do not return home again. The sociological unraveling is tragic. Either way, the costs are heavy. When we are tempted to get angry, and pontificate on how easy the undocumented immigrant has it, we ought to remember the high

16 costs of immigration for American citizens (as well as foreigners who are here illegally), and allow that to fill us with compassion and an urgency to work for change that is equitable and makes provision for a better future for the next generation in our nation. 4. The corruption of the system. Money greases the wheel, even in our immigration system. If one applying for a Visa can show a significant savings in a bank back home, chances of getting legal entrance are better (as the likelihood of their return is higher). If one has the cash to start or invest in a business in America, the chances of getting a Visa are much higher. If one has the money to hire the best lawyers, the chances go up dramatically. Certainly money is needed to pay the hefty fees involved in legal immigration. This, of course, eliminates those in the most dire circumstances. Thus, the illegal border crossing! Of course, after considering all the above, we must still say that we are a nation of laws. Statutes even malum prohibitum are necessary for government. Otherwise we degenerate into anarchy. The fact that laws are difficult, unevenly applied, or even passed with the wrong motives, doesn t negate their necessity or justify disobedience. We have a system that allows us to change statutes for the better benefit of all parties. It is obvious that any solution to the present mass of illegal immigrants in America has to address the border security issues, and other inequities and inefficiencies in the immigration system that have led to the current problem. (It should be noted that the Obama administration has deported significantly more undocumented aliens than did either the Bush or Clinton administrations. But that has not stemmed the flow of illegal immigration as much as the economic downturn in America.) However, the above considerations ought to make us empathetic and even compassionate in our response to a horrifically difficult mess in which this country finds itself when it comes to illegal immigration. Again, with conviction and compassion. Christ has given us our marching orders. We have taken a careful look at a surprisingly-large amount of biblical commands and principles about the sojourner among us (and even ourselves as sojourners). We have not exhausted the biblical passages on this subject. But we must listen more to Scripture than radio talk show hosts or media sound bites. We must also educate ourselves more deeply than just listening to those folks whose talking points bolster our prejudices. Having said

17 this, the author of this study offers his talking points for consideration, with the hope that it will spur greater study, reflection, and dialogue with integrity. 1. Live with biblical, not cultural convictions. You are a citizen of heaven, and your King has told you clearly how to respond to others, and most specifically the sojourner in your midst. Respond with humility. We often have a pride in American exceptionalism (and certainly this has been a great nation that has done much good for many) that causes us to miss some salient historical facts. The southern border we protect is there because immigrants from West Virginia, Tennessee and other states went into the northern states of the sovereign nation of Mexico, and were given great tracts of land in exchange for Mexican citizenship and a promise to remain loyal to Mexico. Many of these armed immigrants did seize Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, and parts of Colorado from the Mexican and Spanish governments. A doctrine of Manifest Destiny caused the U.S. government to give their approval, and eventually these lands that were seized became part of the United States. We can t change history, nor will the U.S. give back those lands. But there should be some sense of humility in response to people crossing our borders. Like the ancient Israelites, we must remember that we were once immigrants ourselves. Even when we say, Our ancestors came here the right way, we must be careful to realize that they had no other option. Had Italy, Eastern Europe, Lebanon, etc. been affixed to the southern or northern borders of the U.S., or the possibility of entering through a thousand ports hidden on modern transportation, would they have done so? We should also remember that the entrance requirements, as well as the citizenship path, was much less draconian in earlier days (if you were, of course, the right color, religion, or national origin.) We need to be educated. Have we read, in fact, the current immigration reform legislation before the congress? This author was shocked to discover that it didn t seem to say what many of the talking heads and politicians are saying, or what he has heard people say in their heated discussion. We need to be involved in changing the system wherever it is dangerous to the interests of the next generation or lacking in social justice. Christians can t sit on the sidelines on this or any other issue. We need to vote our biblical principles.

18 We need to treat the immigrants among us (even those undocumented) the way we would treat Christ or an angel unawares. Biblical hospitality is defined in terms of the sojourner among us. It is also the definition of our very Christianity by our King Jesus. We must never exploit the immigrant s situation for our own gain. The Scriptures are clear that this is a mala in se in God s kingdom (and should be in the U.S. too). We must reach out to them in mercy. The Scripture calls us to go into all the nations to evangelize people of every tongue, tribe, and country. We should rejoice that the world has come to America. We can do world evangelism in our own backyard, and we should. That s why Covenant Church of Naples / PCA is committed to church planting among the immigrants of Southwest, Florida, including welcoming immigrants (undocumented too) into our loving family. We must be involved in missions in the countries where immigrants flee because of famine, poverty or abuse. That s why the Covenant family is particularly involved in Central America in building churches and assisting educational institutions and the development of works to help improve living conditions. People won t cross our borders if things are better in their own countries of origin. We must teach our children to be people of conviction and compassion. Letting them be involved in ministries to the sojourners in our land develops Christ-like character. We must not break the laws of the land in our businesses or church. The laws of the land do not require us to turn in undocumented workers, or to give charity, or to evangelize, or to show hospitality. They do not allow us to knowingly hire undocumented immigrants and avoid the taxes, and other requirements involved in hiring and employment practices. We cannot be involved in helping undocumented immigrants come into our country illegally or through fraud, or to stay in the country through the same means. Surely, there are other implications, but this list is not meant to be exhaustive. You may add your own applications. It is our hope that this study will make you better able to dialogue and act in accordance with biblical convictions and Christ-like compassion.