Here are some of my thoughts that I believe deserve careful consideration as we seek God’s heart and mind concerning where we American Christians come down regarding the current refugee crisis in Europe and the Middle East:
1) There is a difference between the call of Christians to individually and compassionately live out our faith, on the one hand, and the God-ordained role of a national government to function for the welfare and protection of the citizens it serves, on the other. The rights and freedoms we have as American Christians to live out our faith and freely proclaim the gospel largely depend on our having a nation and government willing to defend and fight for those rights.
2) As individual Christians we may show love and humility to our enemies by turning the other cheek and offering ourselves to be killed rather than to kill; however, to expect the national government to operate in a way that disregards the welfare and safety if its citizens is misguided.
3) A recent quote from a Republican presidential candidate (I forget which one said it): “Immigration that does not include integration is not immigration, it’s invasion.”
4) A Facebook quote I read this morning, regarding the small percentage of likely terrorists among the hundreds of thousands of Muslims seeking to immigrate into Europe and the United States: “If someone gave you ten grapes and told you, ‘nine of these grapes are perfectly good to eat; but one of them is deadly poisonous, and it will certainly kill you’, would you eat any of them?”
Granted, there are some major issues inherent in discussing the proper position Christians should hold regarding the dire refugee problems in the world right now. My offering these “Thoughts to Consider” doesn’t represent a decisive stance at this point on my part, but presents some thoughts that clearly need to be in the mix as we seek the mind of Christ, both as Christians (citizens of God’s kingdom) and as citizens of the United States.