June 20, 2018

Don’t Twist God’s Words

Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. – Romans 13:1

Attorney General Jeff Sessions used the Bible, quoting the Apostle Paul, to justify the Trump Administration’s policy to separate children from their parents as these desperate people cross the border asking for help and a better life. Shame on him!

Should the world have remained silent while Hitler slaughtered Jews? Should Colonial American have remained attached to Great Britain instead of fighting to create this country? Should Daniel have stopped praying because the king ordered that no one pray to anyone but him? That’s exactly the logic Sessions uses in his comments.

It creates horrific injustice when someone takes the Bible out of context and uses His Word to justify their own cruelty. Most people don’t know the Bible well enough to understand the context of this passage.

Paul was writing to a very specific audience: Roman Christians. He was urging them to obey Roman law and pay their taxes. Nero was on the throne. He was truly an evil king. But the Romans were afraid the Christians would rise up in rebellion. Paul’s words encouraged the Roman Christians to get along with others and, as Jesus noted in His ministry, give to Caesar what belonged to Caesar.

Paul also talks a great deal about loving others.

Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. – Romans 13:10

Are we loving others when we separate parents from their children? Are they criminals for trying to enter our country through legal channels? Why are we traumatizing young children, who are screaming out for their mothers? When did we become a nation who believes this is right?

And to say it’s from God?! It defies everything God is. John tells us that God is love. This is nothing from God. This is horrific behavior from a government that has come to believe it can do anything without fear of repercussions.

In the Book of Acts, Jewish leaders commanded that Peter and John stop speaking and teaching in the name of Jesus. They refused.

But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” – Acts 4:19-20

Later, they were warned again by authorities.

Peter and the other apostles replied: “We must obey God rather than human beings!” – Acts 5:29

Yes, we must make sure that those wishing to enter our country do so legally. But we must also extend compassion and kindness to those who have journeyed far, sacrificed much, with great hope in their hearts. They are desperate for what most of us received by mere chance of birth. We shouldn’t think ourselves better than we are because of that.

We must also remember the words from Leviticus.

“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.” – Leviticus 19:34

There’s that word again. Love. Jesus said the greatest commandment was to love the LORD our God and then to love others as ourselves. There is no love in the actions of Sessions and others. No one is above God’s law, including them.

This is not a debate among Republicans and Democrats, no matter how they may try and position it. This is matter of following God’s law before a policy set by man. It’s past time Christians rose up and said no more. Obey God’s law before man’s.

April 19, 2016

Stop Pointing Fingers

"If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." -- Mark 3:25

For those who haven’t noticed, we’re having a fairly heated presidential race in this country. It’s particularly interesting to see Republicans -- typically the “Christian” party -- struggle. They may be about to have a candidate that doesn’t meet their standards. Oops!

It’s funny how that happens. When they were so busy fighting, with a gazillion candidates vying to be the one, another man stepped to the front of the line. By the time they realized it, well, it might be too late.

It’s what happens when a house is so focused on defeating itself that it’s not paying attention. Like us. Christians.

We’re good at fighting amongst ourselves. One of our biggest battles: Do you sprinkle or dunk when you baptize? Like it really matters. Because it doesn’t. What matters is the heart. Is your heart focused on Jesus or on rules?

Other issues -- serious issues -- divide us. Abortion. The death penalty. Homosexuality. All controversial issues. And when we are fighting over these issues we forget that we are to love one another. When we are disagreeing, we forget that we are all sinners and should love the person regardless of the sin.

It’s amazing that others -- those who aren’t Christians even though they may check that box -- can say what we don’t believe in. But they can’t always say what we do believe in. Sad that we are known for hate and polarization rather than for love and compassion.

We forget that as we are shaking our judgmental fingers at the unemployed, that it could be us one day. We assume laziness without ever knowing the story. Another judgment we aren’t qualified to make.

We’d send all the immigrants back. Did they break the law? Some did. Was that right? Absolutely not. Were our ancestors once immigrants? Unless you are full-blood American Indian, yes. Where is our compassion? It sure isn’t evident, even though the Bible tells us to remember that we once were strangers in a strange land.

As Christians, we are to be Jesus to a hurting world. We’re not. We are hard-nosed hypocrites so caught up in our own opinions that we can’t offer the love and compassion Jesus freely offers us. Then we wonder why our nation has fallen away from what we claim are our core values.

Yes, we need to pray for our nation. And we need to stop pointing fingers and change ourselves to be more like Jesus, trusting Him to take care of the rest.

Monday, August 16, 2010

We All Belong to God

"Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter -- when you see the naked, to clothe him, and not to turn away from our own flesh and blood? Then your light will break forth like the dawn, and your healing will quickly disappear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard." -- Isaiah 58:7-8

Immigration has always been one of those button topics. You know the kind I mean. Someone mentions immigration and, suddenly, there's a heated debate among otherwise cordial people. Arizona's new law has only made it worse.

I have a split personality on the issue. There's that very human part of me that supports enforcing immigration laws equally. We shouldn't have one set of laws for people immigrating from Europe or Russian or just about anyplace else and have separate immigration laws for Mexicans who cross the border illegally. It's not right. It's not fair. And, frankly, it costs taxpayers a great deal of money in benefits for people who shouldn't be here in the first place.

Then there's that other side of me that understands God didn't create borders. He doesn't recognize them any more than He favors one skin color over another. The whole world belongs to Him and all people who inhabite the earth are His. We may choose between accepting Jesus' gift or not, but we're God's children regardless.

So, who are we, prejudiced people that we are, to keep people out who are only trying to find a better life? Who are we to turn people away instead of welcoming them and showing them the love of Jesus that lives in us? Who are we to decide who is worthy to hear God's message and who should be cast aside for failing to measure up?

It's like we see ourselves as somehow superior when it is only by Grace that we were born in the United States rather than somewhere else. God chose this land for us. He chose us to care for it -- and to care for others. How can anyone see God's light when we are busily shoving them out of our way?

I don't have any answers to the immigration debate that rages on but I do know God has called us to care for people -- no matter where they are born. We are called to do it regardless of whether it's convenient or costly or even something we want to do. All people are part of us. We're all flesh and blood, born of dust. We forget that sometimes as we focus on our own families and friends. And, you know, it's amazing how God works. The more we care for others, the more we give and accept and reach out, the more God blesses us in return.