Immigration & Equality

“Christianity has been since its infancy a universal religion, one with global aspirations” (Beckwith, pg. 51). Genesis 12:1-3 demonstrates the missionary heart of God, not merely to create one homogenous nation of Hebrews, but to use that nation to bless all the nations. This happened through the person of Jesus Christ, the seed of Abraham. In the Gospel, the love of God extends to every ethnic group on the planet, and Christ will not return until every people group has had a chance to hear the truth (Matthew 24:14). Since God loves the nations, His children must love the nations. That is a Biblical backdrop for the equality of all peoples and the fair treatment of individuals and nations. Human rights, international genocide, and any sort of terror inflicted on anyone matters to the Church because it destroys men and women made in the image of God. The Church should care about people fleeing to the United States for protection, freedom, and justice. There must be firm policies and laws that protect its own citizens as a central priority, while demonstrating compassion over comfort, and operating in faith rather than fear. From God’s command to His Old Testament people (Lev 19:34; Is 56:6), to His New Testament injunctions to show hospitality to strangers (Heb 13:2), we are never to push away those in need. We were strangers and aliens, and now are fellow citizens (Eph 2:19). This should drive our Gospel perspective.

* Excerpts from a “Gospel & Culture: Politics” paper I wrote to help us better understand how to “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” (Mark 12:17).