Discover more from Think Christianly, Live Faithfully
Last week, the evangelical humanitarian ministry World Relief published an open letter to the major-party presidential and vice presidential candidates. I was happy to sign the open letter, along with over other 200 evangelicals from all 50 states. I signed on for three reasons.
First, I’m troubled by much of the rhetoric in the public square related to immigrants and refugees. Too often this rhetoric is reinforced by misinformation that is perpetuated through social media. As a follower of King Jesus, and as a believer who takes seriously the inspiration and authority of Scripture, I’m concerned that at least some of that rhetoric seems to be driven by unfounded or exaggerated fears, racial prejudice, and partisan posturing, all of which combine to undermine the human dignity of immigrants and refugees.
Second, I believe that too little overtly biblical reasoning has been brought to bear on this issue, even though nearly everyone agrees (albeit for various reasons) that immigration is among the most pressing socio-ethical issues in the world today. To be clear, I believe committed Christians can come to differing conclusions. Even when we agree on biblical principles, there is room for debate about how best to apply those principles to specific questions of policy.
My larger concern is for Christians not to be swayed by misinformation or merely partisan concerns. Evangelicals are rightly concerned about doctrinal orthodoxy and ethical faithfulness. As such, we should be just as intentional in how we apply the Bible and the best insights of the Christian intellectual tradition to immigration and refugees as we are when we address other important social issues such as abortion, human sexuality, marriage, and religious freedom.
Finally, I resonate with the three core principles articulated in the letter. They reflect my own understanding of the relevant biblical texts related to this topic, the wider ethical principles found in Scripture, and the prudential matters that are being debated in our society. They also overlap considerably with the consensus stated by the Southern Baptist Convention in resolutions we adopted in 2011, 2016, 2018, and 2023. Those three core principles are:
Evangelical Christians believe that immigrants, like all human beings, are made in the image of God and have innate dignity (Genesis 1:27)
Evangelicals want secure and orderly borders
Evangelical Christians oppose immigration policies that separate families
I would encourage you to read the entire open letter and the accompanying press release from World Relief. If you are interested in further reading on this topic, I’d recommend Brad Littlejohn’s recent opinion column “Rethinking Immigration,” Dan Darling’s blog post “7 Principles to Help Christians Navigate the Immigration Debate,” and the excellent book Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate, co-authored by Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang.
Writing Update
This week, I finished a journal article on Carl. F. H. Henry’s views on religious liberty. While Henry isn’t normally considered to be a leading advocate for religious liberty, he wrote on the topic off and on during his long career. In the 1980s and 1990s, religious freedom became a recurring theme in Henry’s speeches and articles. The backdrop for his arguments included the threat of totalitarian atheism and despotic forms of religion abroad, and concerns about ascendant secular humanism and advancing neo-paganism in the United States. Lord willing, the essay will be published in the fall 2024 issue of the Southwestern Journal of Theology. I will also present the material at the upcoming annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society in November.
Christ and Culture Podcast
This week, I also discussed the headlines with Benjamin Quinn and Dan Darling for the Christ and Culture Podcast. This is a new recurring gig each month, hosted by the Center for Faith and Culture at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary. This month, our friend Kristin Kellen also joined us for the conversation. We discussed Helene and its aftermath, the one-year anniversary of the conflict in the Middle East, the recent employment numbers from the Biden Administration, the upcoming presidential election, and of course our sports hot-takes. Don’t count the Georgia Bulldogs out just yet. There is a lot of college football season left, then the new 12-team playoff format.
Subscribe to Think Christianly, Live Faithfully
Equipping believers to think rightly about God and his Word for the sake of living rightly before God in his world.