Last fall, Dr. Paul Louis Metzger was invited to speak at Multnomah’s undergraduate chapel on the subject of lifestyle evangelism. Listen in!
Illegal Questions, Part I
This piece was originally published at Patheos on April 9, 2013.
Many people respond to questions about undocumented immigrants by saying that they must be deported if the law says so: always obey the law—no questions asked. But what if the law were to be changed to say that all people should be let into our country–no questions asked? Or what about if it were changed to not allow any immigration at all?
Hopefully, those who say under the current system that undocumented immigrants must be deported, no questions asked, would adhere with the same consistency to each of these alternative rulings (that is, no one should be deported or no one let in): the law is the law. If they balk at the new law and say we should disobey it by deporting or roadblocking immigrants or sneaking immigrants in, they would be inconsistent. But why are they inconsistent? Is their adherence to the current law based more on prejudice or lack of personal or profitable connection to the people in question than principle?
Then there are those who only favor breaking the current law for how it benefits them and/or their community economically. What kind of justice is that? All people, including those who come here illegally, have inalienable rights as humans; their value should never be based on their presumed profitability. There are laws whose merit transcend market value and societal peace, among other things.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. told his fellow clergy from his Birmingham jail cell that an unjust law is no law at all. They pointed the finger at him for disturbing the peace, but for King, it was an unjust peace he was disturbing. There are laws, and then there are laws. We who are Christians must always be true to what we believe are the highest laws: those that confirm the Golden Rule (Matthew 7:12) and Great Commandments (Mark 12:30-31)–regardless of the consequences, no questions asked.
Thinking About Immigration: Evangelicals are “a game changer”
In a time when Evangelicals sometimes have a reputation for religious bigotry, it’s great to see articles like this. In it, Sen. Marco Rubio is quoted as saying, “Evangelical groups [help] us to see [immigration] not only as a statistical [issue], but also as a human one — and that’s a great contribution.” And Sen. Lindsey Graham describes the Evangelical support rallying around his work for immigration reform as “a game changer”. Encouraging stuff. Read on to see how Evangelicals are being viewed as a key constituency pushing immigration reform forward.
Thinking About Immigration: why “illegal” is problematic
If you’ve been following the immigration debate for any time, you may be unsure of what language to use. Illegal immigrants? Undocumented worker? Pramila Jayapal writes of the harm that “illegal” language causes.
If you liked what Ms. Jayapal had to say, you may be interested in hearing her discuss the importance of migration to all countries in her TEDx talk.
Thinking About Immigration: reflections from a student leader, pt. 2
Earlier this week, we introduced you to a series of blog posts by a New Wine student leader reflecting on immigration reform. In his second post on this topic, he says,
Last week I read an article in the Washington Post- On Faith section by Lisa Miller called “The biblical case for immigration reform” and a section really caught my attention.
“Immigration is the most dramatic of American narratives. It involves hardship and persecution, and then — finally — relief and the opportunity to start again. When we put our hands over our hearts to pledge allegiance to the flag, we remember the people whose struggles gave us everything.”
For me, this section highlighted the point “to talk story” that I have been learning this year through my involvement with New Wine, New Wineskins at Multnomah Biblical Seminary. In “talking story” we learn to value the culture, experiences, and beliefs of others through listening and sharing together dialogically in a group or one-on-one setting. My friend Brandon, from Hawaii, has been very influential in teaching me this.