Tag: The Conscience of the Nation

Trump Voters and Law-Abiding Refugees: A Question of Conscience

Voters who cast their ballots for Trump had two main goals they wanted him to implement:

  1. Fix the economy by reducing the prices of food, housing and gasoline; and
  2. Close the border to undocumented immigrants.

They did not want cruel punishment applied to law-abiding people. In this post, I raise my voice on behalf of refugees who are suffering that cruelty. I ask you to do the same.

The facts

Last week, the Trump administration issued a memo ordering a freeze on federal grants and loans to organizations like USAID. This stopped funding that involves trillions of dollars and thousands of organizations. Within a day, a federal judge put a pause on the freeze. Then, Trump rescinded the freeze (giving the impression that the freeze was illegal, or at least not thought out very carefully). Supposedly, funding would resume immediately. This has not happened, and the consequences are truly tragic both locally and around the world.

I would like to concentrate here on refugees in the area of Chicago. All people, including refugees and other immigrants, are made in God’s image and deserve to be treated with respect. Nevertheless, refugees have a special legal status. They usually face persecution in their home countries or their lives are in   serious danger. They apply for legal status to emigrate to another country. They are thoroughly vetted at many different levels before they are admitted to our nation or other countries. Upon entering our country, we want them to adapt well, put down roots, get a job and contribute to the well-being of our society. Private organizations and our government join together in accompanying them in this process of adaptation. Our federal government has committed to provide registered refugees essential food, housing, and medical services for the first ninety days of their time in the United States. World Relief is a highly respected Christian humanitarian organization that has served refugees for many decades.

World Relief Chicagoland has ministered to legal refugees since 1979. Churches that I have participated in have partnered with World Relief on several occasions. I vouch for their integrity and effective service. Currently, they are serving 387 refugees who are in their ninety-day adaptation period. Government funding has been frozen and the impact is devastating. These refugees are in real danger of not having enough food. They don’t have rent money and might become homeless during Chicago’s cold winter. Needed medical attention will not be provided. Promises were made to these refugees, and our promises to them are not being kept.

Our Response

There is an immediate financial need. Individuals, churches and other groups should provide financial assistance to World Relief or similar humanitarian organizations.

But there is an even more important response to this cruelty. I invite my readers, especially those who voted for Trump, to repudiate this funding freeze. Write to your senators and congressional representatives and urge them to restore funding immediately. At times, Trump can be smart. He is not smart on this issue. His freeze order on federal funds and grants is cruel.

Martin Luther King, Civil Disobedience and the Bible

Today we have a federal holiday to honor the life and service of Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr.  He became known around the world for his defense of civil rights. He was a strong example of producing social change through non-violent means. Although he had flaws like all of us, there is much too learn from his life.

In this writing I would like to comment on another aspect of his life: civil disobedience. I believe that citizens generally should obey the laws of their country. Although most laws have been established for the common good of people, on some occasions, laws or commands by authorities are so morally wrong that they need to be disobeyed. Civil disobedience is not an easy decision. It requires courage and a willingness to be arrested and to accept the punishment.

In this regard, Martin Luther King had a specific word for Christians. He said, “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state.” Christians look to Scripture for guidance whether it be the establishment of just laws or the occasional need to disobey unjust laws. It might come as a surprise to some readers, but civil disobedience appears frequently in the Bible. Three passages will suffice to illustrate the most important principles.

In the Book of Acts, the early Christians were turning the world upside down through their preaching and practice of the gospel. The religious authorities of the Sanhedrin did not like the changes that were occurring and prohibited the apostles from sharing the gospel. Nevertheless, the early followers of Jesus continued their evangelism. Peter and the other apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than human beings! (Acts 5:29). Here is the clear principle: When human rules violate God´s laws, believers need to obey God, the highest authority. Our allegiance to family, political party, or nation must always be limited and conditioned by our obedience to God.

A clear example of civil disobedience in the Old Testament took place when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt. The Pharaoh was oppressing the Hebrews and feared their numerical growth. He then ordered the two Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, to kill the baby boys immediately after they were born. This command to murder the baby boys clearly was against God´s teaching. What would these two women do? Scripture tells us that ¨the midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live” (Exodus 1:17). The ethical principle is obvious: the taking of innocent life is wrong. Believers must obey God rather than dictatorial rulers. Shiphrah and Puah are my heroines.

Earlier this month, Christians celebrated the visit of the Magi to baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem. In their search for the Messiah, the Magi came across King Herod in Jerusalem. Herod was alarmed at the news of a newborn King of the Jews, and told them, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” This was a lie. After they found and worshipped Jesus, the Magi were told by God to not return to Herod (Matthew 2:7-12). The lesson to be learned is that people need to exercise a healthy dose of suspicion and discernment to avoid becoming accomplices in the sins of unjust rulers.

Let us strive to contribute to the conscience of our world through our word and our actions!