he Quote Below—More Misinformation from the Media
“Harrowing images from the Kabul airport have highlighted the desperation and fear of citizens who, for a variety of reasons, are trying to escape the Taliban. Previously, America was the country that many refugees looked to for help and safety. At least symbolically we have long been a beacon to the world’s less fortunate. Now things are changing. Hardline evangelical Republicans who voted for former President Trump are the group less likely not to want immigrants and refugees coming to the U.S.
“According to a survey last year from the Public Religion Institute, white evangelical Christians were most likely [to] believe [that] immigrants threaten American culture and values. . . .Instead of ‘give us your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to be free,” some Americans are telling them to get lost. . . . Issues liked immigration have shown how some white evangelicals have started to turn inward, rejecting immigration and refugee resettlement. This hardening of hearts was encouraged by the Trump Administration. Now it is affecting policy at a crucial moment for America’s perceived moral standing around the world.
“This is in contradiction to the Bible’s admonition in Matthew 25 to welcome the stranger. Instead a popular strategy is to make sure immigrants are seen as the enemy. . . . But it is a complex issue, with multiple schools of thought within the Christian community. Take the letter sent by the Evangelical Immigration Table, a “broad coalition of evangelical organizations . . . advocating for immigration reform and biblical values.’ . . . [It] called the U.S, government’s commitment to those who qualify for the Afghan Special Immigrant Visa program a matter of ‘moral urgency.”. . . – The Bible Is Clear on Afghan refugees. Evangelical Christians? Not so Much, Anthea Butler, MSBC, 8/23/21 [Link]
Fact Check of Above Quote: The author maintains that many “white Christians” go against the Bible when they oppose mass immigration. To support that charge she cites Matthew 25 where Jesus blesses those who welcome “a stranger.” The phrase “a stranger,” however, does not suggest a massive influx of foreigners. It is one person who receives mercy from another, and that recipient—in this context—-is not necessarily from a foreign country. It could be someone the benefactor doesn’t know well. Also, Christ says that the recipients of this kindness are his “brothers,” the New Testament term for Christians. Thus the passage deals with generosity among individual Christians, rather than a prescription for government policy.
Christians have many legitimate reasons for questioning the cult of mass immigration. They reject the arrogant assumption that America can and should be the haven for everyone who wants to come here. Christian humility requires a sober understanding of personal and national limits. America trying to play the world’s savior is a blasphemous attempt to play God. Advocacy of mass immigration is cultic in many ways. It has recast the Statue of Liberty into an idol of immigration bearing a sacred text about huddled masses.
White American evangelicals are well aware of the animus and contempt that American elites hold toward them and their culture. Some of these elites in the media have celebrated the recent Census report revealing a decline in white Christian numbers. Powerful interests favor mass immigration for political and economic power. They care little about the majority of their countrymen, including evangelicals, who suffer from immigration. The Bible stands against the powerful who abuse their power.
Christians also are wary of the anti-national and globalist sympathies of mass immigration advocates, such as George Soros—who incidentally provides funding to the pro-immigration Evangelical Immigration Table. Globalism strongly calls to mind the biblical prophesies of an anti-Christ one-world government. Christians who oppose mass immigration are not heard-hearted. They are clear headed people who see through the manipulative appeals of bogus compassion.