Families Belong Together Rally Missing Christians?
/It seemed like every people group imaginable showed up to support the #FamiliesBelongTogether march in Downtown Los Angeles on Saturday (6/30/18) — except for Christians.
BY JON GARCIA
Tens of thousands of people crowded the steps of City Hall as they chanted, sang songs, and held signs in display of solidarity against the separation of migrant children from their undocumented parents. The incidents of such action at the nation's southern border came into focus recently under the President's call for zero tolerance. Donald Trump has since given an executive order to stop the practice.While I can’t be sure that the majority of people in the crowd weren’t Christians, judging by the signs I read, the T-shirts I saw, and the language I heard, we were definitely outnumbered … I think.We are indeed living in strange times when the loudest voices fighting to keep families together are non-Christians. This is not an indictment of non-believers (because I know they love their children), but rather a question as to why this issue seems to be so confusing for Christians.While most believers agree that the current situation is bad for families, they cannot seem to reconcile with the fact that the law has been broken — the consequences of such (while not condoned) have resulted in unfortunate circumstances.As Attorney General Jeff Sessions put it, “I would cite you to the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.”Sessions represents a position that many Christians hold to. But perhaps his tell was when he said, “Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves. Consistent, fair application of law is in itself a good and moral thing and protects the weak — it protects the lawful.”
The questions remain: Are these immigration law tactics orderly and lawful processes? Do they really protect the weak? Do they accurately represent a faithful interpretation of scripture?I spoke to Emilio Nunez, who is the Director of Spanish Ministries for the Pacific Church Network in Southern California and pastor at Bell Gardens Baptist, about this issue.“If we’re thinking about Christians (followers of Jesus), I would think that we have to have our priorities properly ordered. What is the most important thing for a Christian?” Nunez said. “For Christians, the principles of the kingdom should be the most important. While one of those values is to respect and honor government (Rom. 13), the first order of value is to say, ‘I have to do what God wants me to do with the people that I’m ministering to.’ And the second order of value is loyalty and love for country — and there’s nothing wrong with that — as long as it doesn’t become an idol that is more powerful in my life than Jesus himself.”The disagreement is clear. Sessions believes that above all, the law should be obeyed as an end in and of itself. And to that, his position is well intentioned, but ultimately flawed.I wonder what Sessions would say to Rahab, a woman who lied to the king of Jericho so that she could protect the lives of foreign spies (Josh. 2:1-7)? Or to the Apostle Paul, who wrote to Philemon to receive Onesimus (a runaway slave) back as a brother and an equal — even though Onesimus had clearly broken the law (Philem. 1:8-17).The law is a good thing when it protects the people that it is designed to serve. However, when the law fails to be a respector of human persons made in God’s image, then our commitment as Christians is to be faithful to a higher law.
Ironically, I stood and marched with thousands of non-Christians on Saturday who believe exactly that. Namely, that the current laws pertaining to immigration show no respect for basic human rights. And to that, I stand in solidarity with the thousands that marched to protest such atrocities.Still, I couldn’t help but think that the chants of, “Tell me what democracy looks like,” were a bit naïve as history quickly reminds us that even the best democratic system can never deliver what it promises.And as beautiful as the crowds were on Saturday, the picture of hope was incomplete because it was ultimately misplaced.For any form of government that grounds its hope in democracy will disappoint. Because the truth is, we don’t need a democracy for a better future; we need a monarchy.But you can’t have a monarchy without a king, and that king is Jesus. So in the meantime, we fight for truth and justice.But that’s easier said than done because it appears as if no one can agree on the truth.If only there was a group of people that had the truth.If only there was a group of people willing to stand up for the truth.If only.Maybe someday.PHOTOS by JUSTIN LEVECKJon Garcia is a writer, storyteller, and aspiring theologian. He lives in the Los Angeles area where he spends most of his time working on PhD studies and serving the Latino/a community. For fun, he hosts Storyography, a podcast where he shares true life stories about interesting experiences he’s had.
Editor's Note: We want to hear from you on this topic. What is God telling us about our nation's immigration policy? Should there be a louder voice from the Christian community about the separation of children from parents who are being processed for immigration at the border? Please leave comments below.
A Christian makes righteous decisions in the political realm because it is God's will that all government institutions act in accordance with God's righteous standard. Romans 13:1-4 teaches that Christians must submit to the government because God has ordained it to punish wrongdoing, reward virtuous deeds, and enact justice on behalf of victims.A government cannot do this properly if their definition of what is right and wrong is skewed, which is what we are experiencing in many nations around the world. This is why Christians who are engaged in politics should use their God-given position or legal privilege to help enact civil laws that reflect God's standard of justice for the government. These laws should be designed to punish criminals for acts such as theft, murder, false testimony, and to defend the poor, the weak, and the marginalized against unjust treatment. Practical ways that pastors and lay people in the church can make a difference in politics is to vote for laws that uphold righteousness and deflect sin in society, such as banning abortion, sex slavery, pornography, racism, and to support ethical laws or programs that would encourage the family institution, public safety, and equity.It must be said that the job of the church is not to become a sort of governing institution that seeks to overtake the government and force conversions on heathens. Unprofitable things have happened in history when governments use religious identification to justify war or conquering other people groups. Jesus never forced the gospel onto unbelievers, although He warned of the eternal consequences of rejecting His offer of salvation (Matt. 7:23; 25:46; Jon 3:16-18).However, this does not mean that Christians should totally eject faith out of the workplace.Opponents of Christianity expect this of Christians when they advocate "separation of church and state." The truth is: There can never really be a separation of one's moral beliefs from the affairs of the state, because much of political affairs are intertwined with moral and ethical issues. There is no neutral ground. Both the word of God and the world's philosophy have presuppositions regarding how life is to be conducted morally, which is why the Christian must be grounded in the truth of Scripture and to allow that to guide his or her actions in the workplace.A Christian must not only exemplify Christian character, but to also work for laws or causes that support righteousness and truth. He must do everything in his power to also preserve the freedom of Christians to organize, worship, and proclaim the gospel to others. He should not be complacent about people in government or laws that persecute Christians and restrict Great Commission activities.The church's involvement in politics must always start with the desire to see people in the field come to know Christ. There is a clear difference in honoring God with our practices in politics and lording it over the public with threats and compulsion. The Bible teaches us that it is not laws that will change the hearts of the people, but the word of God through the gospel (Rom. 7:1-9).That is why the church should be involved in politics. As in any other occupation, Christian politicians have the opportunity to evangelize unbelieving colleagues with the hopes that they might come to salvation in Christ. Only when the hearts of people are regenerated by the Holy Spirit and the word of God implanted in them, can we see changes in society.A similar principle can be applied to Christians in the cultural debate. Should saints participate in cultural dialogue or retreat entirely? This is also a matter of discernment for the Christian. There are instances when Christians are better off not being involved in certain forums because their efforts are akin to casting pearls before pigs (Matt. 7:6). This includes internet forums like response columns or webchat dialogue. However, there are other cases in which dialogue is extremely profitable. This includes television interviews, radio, publications, and public lectures. In such cases when there is potential for a large non-Christian audience to hear the Bible's stance on given issues, and the Christian has the opportunity to be salt and light in front of them.The church's role in politics does not have easy, clear cut applications. The issue always comes back to the question of how much should faith be mixed with politics, or how much should faith shape politics?The Bible teaches that the world will never have a perfect government until Jesus returns to set up His kingdom. Neither will the world have a perfect culture of faith, righteousness, and unity until then. There will never be peace in a godless world. The focus of the church until the second advent of Christ is to be faithful to the Great Commission - which is evangelizing the lost and discipling people (Matt. 28:18-20).That is the key behind a Christian's involvement with politics. That is what it means for God's will to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matt 6:10).Steve Cha is the teaching pastor of