'Won't You Be My Neighbor?' Reminds Us That All Lives Matter
/In a world where kindness toward our neighbors is severely lacking, Fred Rogers — Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood — is a reminder that everyone deserves to be loved.BY JON GARCIAWon’t You Be My Neighbor? is a documentary recently released about the life of Rogers. The film chronicles his life and work from humble beginnings to faithful endings.Rogers believed his calling in life was to serve God through the medium of television. At one point during the film, the audience learns that when Rogers sought ordination with the United Presbyterian Church, he told the denomination that his mission field would be serving children — through educational TV.We learn a lot about Rogers through his TV show, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood. It quickly becomes evident that the show not only benefited a generation of children, but a generation of adults as well — Rogers included.Rogers states that as a child, he was overweight and picked on. To add insult to injury, he didn’t feel the freedom to express emotions in his family (in particular, anger). As a result, he felt that one of the most important things he could do for children was to teach them how to understand their emotions. Rogers believed that if you understood your emotions, you could understand how to love yourself and love others.There were a lot of really interesting themes that Christians could take note of. Perhaps the most profound idea in the movie was Rogers’ commitment to biblical integration. Without fail, his theology was woven deeply into the DNA of his show. The message of every episode was the same — people have intrinsic value, and they are worthy of love because of that. That’s what it means to be made in God’s image. It means you are valuable for no other reason than the fact that you are created in God’s image.In a day and age where people yell at each other, call each other names, and attack each other’s character, Rogers is a breath of fresh air. He reminds us that we should never forget that even the “worst” among us are worthy of our dignity and respect for no other reason than the fact that they are God’s image bearers.As I sit and reflect on Rogers message, I can’t help but think that this is the message the world needs today. We need to remember that above all, people deeply matter.Black lives matter.Immigrant lives matter.Isis lives matter.Republican lives matter.Democrat lives matter.It’s a really simple concept, but if you’re not intentionally seeking to live it out, you’re not going to remember that people matter. You’ll get callous and burned by the world, and you’ll forget that Christians are called to love other people — especially those who disagree with us.
Rogers never forgot this because he knew that deep inside each and every one of us, there was a childlike innocence. Rogers knew that the reason Jesus invited little children to come to him was because they were a true picture of faith. So in order to influence a generation of people and remind them that love matters, Rogers centered his life ministry on children.Because there’s something simply beautiful about the childlike faith of an adolescent and the way they love people. They don’t hold grudges against others. They aren’t racist toward others. They don’t judge others. They just love people.It reminds me of my childhood, when my father made us listen to a lot of oldies.By the time I was in high school, I’d heard enough of them to last a lifetime. So at seventeen, I stopped listening to oldies.Although I still have a healthy appreciation for oldies, I just don’t listen to them anymore. But every now and then, I’ll find myself humming one of the classics. And when that happens, it takes me back to my childhood, when I thought much differently about the world.I found myself humming Dionne Warwick the other day. And, as the humming ensued, I found myself singing, “What the world needs now is love sweet love.”Maybe I’ll start listening to oldies again.
“We never could have predicted the results we’ve seen as millions of people around the world have read, listened to, shared, and interacted with the Bible and each other in new ways,” said Bobby Gruenewald, Life.Church Pastor, Innovation Leader and YouVersion Founder.The app initially launched with 15 versions of the Bible and two languages. However, through partnerships with publishers and Bible societies, it now offers more than 1,700 different versions, including Bible text in more than 1,200 languages.Through the years, the app has also helped people build community around the Bible by adding features like a home feed of friends’ activity and Plans with Friends, which helps people discuss the Bible when they aren’t in the same room, or even the same country. The Plans with Friends feature even helped a New Jersey native, Adora, rebuild a relationship with her mother.“When I started using the Bible App, I hadn’t seen or spoken to my mother in 10 years,” said Adora. “After several months of reading Bible Plans about forgiveness and healing, I decided to offer my mom a relationship with me—but only in the Bible App.”Adora added her mother as a Friend in the Bible App and sent an invitation to do a Bible Plan together using the Plans with Friends feature. They talked about what they were reading, and slowly went from only talking in the Bible App, to texting, and then meeting in person to pray.“I never, ever thought that I would have a relationship with my mom again,” said Adora. “But by reading the Bible and doing these daily plans, God has worked a miracle on my heart and in my life.”Beyond shaping the way people interact with the Bible and each other, the Bible App introduced a way for the Bible to reach people in their daily lives. Features like Verse of the Day notifications, reading reminders, and daily Streaks help people develop new Bible-reading habits. Since adding features like daily Streaks and Perfect Weeks, the number of daily active users has increased by more than 30 percent compared to last year.“These last 10 years have been more than we could ask, think, or imagine, and we believe this is only the beginning,” said Gruenewald. “As we look ahead, we’re excited about the new ways God is using technology to help people make even more connections between the Bible and their daily lives.”YouVersion was created by 
The city of Babel is an excellent example of what can happen when the potential good of a city is perverted. The inhabitants—who the Bible describes as resourceful, ambitious, driven, and hardworking...all good things—set out to build a city and a tower. But instead of using their talents to bring glory to God, the people sought to make a name for themselves and to avoid being scattered over the face of the earth. Their actions were in direct opposition to God's command to Noah and his sons that they "be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth." Their hearts were filled with pride, and their actions brought about God's judgment. As we read the Bible's account of the city of Babel, we are reminded that God will not let evil go unpunished; but we can also be encouraged that there is hope for our cities. When we recognize how the potential for good in our city has been perverted, we have the opportunity to step in and bring God's light to very dark places.Nineveh, like Babel, was a city filled with people with evil intentions. In fact, Nineveh had built up quite a bad reputation among its neighbors. As we read the Bible's account, we are even told that Nineveh's evil had come up before God. But instead of intervening the way He did at Babel, or bringing swift destruction as He did with Sodom and Gomorrah, God gave the Ninevites a forty-day warning. It can be easy to look at the evil that is being done in our cities and wonder why God does not step in and act, but we forget that "our Lord's patience means salvation." The people of Nineveh believed God's message through the prophet Jonah and repented. They turned from their wicked ways, and God showed the city mercy. Throughout Israel's history, prophets had been raised up and sent to preach to God's people to call them to repentance, but Jonah was the first prophet sent to a pagan city. Jonah and Nineveh are a new phase in the unfolding story of God's redemptive mission. No matter how evil a city is, God wants everyone to have the opportunity to repent, which is why he is so patient with us.As believers, we know that this place is not our home. I 1 Peter 2:11 Peter writes that “we are like aliens in a foreign land, eagerly awaiting our return to our heavenly dwelling.” But just as God told the Israelites through the prophet Jeremiah that they were to settle down and invest in the good of Babylon during their time as exiles, we too are to be contributors, not just consumers, in our places of residence. Hananiah, the false prophet, dishonestly prophesied that God would bring the Jewish nation back to Jerusalem within two years of being exiled in Babylon. Instead, the exile lasted seventy years. If the people had believed Hananiah, they would have remained disengaged in their new city, waiting day after day for God's imminent deliverance. But through Jeremiah, God reminded the people that He was the one who had placed them in Babylon, that this was His plan, and that He wanted them to pray for the city and seek its peace and prosperity, promising that if the city prospered, the Israelites too would prosper (Jeremiah 29:7). In the same way, we as believers may long for heaven, but we should not put our lives on hold simply because we prefer to be somewhere else. Instead, we must recognize that God has placed us in our city for a reason; it is His plan, and we are to make the most of our time here.
Rev. Robert Chao Romero is "Asian-Latino," and has been a professor of Chicana/o Studies and Asian American Studies at UCLA since 2005. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA in Latin American History and his Juris Doctor from U.C. Berkeley, and is also an attorney. Romero has published 15 academic books and articles on issues of race, immigration, history, education, and religion, and received the Latina/o Studies book award from the international Latin American Studies Association. Together with his wife Erica, he is the co-founder of Jesus 4 Revolutionaries, a Christian ministry to activists, as well as the co-chair of the Matthew 25 Movement in Southern California.
Serving at this fundraiser was never intended as a corporate stance on every nuance of immigration in America or on any particular political leaders. We simply said, “We must do our part to love children who are in a tough spot right now.”I can’t claim to be the expert on candidates or policy, but I can be bold and winsome in asking people from every walk of life to adopt the values and character of Jesus. We can’t allow the noise around politics to keep us from making disciples who love with action. We have to be willing to do whatever it takes to show others how to live and act with the mind of Christ.
Not long ago I attended a Major League baseball game. It was a beautiful summer evening, the kind perfect for baseball. There were beer, hotdogs, and people watching the game with anticipation. It couldn’t be more American. The good guys won, and after the game, the fans were treated to a beautiful firework display.Some of the crowd had slowly shuffled from the stadium but those who stayed made their way to the lower levels and waited. The first steak of light turned the crowd a strange blue color as the firework launched high over our heads. When it exploded, it was close enough for sight and sound to go together. It created a semi-circle of white with another explosion of red in the middle. Despite the fact we were staring at a Chinese invention, everyone in the stands stared in awe. Red, white and blue glory. ‘Merica.This scene was repeated over and over, with different colors and different sounds. You’ve seen it. It was amazing. For some reason, I decided to turn around and look at the crowd. What I saw left me speechless.The faces of everyone watching were tinged with a slight sense of joy and hope as they lit up with red, blue, green or white colors. I saw different economic classes sitting together. There were different races all staring into the nights’ sky hoping to see the next wonder. Different ages were transfixed as they gazed at the display.Then it hit me.This may be part of what heaven is like. All these folks, with all their differences and ideas and experiences mesmerized by what they are seeing. One thing, one person bringing peace, unity, and hope. Jesus. Could it be that part of what we experience in heaven is a sense of peace as we see our savior? It boggles the mind, but if I’m honest, I hope it contains something like that.The 4th of July brings that scene to mind each year. And each year, whenever I watch fireworks, and whoever I am with, I look at the people. I watch their faces light up with wonder and hope, and I am reminded of heaven and the hope I have in Jesus.Maybe it is a thin connection, but I think it is there. We pray “On earth as it is in heaven” in the Lord’s Prayer. I don’t think we are supposed to wait around to go to heaven. Jesus invites us to participate in revealing His Kingdom on earth, here and now. Maybe not in totality, but signs, markers and experiences of a different kingdom, a different rule, and a distinct people. Our lives are to give glimpses and flashes of something incredible, something worthy of awe and wonder. God’s people are designed to re-present him to the world.While those around us have their heads down or are mired in despair, we have the opportunity to reveal a different Way. Where there are discord and disunity, we have the opportunity to bring peace. We have the opportunity to point people in a different direction, lift their heads and help them get caught up in the beauty of God through His people. With every forgiveness offered or a kind word spoken, we flash brightly in the darkness. Every time we chose to bless and not curse, we explode against powers and principalities engulfing our lives. Whenever we lift our chins to the One who Saves, we receive the strength and power we need.If we can so bask in the glow and beauty of Christ, we can reflect Him to those around us. Christians can be the very thing this country and world needs.The 4th of July can be more than a reminder that we ‘aren’t them’ or that we won the Cold War. It doesn’t have to harken back 200 years. It can still propel us forward. We can still grasp the opportunity we have in Christ. It can be a reminder that we can be the beauty the world needs. The love of Christ is powerful enough to galvanize and unite people from across any spectrum for the purposes of God.The next time you see some fireworks and think of America, think of the opportunity you have in Christ. Seize it and watch people fall in love with the one who can transfix and heal even the greatest chasms.Bob Fabey speaks, writes, and mentors helping people to embrace their God-given dignity and give it to others in extravagant ways. An ordained minister based in Arizona, he is the host of 3rd Space Podcast and has just released the book "Not My Jesus," a humorous, yet poignant look at faith, culture and life. 
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 
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.
The makers of 
Billy Graham is portrayed in the movie by his grandson, Will Graham.Zamperini's connection to the Los Angeles area also includes attending Torrance High School and the University of Southern California. His legacy continues by way of a 
In an attempt to promote racial harmony and unity my brother Kyle and I got this crazy idea to merge our churches. You see, I come from a Baptist faith tradition and Kyle is ordained in the Christian Reformed Church. There are a lot of differences between the two faith traditions, but to succeed we were willing to work through them together. Not to mention his church was predominately White and mine a Black church.
One of the rabbis in attendance spoke about Jeff Sessions’ quotation of Romans 13, noting that Sessions used this passage as a way to keep the people obedient to the law of the land. Speaking out of the prophetic tradition of the Jewish religion, this rabbi asserted that instead, the Torah is about dissent, about challenging authority. Moses did not abide by the law of his land, but instead followed the will of the Lord, went to the ruling authority of his day, and said, “What you are doing is unjust! Let my people go.”Therefore, as religious leaders of our day, we are similarly called to approach our political leaders with the message, “What you are doing at the border is unjust! Return these children to their parents and let God’s people go.” This demonstration — and the immigration reform movement at large — was not fueled by rebellion against current immigration policies for rebellion’s sake. It was a Holy Spirit filled beckoning for lawmakers to reform policies that are morally inconsistent with the Law of God.The treatment of undocumented immigrants at the southern border is inhumane and demonic. By separating children from their mothers and fathers and detaining them for many days we are forgetting what one rabbi said is the greatest lesson in the Torah, that every human is made in the Image of God. No matter one’s ethnicity, gender, class, or documentation, they bear the Image of God and should be treated with dignity and respect. What is happening at our southern border is neither dignifying nor respectful, it is disgraceful and should be stopped immediately.Some good news is that President Trump recently signed an executive order to ban the practice of separating children from their families. This is evidence that the Holy Spirit is moving and that public pressure on politicians works to enact substantial social change!Indeed, it is because of this victory that religious leaders urge us to keep fighting for the change we desire to see in our society. As one pastor noted, we must not stop until we are sure these children are returned to their parents. We must ensure that the policies fought for are carried out. And we should not stop there! Christians should organize and fight until the laws of our land reflect the realities of the Kingdom of God, where every human being is recognized and dignified as bearers of God’s image.If you want to join in on these efforts to bring immigrant families back together or just want to learn more, getting involved with organizations like 
In writing, I start scenes later and get out of them sooner. On set, I recognize that every frame must somehow help tell the story and main theme. Then, in fishing post production and editing, after taking feedback from trusted industry colleagues and test audiences, I look outside my own experience and do what is best for the overall movie.I believe that much can be learned in our daily lives by the writer’s process of killing your darlings. When looking back on my own life, most of the worst moments in my story are when I should’ve let go of my bad decisions, my sin. So, many intersections in my narrative have been worsened because I was rebellious in trying to resist discipline and letting my darlings get the best of me.This writer’s process is not unlike the passage in which Jesus talks about pruning away the dead branches to make way for new life. “Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (John 15:2)The Puritans often wrote on the practice of “mortification of sin.” These are violent and jarring terms: kill, mortify, or to put to death, but that is because we as creators, and God as the ultimate author care deeply about story. John Owen wrote, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you.”The Apostle Paul reinforced this terminology and stance on sin in Romans 8:13. “For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.” Sin is a serious and weighty reality, because not only can it ruin your story it can destroy your very soul.When an author kills their darlings, they are letting go of whatever doesn’t serve the main idea or goal of the story. In our own lives, we too are called to cut away whatever doesn’t serve our main goal in being Christ followers. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever (Westminster Shorter Catechism). Of course, we will fail and continue to be plagued by our own destructive sin nature until our story on this earth ends, but we can have faith that the Lord is full or grace and mercy to those who love Him.God is weaving the great tapestry of life together for his perfect story, and although we may be just a thread in the redemptive narrative, I believe in the end we will all be overwhelmed with a very good story. I leave you with this parting passage on God’s perfect storytelling:
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 