I have to say something.
As a pastor, preacher, patriot, and father thinking about his sons' futures, this is getting messy; I hope you will understand.
On the one hand: as an individual, as a preacher, a Lutheran, and a Biblical interpreter, I agree with my denominational founder that soldiers and civic leaders have a duty to protect the people they have sworn to protect. President Donald Trump needs to do what he believes will best protect the lives, people and interests of those over whom he has sworn to preside. He should not expose these same people to harm, unless the harm will ultimately protect the majority of the people or the values and tenets by which these peoples live.
On the other hand, as a Christian, I am adopted into the Judeo-Christian perspective. I just cannot support this rally cry of "Us first" or "America First" except if that "first-ness" is somehow used to serve the needs of the world and creation. Our scripture--both Testaments--overwhelmingly support a bias toward vulnerable people including orphaned children, widowed spouses, legal aliens, prisoners, and fleeing refugees...not mention this creation which we are supposed to be stewarding. The scripture offers little to no preference regarding the people's ethnicity or religion. We are asked simply to remember that we, too, were aliens in foreign lands and in God's righteousness. Scripture offers overarching commands about how we are to have compassion for others, and many, many specific commands on how to provide for them, as well as central commands on how we are to interpret and apply Biblical and non-scriptural laws.
Centrally, we are to "Love God with all our heart, soul and strength." Second (a rule that actually under-girds and supports the first) we are to "Love your neighbor as yourself." As yourself! Maybe you don't like that law, but it is central! "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these greatest two" (Matthew 22:40). That means, we are called to love the refugee from war-torn Syria as if we were that same refugee seeking asylum! We are called to be a part of the action, desire, or force that helps that man, woman, or child who sincerely needs refuge. No, we are not called to be completely reckless in our actions. We should vet our immigrants so that more people are helped than harmed!
However--to be completely honest--we Jews and Christians, at the least, are called into personal risk for the sake of our foreign neighbor, no less than our domestic neighbors. The "good Samaritan" was neither a Jew nor a Christian, but Jesus made him an example of a person who put himself in harm's way to help the stranger. We are not free to define our neighbors; we are called to BE neighbors. The struggle as faithful citizens is that we need to decide which actions will do the best for our central values and/or the greatest number of our neighbors, regardless of proximity, or even of faith!
Before you argue each little point, it goes further. Nations will be "judged" by how they deal with these refugees and immigrants. That is Biblical. I could site at least four passages to every contrary view. I could argue from the central lens of scripture regarding God's compassion and our call to show love and compassion in response to God's. All the prophets and the Biblical story proclaim that nations will fall or self-destruct when they give into faithless self-protection over caring for the vulnerable, including foreign residents and refugees. Nations--according to that same Bible--are blessed when they take care of the vulnerable, its widows and orphans, its veterans, and its resident aliens and refugees seeking safety. Does that mean nothing bad will EVER happen? No!
Here's the thing. We are not only judged by God. We are judged by God through our neighboring nations, foreign refugees, even by God through our enemies. If we prove ourselves to be dis-compassionate, self-interested, and hypocritical, then we have only served to prove their propaganda. We will prove ourselves to be the enemy, the bully on the block. A dis-compassionate policy toward refugees and immigrants who have, or are going through, our vetting process may seem--on the surface--to be protective. In reality, (depending on how it is written, but much more on how it's interpreted) it can be incredibly pugilistic, divisive, and dangerous to the very people it was meant to protect. People, soldiers, refuge seekers, many others may lose their lives. Nations, including ours, are put at risk, especially when the policy either targets specific people or gives preference to others, (i.e. "minority religions") when those categories are too broad and do not fairly or accurately define the people who we are trying to allow in or screen out!
Our president and others should provide guidance, orders, and laws to protect his/her/their people. My argument is that this executive order was signed and put into effect without a fair and accurate look at the current rigor of our vetting process. It may have fulfilled a campaign promise, but it was carried out in a way that divided too many innocent people from their families and occupations. It placed way too many innocent people in harmful situations. It favors the "minority religions" of targeted countries, when most/all of the affected people were already vulnerable and put at risk regardless of their religious backgrounds. Even more worrisome, it will be perceived and used in a way that will place these States in a very negative and dangerous shadow. I believe that this executive order, and any like it that may follow, will lead to more death and destruction for us and for the nations than the policies and procedures that were already in place.
I am often brought to tears when I read the message of the Statue of Liberty or in Lincoln's Memorial. When I pledge my allegiance to the flag or place my hand on my heart to honor those who have sacrificed, it is those words that echo loudest in my head. Now, it destroys me that some people cannot hear or read those same words except as "liberal propaganda." No they aren't. This is America trying to live something even bigger than America.
These United States of First Peoples and immigrants is incredibly messy. However, there has been no greater opportunity than ours in these few centuries to risk our selves for the sake of all those who need a chance at asylum, food, shelter, and basic life necessities.
God help us.
God bless these United States of America.
God bless those who need us to be here for them!
