Family Unity

We are called and challenged to exercise compassion, and Colossians 3 provides strong direction for
walking in the love of Christ:
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.

We have the capacity to exercise compassion toward those with whom we interact.  That involves showing and sharing the love of Christ even with those who are different than we are.  We can show that love with people in need, those who we don't know, those who are not part of our church fellowship or those whom some don't think belong in our community.  We are called to be welcoming so that we can pour out the love of Christ.

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God has ordained the family, and in our compassion, we can seek out ways to preserve the unity and integrity of the family.  Psalm 68 says:
4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him.
5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation.
6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

So, what's going on down at the border?   The issue of immigration has risen to the top of the news cycle again, and the latest topic of conversation and coverage involves a "zero tolerance" approach to those seeking asylum and those who desire to enter the country illegally.  The approach, announced by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, does call for adults to be detained while awaiting a hearing, and in some cases, for children to be detained separately.

Unfortunately, children who show up at the border are sometimes with their parents, who have brought into the situation in some cases with the hope that somehow they can immigrate to America and cross the border illegally; some children show up unaccompanied, others have been apprehended by traffickers.  It's a complicated situation.

And, the posturing over the issue has become rather complicated, as well, with some criticizing the Trump administration, others defending the President and AG for enforcing a law already on the books.  There are Christian leaders from a variety of backgrounds who are advocating against "family separation."

Jim Daly of Focus on the Family wrote on his blog:

I’ve been following its many twists and turns, straining to gather reliable information and, at times, struggling to separate the fact from the fiction. There is a lot of bad and biased information out there. To be sure, emotions are running high on both sides, a consequence of the very real human concern and the highly partisan nature of our times.

He describes the current situation as a "tragedy," but reminds readers that there are other instances where families are separated.  He also took Planned Parenthood to task for its hypocrisy in a tweet decrying family separation.  Daly writes:

Tragically, children aren’t just being separated from a parent at abortion clinics or the southern border. Each and every day, millions of kids in the United States are living without a parent because of divorce, abuse, criminal activity, opioid or alcohol addiction or any number of other conditions outside their control. It would be a good thing if the same degree of energy we see exhibited for the border crisis was applied to the domestic crisis surrounding the American family.

The crisis we find ourselves in at the southern border has been years in the making, a complex consequence of bad policy, unenforced laws and an inability of politicians to make difficult and often unpopular decisions. It’s also the result of tyrannical and unpopular governments – and the attractive bright light of America that has historically drawn people to her shores.

Alveda King, niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and pro-life advocate, in a piece on the CNSNews.com website, states:

You might say that those being sent to jail have committed crimes and should be sent to prison. And you would be right. But just as it would be wrong to discard the crimes being committed by American women simply to keep them with their children, it is equally misguided to advocate discarding the crimes of those breaking the law to come into this country illegally just so families can be kept together. Tossing the law aside is not the answer. The answer lies in reform, reform of the immigration system and reform of the prison system.

She adds:

Clearly we need immigration reform, and just as clearly, we need prison reform. But the first change I would like to see is a nation that welcomes children across the border of the womb, rather than demanding the right to deny that child the rights he or she is entitled to as a member of the human family.

Unfortunately, we have seen attempts to redefine what it means to be pro-life.  A particularly distasteful article at the New York Times, written by Charles Camosy, said you could not be pro-life and opposed to immigrant children - he called out the organizations, National Right to Life and the Susan B. Anthony List, for not speaking out on the issue.  He also seemed to challenge Focus on the Family and Family Research Council.   I have seen the accusation that those who support the current actions have adopted "pro-choice" language.  This is over the top.  And, there's plenty of such rhetoric to go around.

FRC, by the way, states this:

Obviously, the situation is a tragic one for thousands of children, who are the innocent victims of their moms' and dads' decision to break the law. It's impossible to feel anything but compassion for these kids, who must be dealing with a great deal of pain and confusion.

The piece closes with this statement, "Maybe these new small faces of the immigration crisis will prompt Congress to work across lines and unite in an effort to reform an immigration system that's dividing families and our country."

SBA List issued a terse statement regarding the article by Camosy, identified with Democrats for Life, saying:

“Mr. Camosy claims to share SBA List’s view that abortion is the taking of an innocent human life. Yet, not only does he criticize those who are singularly focused upon restoring the first right, the right to live, he fails to pursue strategies in his party to correct the injustice of abortion. Then he exploits the abortion issue, the intentional taking of a human life by using it as a sub-argument in support of all other issues he believes to impugn human dignity.”

I think there is an unprecedented call from people inside and outside the Church, from a variety of ideological perspectives, to address this situation.  So, hopefully, politicians can put posturing aside and work toward a solution.  Fact is, we can do immigration better - there are multiple issues to be addressed, and a need for enforcement of existing laws.

We remember that we have to balance the rule of law with compassion for people.  As you perhaps know, there has definitely been a Biblical component that has been injected in the current debate.  You have a variety of Christian leaders from a variety of perspectives who have expressed concern and opposition about the current action.  Mark Tooley of the Institute on Religion and Democracy writes at The Stream:

Attorney General Jeff Sessions defended the separation of children from detained immigrants by quoting Scripture back to his critical “church friends.” For this, he has been widely denounced by religious voices.

“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 them for the purpose of order,” Sessions said. “Orderly and lawful processes are good in themselves and protect the weak and lawful.”

Tooley makes these observations:

Perhaps Sessions instead should have explained that any separation of families is tragic and grievous in all law enforcement situations. But, he could have added, an implied free pass for illegals accompanied by children would generate wider upheaval and greater tragedy.

Many “church friends” who are immigration activists have themselves long cited scripture when touting policy preferences. They will treat Old Testament passages commanding hospitality for sojourners as if they entailed more permissive immigration policies by the United States.

He added:

In truth, the Bible does not provide direct counsel for U.S. border laws. Christianity teaches all persons are God’s image bearers. That includes illegal immigrants. It also teaches that God ordains civil states to uphold order. The details of policies are largely left to prudential judgment and debate.

And, Sessions is now facing opposition from some members of his own denomination, the United Methodist Church, who have, according to UMC.org, brought "church law charges" against him.  The article states:

Specifically, the group accuses him of child abuse in reference to separating young children from their parents and holding them in mass incarceration facilities; immorality; racial discrimination and “dissemination of doctrines contrary to the established standards of doctrines” of The United Methodist Church.

But, there does seem to be consensus, to a certain degree: Family separation should be avoided, whenever possible - at the border and inside the country.  And, I am thankful that we have seen people from a variety of perspectives on the immigration issue attempt to come together.

Finally, some words from Jim Daly of Focus on the Family:

First and foremost, we urge government officials to work together towards a humane and God-honoring solution that best preserves the integrity and sanctity of the family unit while also protecting our borders and assuring the safety of our citizens.

According to the Texas Tribune:

U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz announced emergency legislation Monday evening to keep immigrant families together after they cross the border into the United States.

The legislation follows comments Cruz made on Saturday that essentially called for more resources to adjudicate asylum claims. He also called for keeping immigrant kids with their parents as long as those adults are not associated with criminal activity.

"All Americans are rightly horrified by the images we are seeing on the news, children in tears pulled away from their mothers and fathers," Cruz wrote in a release. "This must stop. Now. We can end this crisis by passing the legislation I am introducing this week."

No doubt, this issue has proven to be quite divisive, and there is plenty of hyberbole and exaggeration to go around.  We have to guard against using these rhetorical devices, recognizing they are enemies of unity.  Daly also says:

Second, we must move beyond shouting snappy soundbites in social media, and understand that it’s not so much what you say as what you do. Focus on the Family is committed to working with leadership on both sides of the aisle, often behind the scenes, both shaping policy and advocating for solutions that serve the greater good and thereby honor God.