I’ve been thinking a lot about the rumors being spread about immigrants, and it’s been weighing heavily on my heart. Not just because I know and love people in my community who are immigrants, but because I’ve seen how easily some of my fellow Christians—people I’ve respected and admired—have been swept up in false and dehumanizing narratives.
I feel angry. I feel disappointed. But more than anything, I feel sorrow and deep concern for my friends who are fearful.
I’ve spent time with immigrants in our community. I’ve prayed with them. I’ve listened to their worries. And I have yet to meet anyone who matches the villainous picture being painted in political rhetoric, especially by President Trump. Instead, I’ve heard prayers like:
“God, please keep my family safe.”
“God, protect my heart from bitterness toward those who believe and spread such awful lies about us.”
These are your neighbors, and they’re afraid to send their children to school. Afraid to take their family to church. They’re signing legal documents to identify who should be responsible for their kids if they get separated unexpectedly. I don’t know how likely those fears are to come true, but I do know that if I were in their shoes, I would take the same precautions.
Imagine what it would feel like if the most powerful man in the world made it clear that he intended to use his power to make life harder for you. Imagine if people in your community spread awful rumors that shaped the way others saw you and your family. Imagine if some of those people were your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Why are people so quick to believe these rumors?
How much of what you’ve heard is supported by credible evidence? Have you met any of the people we’re talking about here?
Scripture warns us:
“Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.” (1 Cor. 13:6)
“Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord.” (Prov. 12:22)
Christians, you need to be careful about what and whom you choose to believe right now.
Who are you allowing to shape your imagination?
Are the stories you choose to believe about the world leading you to act with the love and compassion of Jesus? Or are they leading you to blindly support leaders who have something to gain by making you fearful of your neighbor?
I’m not talking about politics. I’m talking about people and how we treat them.
Politics and people are not disconnected. Policy decisions affect real human lives. The way you vote, the policies you support—these are all part of how you treat your neighbor.
But regardless of where you stand on immigration policy, if you are a Christian, I hope you recognize that your first and highest allegiance is to the law of Christ, which commands you to love your neighbor.
I have noticed a troubling trend among some Christians: they act as if a person can forfeit their dignity as an image-bearer of God by entering this country illegally. As if the human-defined borders of this nation are somehow so sacred that crossing them improperly could strip a person of their God-given worth and right to be respected by us.
As if this country’s earliest creed were not founded on the self-evident truth that all people “are created equal and endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights.”
Countries need borders. They need laws about how to enter the country, and they need appropriate ways to enforce those laws. The United States needs immigration reform, and it’s complicated.
As Christians, we must model what it looks like to engage in this conversation while prioritizing love, truth, and respect for every human being created in God’s image and dearly loved by Him.
And we must never forget that how we treat the most vulnerable among us is how we treat Christ himself. (Matt. 25:40)
What's next?
Watch our Immigration Panel discussion about Evansville growing as a multicultural city.
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