Author: Frank

What’s the Big Deal about ‘Critical Race Theory’?

Frank

This is part of a series of posts inspired by the book ‘Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism’ by Drew G.I. Hart. These were originally written and posted on my personal Facebook page.

I got back on Twitter when quarantine started thinking I’d have more time on my hands (yeah, right). Most of the people I follow are Christian authors/ministers/academics and one of the hot topics across social media was debate over what is called Critical Race Theory (CRT). Last year the Southern Baptist Convention passed a resolution stating CRT can be used as a “tool” but that the Bible holds ultimate authority, which I guess duh? But it was the only resolution passed with significant dissension. The argument goes: the going-in doctrinal position is that “racism” is a term used by the world (i.e. those outside the church) to divide, and that racism does not and cannot exist in the church because, as the Apostle Paul explained, “all are one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28). So to even consider CRT is in itself divisive and worldly. (Simply put, racism is a sin. And since Christians have repented of their sin, they therefore cannot be racist. A convenient excuse to ignore the issue, but I digress.) Another strike against CRT is the accusation of ‘Cultural Marxism’ which is intended to shut down debate without considering its merits (but more on that in a later post).

What is CRT? It is a sociological area of study that applies what are called critical methods to race relations. CRT stretches the definition of racism beyond the relational to the social and structural and divides people groups into the oppressed and the oppressors. But that’s too academic. Hart references a couple of “critical race theorists” who explain that definitions of race are social constructs that historically are “at best imprecise, and at worst completely arbitrary. They may be arbitrary, but they are not meaningless.” Basically, social definitions of race are used to intentionally categorize and separate people into subgroups for economic and/or political gain. In summary, “racism is ‘a racialized systemic and structural system that organizes our society.'”

You can see why this could be divisive.

But applied to white-dominated systems it makes sense. The other day on Twitter someone challenged readers to identify any full-professors (i.e. tenured) who teach theology or biblical studies at Evangelical Christian colleges who are Black. (It was a loaded question because the person asking counts as one) After a lot of guesses and attempts to stretch the definition of ‘Black,’ turns out the answer is 3. In over 150 colleges and seminaries, across the entire country, there are only 3 tenured theology/bible professors who are Black. In the entire country. Three.

Not a big deal?

I probably have over a hundred books spanning theology, biblical studies, and Christian living. Skimming my shelves while reading this latest chapter I counted a total of seven minority authors (female authors don’t fare any better, I’m afraid). What difference does that make? This means my personal theology is being shaped by old white men. My academic and spiritual formation are disproportionately influenced by a single demographic, and even though subjects and doctrines cover a spectrum of Christian tradition, it is still arguably one-sided, representing a Western Anglo-Saxon Protestant worldview.

Those are just books. How many TV shows do you watch with leading cast members who are minorities? What news media do you consume that comes from a minority point of view? We probably don’t even recognize this given ‘white privilege’, but imagine being a Black child growing up watching the same TV you did and attending a church where pictures of Jesus depict him with blond (or at most light brown) hair and blue eyes. What long-term effect does that have? That type of racism isn’t explicit, it may even be subconscious. But it shapes the order of our society. We are surrounded by it regardless of our individual contribution towards it. That’s what CRT is meant to address. And the largest Protestant Christian denomination in the country is divided over whether this subject is even worth talking about.

Vertical Racism and Justice

Frank

This is part of a series of posts inspired by the book ‘Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism’ by Drew G.I. Hart. These were originally written and posted on my personal Facebook page.

One of the first things that jumped out to me reading ‘Trouble I’ve Seen’ by Drew G.I. Hart, is how he distinguishes “horizontal” racism and “vertical” racism. Horizontal is inter-relational. It’s what we think of when we are quick to the defense of, “I’m not racist!” because we have social proximity to other races. On that scale, you probably aren’t racist in this sense. Relationally, you consider others on equal footing.

But vertical racism is something different altogether. Vertical racism isn’t relational, it’s structural. While you might have black friends (horizontal defense), those friends live at a lower rung on the cultural (vertical) ladder. So maybe you’re not personally racist horizontally, but do you recognize your privileged position vertically? So when someone argues, “that’s racist!” we get defensive and take it personally when it’s the vertical systemic issues that are being addressed. No one is saying you favor burning crosses on someone’s front yard, but maybe you’re supportive of a system that has historically been oppressive (even if subtly behind the scenes).

For example, a month ago in my Facebook feed someone posted about a Black Graduation put on by “Black College Expo”. Someone snidely commented, “That’s racist! If there was a white graduation people would flip out!” That comment ignores the vertical racism that exists in education and college admission. It also ignores who is putting this on when there are similar organizations and events for Christian colleges, women promoting specific fields (such as Society of Women Engineers), legacy organizations (like Daughters of the American Revolution), and so on. So the overreaction reveals a personal vertical racism that we’re often blind to.

Biblically, when I think of vertical racism, I think of justice. Justice, simply defined, is ‘getting what one deserves.’ But biblical justice kicks this up a notch- it is related to the principle of shalom, or peace, and includes mutual flourishing. Biblical justice is more than getting what one deserves, it is ‘getting what God intends.’ This is done by removing vertical differences between people, not by any self-designated virtue (which is colonialist) but by the grace of God. Watch this video from The Bible Project to see what I mean.

The Race Card

Frank

This is part of a series of posts inspired by the book ‘Trouble I’ve Seen: Changing the Way the Church Views Racism’ by Drew G.I. Hart. These were originally written and posted on my personal Facebook page.

The race card. Sometimes you’ll hear the argument, “you’re always playing the race card!” as a means to dismiss another’s point of view. You might even use that as a political argument, “there they go again, playing the race card” while complaining about ‘identity politics’. The problem with the “race card” is that it’s just one card and ignores the deck.

Let’s call it instead the ‘ace card’. If you’re playing a game and holding an ace card, that doesn’t mean anything without the context of the game and knowledge of the deck. An ace card might be high or low value. Its importance might depend on other ace cards, like in poker, or it might depend on its suit, like in spades. If you’re playing a game like spades, hearts, or gin it may or may not be a good thing to be holding an ace card based on what else has already been played. In other words, the value of your ace card depends on rules of the game, the context within the game, and knowledge of the deck as a whole.

When we argue about the “race card” we’re only focusing on that single card. We don’t consider its context and we ignore every other card within the deck. Yet for minority communities, they cannot separate a single card from their whole deck of experience or the context of the unfair game being played against them. So in order to overcome racial division we need to study the whole deck and the context in which that particular card is being played.

Why is the death of George Floyd a thing now, in this particular moment? It is just a single event, an individual “race card” that without any other information we cannot measure its value. It is only when considered in a particular context and seen as a pattern within history that we can assign a specific value to this individual event. Only when we recognize the game and see this as one card played from a very, very large deck, can we begin to understand, relate, and empathize with other players unfairly losing the game.

As Drew G.I. Hart describes the difference between the “race card” and the entire deck of systematic racism, “White people must learn to define individual incidents in light of the larger patterns of society.” We cannot limit our experience to a single headline in the news, we need to listen and learn, and stop being so defensive and dismissive because we only see a single card.

Celebrity Charity

Frank

Oh, to make millions (or hundreds of millions in some cases) for playing a game I love. I often wonder how all that money really gets spent. A woman from Las Vegas recently won the lottery in Texas… for the fourth time. Since her first win in 1993, she has won over $20 million. Yet no one knows anything about her. She doesn’t publicise herself or leverage her riches for fame. Contrast that with multi-millionaire athletes and their entourages, their mansions and fast cars.

But thankfully they do give back. Dwayne Wade bought his mom, an ordained minister, a church building. Derrek Lee started a foundation related to a retinal disease suffered by his daughter. Of course those examples are personal, and family related. Others give to their roots, inner city programs that helped them start out in life or the local communities that helped to raise them. As the ESPN article on Lee notes, we don’t pick the charity, often the charity picks us.

Which brings me to LeBron James. Tonight’s over-hyped made-for-TV-drama dubbed “The Decision” is going to raise money for the Boys and Girls Club of America. Jim Gray, who will be interviewing King James, was on the Dan Patrick Show this morning when this first came to my attention (not the press conference itself, how could you miss that?). He mentioned that he thought it was great (while taking credit for the idea) and that it would affect “hundreds if not thousands of kids across the country.” I’m not really sure how. James’ handlers had to buy the hour of air-time on ESPN and I doubt ESPN is giving up much of their advertising dollars. There’s no indication this is a telethon that one can call in to pledge. If anything the hour of television (really, how long does it take to say, “I’m going to Miami”?) might raise awareness for the Boys and Girls Club. Will donations naturally follow?

There’s no doubt that LeBron is set to rake in a record amount of salary- or at least close to, given the constraints of the NBA salary-cap. Would it satisfy his ego to have a generic press-conference and then donate a majority of his salary to his cause? If he is fully invested in benefiting the community, crediting the Boys and Girls Club for keeping him off the streets in his youth, then why not make it a personal cause and give as much as he can? I’m sure he gives already, but how much more money does he really need?

Of course, I can’t project my morals on someone else and I don’t know all the circumstances of his lifestyle and how much it costs to maintain it. But presently my family is sacrificing vacations and luxuries to get out of debt. We put aside money for months to support my church and foreign missions which just finished its big annual drive. If I could make millions doing what I love, I’d be giving millions to the causes I love. I don’t need luxury. Comfort would be nice, but not required. And I would have a clear conscience giving to those in greater need. Oh, to make millions playing a game I love.

“I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.” (Philippians 4:11-13)

Flashback Friday: 4th of July

Frank

***Originally posted for the 4th of July, 2007. Enjoy your freedoms this weekend. I’ll be enjoying mine camping and worshiping the God of Creation.***

Last Sunday for communion I shared about freedom and what that means to us as Christians. I was inspired after talking with one of my friends who was concerned about the lack of “true worship” in our church and reminded me that God freed the Israelites from Egypt specifically so that they could worship him. So freedom and worship go hand in hand. The wheels in my head started turning and out came this:

Wednesday is the fourth of July. A day to celebrate the birth of our country and the freedoms we have. But how does that relate to us, this morning, as we’re gathered to worship our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ? First of all, we’ve heard from this podium before, in fact I’m sure I’ve even said it myself from up here, that we should be grateful to God that we have the freedom to gather together to worship him without fear of death, injury, or persecution. We are guaranteed the freedom to worship publicly. But we’re also given the freedom to worship as we choose. And that’s a part that I think is often forgotten. If you look at the history of this country many of those who first settled here did so so that they could worship they way they wanted to: Quakers, Puritans, Catholics, and others all came to this land because they were required to worship a certain way where they came from and were persecuted for not doing so. So today we have the freedom to worship however we want to. This freedom enabled the different Great Awakening periods as well as the Restoration Movement that we owe our history to. So without this part of our freedom, we may have been able to worship publicly, but it’s unlikely we’d be worshiping in this church.

But this isn’t a patriotic rant or an historical lesson. I’m here worship our Lord through communion. Remembering the sacrifice of Jesus. And that’s where I want to turn our attention. God has consistently used the freedom of his people for worship. Mishach, Shadrach, and Abendigo were thrown in the fire for not worshiping how they were told. And then saved so that they could freely worship the one true God. The Jews in exile with both Ezra and Nehemiah were freed so that they could worship God in Jerusalem by rebuilding the temple and then rebuilding the wall. And probably most explicitly, God freed the Jews in Egypt so they could worship him freely. In Exodus 7:16, when Moses was confronting Pharaoh, God instructed Moses to say, “The LORD, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert.” And that reason did not change as Moses continued to confront him through all the plagues.

It is no different for us today following Jesus. Jesus died so that we would be freed from the slavery of our sin. But he also died to free us from the religious tradition that ruled his day. Just because our country allows us to worship however we like, doesn’t mean we should. Paul said not to use our freedom as an excuse to indulge in sin. In the same way, we can’t use our freedom to worship as an excuse to make up our own traditions, our own rules, or bind old traditions to others arbitrarily. Please turn to John 4. Starting in verse 19, we read…

“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”

Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”

The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.” (John 4:19:26)

To worship in spirit and in truth. That’s what Jesus died for and what we need to reflect upon when we celebrate our freedom. Are we worshiping in spirit and in truth? With the hundreds of denominations that exist today, I’d argue that we’re not. With the countless traditions, expectations, and doctrines that continue to divide, I am certain that we’re not. This morning I want to call us to a higher standard, to worship our Lord in Spirit and in Truth.

So I left it hanging. What does it mean to worship in Spirit and Truth? Does it mean ecumenism, seeker-friendly services, Power Point slides, instrumental music or a-capella, emerging churches, speaking in tongues, etc, etc? I’ll leave it to you the reader to search this out for yourself. Let me know what you find.

The Stones Cry Out

Frank

Tuesday I used the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile as a metaphor for building on the solid ground of Jesus. Truth is, I didn’t have to use those examples; there have been plenty to choose from. This year alone, there have been eight earthquakes of Magnitude 6 or higher, claiming almost a quarter of a million lives. In 2009 there were 52, killing over 1700 (the difference in casualties was that many of these were deep ocean and 90% of this year’s fatalities were from the Haiti quake alone). These numbers have led many to believe that the End is nigh, that Christ’s return is imminent.

There’s good Biblical reason for such fears. A search in BibleGateway for earthquake yields 17 results in the NIV, and all but the exceptions of the LORD’s appearance to Elijah, Jesus’ death and resurrection, and Peter’s escape from prison involve God’s coming wrath. Some examples:

“The LORD Almighty will come with thunder and earthquake and great noise, with windstorm and tempest and flames of a devouring fire.” (Isaiah 29:6)

“Then there came flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder and a severe earthquake. No earthquake like it has ever occurred since man has been on earth, so tremendous was the quake.”(Revelation 16:18)

However, before Jesus warned us that “[n]ation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven,” he also cautioned us “do not be frightened. These things must happen first, but the end will not come right away.” (Luke 21:9-11) While it is in our nature to speculate, Jesus also reminds us that “No one knows about the day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.” (Matthew 25:36)

The access to instant information afforded us by the Internet brings events to our attention that might otherwise go unnoticed. For example, this week it was reported that an April earthquake in Baja California moved the city of Calexico two and a half feet. I was in Boston last week and arrived right after an earthquake hit in Ottawa. The 5.0 earthquake was felt throughout New England. I come from earthquake country and when I think of the Northeast, the last thing I think about is an earthquake. Yet Ottawa experiences earthquakes of similar magnitude every “four or five years” and several hundred small earthquakes along the Logan faultline in Quebec strike every year.

Maybe we’re too sensitive to the news that’s reported. There’s no shortage of “wars and rumors of wars” that’s for sure. And with Hurricane Katrina still fresh in our minds, we’re aware of every hurricane predicted and tracked. In fact, as I type this ‘Alex’ has been downgraded from a hurricane to just a tropical storm even though three lives have already been lost and thousands evacuated. Is any of this unusual though?

Of the 15 largest earthquakes in the last century, four have been this decade. Yet with the exception of the 1920s and 1980s, there have been roughly 10 earthquakes 8.0 or larger each decade since the turn of the last century. Yes, the first decade of the 21st Century saw more than most with 13, but it’s not necessarily out of the norm. (The earthquake data at usgs.gov is a lot of fun to pour through if you’re a data nerd like me)

So I’m not concerned. Yes, I live in earthquake country and am looking forward to my ocean-front property when the Big One hits, but other than earthquake drills and keeping a disaster kit handy, there’s not much else I can do. Spiritually, I need to keep oil in my lamp as Jesus instructs and live as though he is returning today. But I find comfort in Elijah’s experience:

“Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper.” (1 Kings 19:11-12)

Earthquake-proof

Frank

It is a study in contrasts that I’m sure kept civil, structural, and architectural engineering students busy this last semester- the two major earthquakes that struck Haiti and Chile earlier this year. It’s not hard to remember both of these tragic events, the utter devastation in Haiti and the tsunamis in Chile. Millions were donated for relief, headlines were made by those who gave up everything to serve. Add the fact that both of these occurred a month apart and many believed that this was it, that Christ’s return was imminent.

But look past the emotional response. Look past the headlines that caught all of our attention. Look at the details. The Haiti earthquake was a magnitude 7 (for comparison, the famous Northridge earthquake was only 6.7) and the earthquake off the coast of Chile was 8.8. While those numbers look close, because of the way the scale is set the Chilean earthquake was nearly 500 times as powerful as Haiti’s. There were an estimated 230,000 casualties from the Haitian earthquake compared to only 521 in Chile and elsewhere along the South American Pacific coast.
Yes, you read that right, roughly 200,000 more casualties for an earthquake almost 500 times less powerful. Let that sink in and you’re bound to ask, “why?” Location is part of it- the Chilean quake was off the coast versus near Haiti’s capital. But even with the resulting tsunamis, the death count would have been expected to be higher. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami claimed nearly the same number of lives as the earthquake in Haiti. (Though even there, location- how far off the coast- played an important role) But location doesn’t tell the whole story.

Early reporting of the earthquake in Chile noted that because of frequent seismic activity, Chileans knew how to respond to the earthquake and much of the infrastructure was modernized to be earthquake-proofed. But earthquakes in Haiti are not rare, so the personal response should have been similar. The key difference then was infrastructure. Sadly it’s no secret that Haiti is the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. And that the earthquake epicenter was near a densely populated area, it becomes obvious why there was such a difference in casualties. When it comes right to it, buildings in Chile were simply built stronger.

“Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? I will show you what he is like who comes to me and hears my words and puts them into practice. He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. But the one who hears my words and does not put them into practice is like a man who built a house on the ground without a foundation. The moment the torrent struck that house, it collapsed and its destruction was complete.“ (Luke 6:46-49)

The Three Little Pigs teaches us that what we build with determines whether we can stand up to the big bad wolf. But Christ teaches us that it is more important what we build on. When thinking about strength, I could not help but reflect on Jesus. My strength is worthless if I’m not relying on His. He is my rock and my foundation. I’m comforted to know that so long as I build on Him as a foundation, I may be shaken but I will not fall. An infrastructure built on Christ is earthquake-proof.

This post is part of Bridget Chumbley’s Blog Carnival. This week’s topic is “strength“. Head on over there to read other insightful posts from a diverse array of bloggers.

There’s an App for that!

Frank

The last couple of weeks have asked the Christian blogger community about motivation and inspiration and about their reading habits. Call it market research if you will, but Duane Scott picked up on where this is going in last week’s comments. Not to rush ahead, there’s still a question I want to ask.

When you are away from the desktop and aren’t immersed in the blogosphere, what do you use to take your ministry mobile?

I received an iPhone for my birthday/Christmas. I sat on the fence forever about getting one. I don’t have coverage at work and AT&T coverage is spotty locally also. I don’t have any playlist built up on iTunes so the advantage of a phone + iPod is lost on me. I’m also not really a gamer, so the thousands of game apps weren’t a motivator for buying either. But I was still drawn to this gadget if for no other reason than I that I was consumed with the hype.

My wife understood that I would never get one for myself; I would always argue my way out of it. So I’m grateful she went ahead and got me one anyway. Right off the bat, I committed myself to not become an iZombie (though she frequently has to remind me to “engage” in casual conversation around the house), that this wasn’t just a portable gaming device, and that I would use it primarily for ministry. Now I have to admit that my iMinistry (this is fun, you can put i in front of just about anything! iParanthetical) frequently takes a backseat to checking sport scores, especially during baseball season, but I think I’m still holding firm to this conviction.

Not only does the seemingly limitless possibilities of the iPhone capture my imagination, but I’m also intrigued by how ministries are using this new interactive tool. Church apps are springing up left and right. You can fill your memory with countless books and Bible studies . You can do fancy things with your contact list, emphasising members of your church, your small group or your prayer circle. You can even track your prayer list! So I frequently find myself browsing the App Store to see what is the latest ministry tool that I have to have.

An article in this spring’s iPhone Life featured Kevin Purcell, a minister and contributor to Christian Computing Magazine. Titled “A Day in the Life of an iPastor“, the article listed his favorite apps for ministry. In addition to the obvious Bible apps and GPS/maps, there are other ministry-specific apps he describes like iDevotional and GNT and BHS for BibleReader. (sorry, can’t see a way to link to the iTunes store for these) To add to those, and to help Peter Pollock with his new iPhone 4G find an app other than Words With Friends, here are some of my favorites:

  • Holy Bible by LifeChurch.tv. This app not only has several translations of the Bible (and the only free NIV I’ve found), but you can also highlight any passage and see what other people have written about it. Often during church, I’ll be checking out other people’s devotionals/studies/commentaries for the passage being discussed from the pulpit. It’s like getting two sermons in one.
  • Read It Later by Idea Shower. This app allows me to save webpages (ie blogs) to view when I don’t have a connection. This is especially useful for me when I fly and also for at work where I don’t have a connection. This is how I keep up on the many blogs I follow. One problem, however: since their last update, I cannot read WordPress blogs! I only get an index of every post that shows on that blog’s front page that I can access via links. But since I don’t have a connection, that doesn’t do me any good. Which leads me to…
  • An RSS Feed. This doesn’t fit on this list, but I need one! Ideally with the same features as Read It Later so I can read without a connection.
  • Urban Ministry (now called Sermons on Christian Social Justice) by TechMission. This has an archive of sermons in audio, video, and podcast formats from a diverse range of ministers. This isn’t too handy since downloading sermons requires WiFi access and I am often without any access at all. But I still like the format and the selection of topics.
  • Finally, TweetDeck by TweetDeck is what I use to access and manage my Twitter account. I’m not often at the computer, so having this on my iPhone allows me to keep in touch with everyone while on the run.

So, what apps do you have for your mobile ministry (doesn’t have to be limited to iPhones, any mobile app applies)? What other apps do you recommend (besides Words With Friends)?

Weekend Reading, 27 June

Frank

A day late, but I needed to recover from my trip. I spent enough hours on a plane this week to read plenty. If I didn’t comment on these, it was only because I couldn’t access the internet at 30,000 ft. Here are some highlights:

Flashback Friday: Sanctuary

Frank

***Originally posted in September 2007. Updated because of the recent immigration law passed in Arizona which will likely be challenged by the Administration.***

Do you remember Elvira Arellano? She was an illegal immigrant who made headlines in fall of 2007 for claiming sanctuary in a Chicago church. This headline led me to study my Bible about the role of sanctuary cities and a word study on refuge. Then time flied and I never finished that study. At the time, the debate over illegal immigration died down, although as current (2010) headlines show the debate never went away. But that post then (2007) wasn’t going to be about her, but about what role should our churches play in this debate?

Also in the fall of 2007, the city of Simi Valley sent a bill of $40,000.00 to a local church for the police required to keep order during a protest outside their doors. The protest wasn’t organized by them, wasn’t planned by them, and really wasn’t even participated in by them. But the rationale was that since their actions, by allowing an illegal immigrant to seek refuge in their church, they incited the protest and that they should be the ones held responsible. Yeah, that made perfect sense.

If this would have held up, it would have set a dangerous precedent for the church. Would a church be held financially responsible if there’s a protest on their stance against homosexuality? Or what if a synagogue is vandalized with anti-Semitic tagging, would you hold them responsible? At the time, most agreed that this was an infringement on that church’s First Amendment right and a ploy to passive-aggressively stake their ground on the illegal immigration debate.

But that wasn’t really the point of this either. Is this something we, the church, Christ’s ambassadors, should be getting involved in? There’s no legal standard for a church being a sanctuary for fugitives. Rather it’s an unwritten rule, kind of like fighting on Holy Ground in Highlander. But what’s the history behind it? Obviously our country began as a refuge for many seeking religious freedom. The motivation behind the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment was to keep the government from dictating a state religion so any faith could be practiced freely. Churches were central as sanctuaries pre-abolition just as they were involved during the Civil Rights Movement. So there’s historical precedent. But is there Biblical precedent?

When settling in Israel, the refugees from Egypt were given instructions by God to set aside “sanctuary cities”. These were cities where one could flee if accused of murder so that their case could be heard by the elders before they were killed in revenge. The fine print though, was that they had to be innocent. Romans instructs us that we should obey the law of the land because every authority on Earth is there but for the grace of God. So is it right for a church to be a sanctuary for someone breaking the law, even if we don’t agree with that law?

Another refugee from authorities wrote many Psalms about God being his only refuge. David was being hunted down and though he lived in caves and some towns let him hide, he knew that his only refuge was God Almighty.

But we are also commanded not to “oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt.” (Exodus 23:9) And let’s not forget about the Good Samaritan, a foreigner. We also read in James, “Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, ‘Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,’ but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?” (James 2:15-16)

So what should we do? Where’s the line between giving to a “foreigner” in need and giving them employment? Where’s the line between being sympathetic to illegal immigrants and offering your church as a sanctuary? First, we need to heed to existing laws. Second, we need to reach out to meet the needs of those who are here illegally. They’re here for a reason, after all; Mexico is an absolute mess between its economy, political corruption, and rampant violence between rival drug lords. Finally third, we need to be careful not to skate on the thin ice of the hot political topic du jour. We need to let our lights shine, be the salt of the earth, and represent Christ in all we do. My question for all those “safe churches”, are you doing everything you can to help the immigrant you’re harboring to get on a path to citizenship? What are the circumstances of him or her facing deportation (immigration officers have their hands too full to want to deport someone ‘just because’)? Or are you just seeking headlines?

Yes, families are affected, and depending on where you live chances are there’s someone in your congregation who is here illegally. But the church as an institution exists to meet the needs of its parishioners. In this case, that means helping them gain citizenship, legally. Sanctuary in the Bible requires innocence, and unfortunately none of us on either side of this debate are wholly innocent.