In yesterday’s report on Wayne Grudem arguing for amnesty, one detail that deserves specific attention is Grudem’s biblical argument, and how he ultimately argues that Christians should protect illegal aliens from immigration enforcement through passive means because “muh sojourners.”
However, there are also numerous Bible verses that tell us to care for the “sojourner”:
“Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” (Deut. 10:19)
You shall not pervert the justice due to the sojourner or to the fatherless, or take a widow’s garment in pledge. (Deut. 24:17 ESV)
When you reap your harvest in your field and forget a sheaf in the field, you shall not go back to get it. It shall be for the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow, that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work of your hands. (Deut. 24:19 ESV)
Some people have objected that the “sojourner” in these verses is not the same as an illegal immigrant into our country today, because nations in the ancient Near East protected their borders, and those who were temporary residents in a nation (designated by the Hebrew gēr, “sojourner”) were there legally because they had been given authorization by the nation’s government when they entered that nation.
But it seems to me that the argument based on verses that talk about caring for the “sojourner” is still valid, because the common factor that distinguishes the sojourner, the fatherless and the widow in these verses is their lack of a social network of relatives and friends to support and protect them if necessary. Sojourners, the fatherless and widows did not have such a natural support network nearby. But neither, in many cases, do unauthorized immigrants — and so the general principle of these verses would also apply to them. The people of Israel were to watch for foreign visitors, whether officially permitted inside the country or not, who needed support or protection, and they were to look for opportunities to help them.
Grudem argues that those who have invaded the United States by illegally crossing the border are the same as sojourners in the Bible. However, the Hebrews in Egypt were invited guests. David sojourned with the Philistines as a mercenary who had permission to stay. These biblical examples are contrary to illegal aliens.
Grudem’s arguements on sojourning that might as well have been written on golden tablets from George Soros are also his foundation for amnesty. But Grudem goes further to argue that Christians have no duty to report illegals to ICE.
But individual citizens who are not government agents do not have that responsibility. I do not think that faithful Christians have any responsibility to report to immigration officials or to local police that certain people are unlawful immigrants, for example. The biblical teachings about caring for the sojourners, the fatherless and widows are applicable here, and Christians would do well to heed such commands.
In America, we have this saying: see something, say something. This saying conveys a corporate responsibility for public safety and law enforcement.
It’s far more compelling to say that Christians are obligated to report illegal aliens, not only citing Romans 13 but also James 4:17, the sin of omission command, and Leviticus 5:1, which confers guilt on those who refuse to testify, a verse that contains a principle about reporting crime.
Christians have a duty to be model citizens, but Wayne Grudem doesn’t understand what an American is and therefore has no regard for how his aims dilute the meaning of citizenship.
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An invader is not a sojourner.
When the liberal starts a paragraph with “[i]t seems to me” it is clear that what follows will be his rationalization for his real religion, liberalism.
Note that he expresses no concern at all for his own people whose lives are negatively impacted by the invasion of the ‘sojourners.’