For the past two weeks, the news headlines have been replete with stories of liberal church leaders condemning the Trump administration for its intent to enforce America’s immigration laws.
Here are some examples.
- Christianity Today: “Trump’s First Week Sends Shudders Through Immigrant Churches and Ministries.” This article accuses the Trump administration of plunging multiple communities across the nation into fear and anxiety.
- Genocide Watch: “Pope Francis Condemns U.S. Deportation Policies, Directly Criticizing Trump’s Immigration Actions.” This column states that the pope has issued a sharp critique of the United States’ current approach to immigration, directly condemning the policies and programs that have characterized the first weeks of President Trump’s second term.
- CBS News: “A Growing Number of Church Leaders are Criticizing President Trump’s Immigration Policies.” Here, the report focuses on Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, who says, “Some provisions contained in the president’s executive orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences.”
- The Church Times: “Faith Groups Use Courts to Oppose Trump Executive Orders.” This article lauds the legal actions of certain churches suing the Trump administration over its enforcement of American laws.
- The Episcopal News Service: “Episcopal Church, Interfaith Partners Challenge Trump’s ICE Enforcement Actions in Court.” This story focuses on a lawsuit against Mr. Trump and his crackdown on illegal immigration.
- The Denver Post: “Under Trump, Will Denver Churches Offer Immigrants Sanctuary Again?” The message of this column is a clear call for political resistance on the issue of sanctuary cities, immigration and border security.
- The Presbyterian News: “Repeal of Key Immigration Policy Holds Weighty Implications for Churches, Including PC(USA) Congregations.” This is but another article encouraging congregants to react negatively to the enforcement of our nation’s laws.
- The National Catholic Reporter: “Bishops Condemn Trump’s Immigration Orders for Stoking Fear and Anxiety.” The premise of this column is that faithful Catholics should “stand in solidarity with all migrants,” and to do otherwise is a compromise of one’s “moral and human” responsibility.
And then there is this statement from Wayne Schmidt, the General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church, who, among other things, calls for his denomination to “exercise awareness of the laws as they pertain to immigration and endeavor to obey them … UNLESS these laws are contrary to God’s Word AS INTERPRETED BY THE COLLECTIVE WISDOM AND AUTHORITY (emphasis mine)” of him and his merry band of denominational leaders.
Am I the only one who sees all this as a blatantly political appeal from the same people who just yesterday were roundly criticizing conservative Christians for being “too political?”
Continue reading at the Washington Times