When it comes to moral and family issues, I want to hear from people of faith. I don’t take my moral cues from pundits, government officials, or celebrities. Rachel Maddow, Sean Hannity, and all the rest have agendas apart from Scripture. They couldn’t care less about “What would Jesus do?” Unfortunately, my observation is that way too many Christians form their views from these secular sources, and don’t seek out views from the people they SHOULD be paying attention to–Christian leaders.
Although you may listen to Laura Ingraham or Chris Matthews five nights a week, I encourage you to not shape your views from their opinions. Rather, give extra weight to people who speak from a foundation of knowing and loving Jesus. THOSE are the people whose values align with my own, and I hope that matters to you, as well.
Here are Christian voices (mostly evangelical) addressing the issue of separating immigrant children from their parents.
Leith Anderson, President, National Association of Evangelicals: “The Bible says that families came first and government later. Let’s not buck the Bible by separating families.”
Franklin Graham: “It’s disgraceful, and it’s terrible to see families ripped apart, and I don’t support that one bit.”
Scott Arbeiter, President, World Relief: “I’m deeply troubled that as families fleeing persecution reach our border, children are being separated from their parents. I know that President Trump doesn’t want to separate families, either, and I pray he’ll do all he can to reverse these policies.”
Russell Moore, President, Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention: “As Christians who care deeply about protecting families and children, we reject the idea that separating children from parents is a sensible component of any immigration policy. As Christians, we affirm both the rule of law and compassion for the vulnerable. Splitting up families is not in the best interests of the United States.”
Rich Stearns, President, World Vision USA: “The single most important relationship for all children, especially those at risk of violence or in high stress situations, is that of a parent. Separating children from their parents can have a devastating long-term effect on children’s mental, physical, and emotional development.”
Tony Suarez, president of the world’s largest Hispanic evangelical association: “God have mercy on those who seem so nonchalant to the plight of children being separated from their parents.”
Cardinal Timothy Dolan: “If they want to take a baby from the arms of his mother and separate the two, that’s wrong. I don’t care where you’re at, what time and what condition….That goes against human decency.”
Statement from the Evangelical Immigration Table, which includes groups with which the United Brethren Church is associated–the National Associatipn of Evangelicals, World Relief, and the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities: “As evangelical Christians guided by the Bible, one of our core convictions is that God has established the family as the fundamental building block of society. The state should separate families only in the rarest of instances.”
Jo Anne Lyon, former general superintendent of The Wesleyan Church: “Americans are divided politically, but this issue is beyond politics. Any of us can imagine the terror that strikes a child separated from her mother or father, and the despair of a mother whose child has been taken from her. It’s vital that we respect our country’s longstanding asylum laws, that we do all we can to keep families together, and that we resume our history of welcoming refugees.”
Ed Stetzer, Wheaton College and LifeWay Research: “As Americans, but even more as followers of Jesus, we should hold the family unit in high regard. God created the family long before there were borders….Separating children from their families is not a humane way to approach immigration policy, and it does not honor the dignity and respect afforded every human as made in the image of God. Yes, there are times when children must be separated from parents, but an immigration ‘deterrent’ does not make this list by a wide margin….We don’t want to live in a nation where children are unnecessarily and casually separated from their parents as a matter of policy….This is not a hard one, sisters and brothers. Yes, immigration is a tricky issue and debatable issue, but using the separation of families as a threat and a tool is not. We can (and must) do better.”
Bishop Daniel Flores (Texas): “Separating immigrant parents and children as a supposed deterrent to immigration is a cruel and reprehensible policy. Children are not instruments of deterrence, they are children.”
Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, president of the US Conference of Catholic Bishop: “Families are the foundational element of our society and they must be able to stay together. While protecting our borders is important, we can and must do better as a government, and as a society, to find other ways to ensure that safety. Separating babies from their mothers is not the answer and is immoral.”
Cardinal Sean O’Malley (Boston): “The United States is now openly before the world using children as pawns to enforce a hostile immigration policy….I have always taught respect for the civil law and will continue to do so. But I cannot be silent when our country’s immigration policy destroys families, traumatizes parents, and terrorizes children. The harmful and unjust policy of separating children from their parents must be ended.”
Statement from 26 Jewish organizations: “Taking children away from their families is unconscionable. Such practices inflict unnecessary trauma on parents and children, many of whom have already suffered traumatic experiences. We urge you to immediately rescind the ‘zero tolerance’ policy and uphold the values of family unity and justice on which our nation was built.”
