[OBW]

I think Peter's last argument is quite insightful. Sometimes you must deal with the very thing that people cite as their authority.

And among Christians, we should be willing to argue what the Bible actually says about certain things. And where it does not comment, we may find that it still deals with the attitude which which we face the issues.

I've had forum discussions (elsewhere) on the topic of immigration policy and reform. My conclusion is that there is nothing in scripture that demands open borders or laxness in enforcement for those who have entered illegally. But how I treat any man, whether here legally or illegally is a different matter. I still have a command to love them, and to "do justice" with respect to them in either case where it is called for.

But when it comes to immigration reform, it is not a "Christian" issue to argue that we should simply allow everyone to stay. It might make it easier to do my personal efforts in "justice" toward them. But that is not the purpose of government and immigration laws. It is the security and well-being of the citizens and residents. Those are not served by simply open borders.

This kind of thinking is, I believe, like the "hate the sin but love the sinner" command (or so-called command for those who don't think that is valid). As Christians, we are called to be. I don't even need to put the "what" into that statement. There actually are many "whats." I must act justly toward my neighbor (with expanded definition as provided by Christ). But while I do so, I cannot demand that government relinquish its civil authority to deal with lawbreakers. I cannot demand that society agree with my positions on morality and other things as if their rules and actions must be according to God's rules and actions (or my perception of them). And you can't expect to have open ears for the gospel that will change lives if you first demand that everyone change their lives without the gospel. And you won't have any open ears if you are openly despising those you would claim to want to convert. They already expect you don't like them and will dismiss virtually anything you say.

If for no other reason, we should leave the religious arguments about the founding America to the context in which it is found and not presume more on it than that. And we do not make it better for anyone — especially our testimony — when we demand that all be like us.

While I think that rationality tends toward the political right, I cannot simply dismiss those who disagree as simply being irrational. And as I walk this life, I find that I am not as strong to the far right as I once was. In fact, I find that while I hold many of the positions of the right, I despise the way that my positions are represented by the leaders of the right. They may be politically right, but they are not morally right in how they go about it. It is disturbing.