The facts pertaining to the refugee crisis are readily available. They are out there for anyone willing to exercise the due diligence to research them. We have heard the calls from some Christians to let the refugees in and give them a haven as an expression of Christ’s love. On the other extreme, some Christians have taken a hardline stance and want to ensure safety at all costs, even if that means rejecting the least of these. That’s an unbiblical approach because the Lord didn’t call us to be safe, but to reach out to people.
To be clear, the crisis is commonly referred to as the Syrian refugee crisis. The truth is that there are (some) women, children, and families, who are truly seeking a haven from the horrors of war in Syria and Iraq. I witnessed some of the deplorable conditions caused by war when I was in Iraq for several years. With the atrocities that ISIS is engaged in, the situation has become dire for many innocent civilians in that dark region. People are thrown off buildings, crucified, and burned alive, all evil acts goaded on by a barbaric Islamic ideology.
Everybody has an opinion about to handle the crisis. Politicians on both sides will wrangle and jockey for position to implement their ideal solutions. Here is the thing: Wholesale free passage and flinging the gates wide open is not the way to handle the refugee crisis. This has become all too clear in the wake of terror attacks in Paris, Brussels, and Germany.
The threat and acts of violence against the innocent have shown that we can’t allow for free entry into the West. We know numerous terrorists have already infiltrated the ranks of fleeing refugees. We know that was the stated strategy ISIS has implemented to infiltrate the West. We also know there is no haven in Syria or Iraq for the many innocent civilians fleeing the violence in their homeland.
I agree with many officials in the national security & intelligence communities that we must do something now to ensure security. We need a genuine vetting process for refugees that works. Arab nations need to stand up and take some responsibility and offer safe havens for these people as well. UAE, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other ‘moderates’ should open their doors to fellow Muslims in their time of need. All of these ideas are well and good, but there is another component to this issue and we have already touched on it earlier.
It is a vital component of true Christians. How are we to respond to this very real humanitarian crisis? Scores of refugees do represent the ‘least of these.’ Sometimes in being too careful, we inadvertently close our eyes to real people and real needs.
Even in my own assessment of this issue: I find myself having Christ’s compassion for the moms and the little children and wanting to help tangibly. I remember the horror I felt seeing that little boy washed up on that beach in Turkey after drowning while crossing the Mediterranean a few months ago. I also find myself angry, protective, and fearful as I see the hurt families of those killed mercilessly in Paris under the banner of Islam.
Do I believe all Muslims are evil? Of course not and I know that just because someone is from the Middle East, it doesn’t make them a terrorist. That’s ignorant and certainly not thinking in a Christian way. I’m guarded against the actions of people who mean to do us harm, such as those committing evil in Paris, Mali, Brussels, and other places.
It is true that there are refugees who need our help and compassion. As believers, it is biblical and Christlike to help them. But it is sheer ignorance to say all people coming into the West with the influx of refugees are predominantly widows and orphans. A sizable percentage of the people coming into Europe are fighting-age men. Some are escaping the slaughter, while some are intent on bringing slaughter with them. Be intentional about doing good to the least of these.
Be equally intentional about not burying your head in the sand and ignoring the fact that some of these people want to kill you because you are a Christian, Jew, a woman who doesn’t wear a hijab, or a girl who gets to attend school, that is the reality of the barbaric belief system we are facing.
I’m a bit tired of the bleeding hearts, some in politics and some behind pulpits waging the finger and scolding us for not being compassionate because we won’t fulfill (their) version of the great commission.
It’s the same liberal interpretation of scripture that asserts: It’s the same interpretation that scolds us for refuting false teachers who employ nonsensical platitudes like: “What unites us is greater than what divides us.” It’s the same way with the current refugee crisis. I’m not a hater, uncompassionate, un-Christlike, or suffer from Islamophobia just because I don’t want to see people murdered in the streets by terrorists and utilize common sense when dealing with this crisis.
Not wanting to see our schools, malls, colleges, synagogues, or churches stormed by crazed demonic terrorists doesn’t make us uncompassionate, it is common sense.
To be certain, some pastors and teachers have been wise and harmless when responding to the refugee crisis. They want to welcome some of the refugees to the US as a safe haven. But they understand what is at stake. They understand that there needs to be a ‘real’ vetting process and that means being able to verify one’s background.
Simply stated: We cannot allow a family into this country if we can’t be sure that ‘Dad’ wasn’t previously in Raqqa or Mosul beheading people for the cause. As a Christian man, I cringe when I think of all of the men, women, and children who were and are presently being brutalized by ISIS.
It is clear that a great number of Muslim families have come to the US. over the years and assimilated. Any true Christian wants to reach out to these people, help them, and show Christ’s love any way possible. There are countless stories of Christian families in Eastern Europe taking in’ Muslim families. There are compassionate approaches to this refugee crisis and Christians should be out front in these efforts to minister to the least of these.
Am I saying being a Christian is safe? The answer is no. Am I saying that personal safety at all costs is the only way? No, because sometimes we must jeopardize our safety and security for the sake of the gospel. Just ask the Christians living in N. Africa, China, or the Middle East about safety.
What I’m addressing is something altogether different: I’m addressing the insanity of allowing people into this nation in droves and not considering the consequences of evil men bent on the destruction of life infiltrating their ranks. I believe we should allow refugees into our country and do it in such a way that opens the door wide to the sojourner, but slams it shut on the terrorist.
Safety at all costs with respect to protecting the homeland and our citizens should be the number one priority of our government.
What’s the Christian response?
The gospel is paramount because there are souls involved. We should show the love of Jesus to Muslims in real tangible ways. If our government has a reliable, secure, vetting process that works, then some Christian families should welcome other families into their homes. Some of them will need tangible help like food, clothes, shoes, and jobs. We can be a witness to them the life-changing gospel of Jesus. There are numerous stories about Muslims being open to the gospel in light of the love they have seen from Christians while being forsaken by the Islamic world. Muslims need salvation only Jesus can give.
My home church in Indianapolis is bringing real hope and meeting the needs of many fleeing refugees and Syria via our Christmas offering. This isn’t just education, books, food, and tents, this is a real bold witness and declaration of the gospel right there in the Middle East. Needs can be met in the US, Europe, and on the ground in Syria & Iraq. I have seen a war zone first hand and now the citizens of Paris know its horrors all too well. I wrote this article to widen the very narrow and I believe the naive approach of some Christians who are genuine in their love for people but blinded to the violent realities on the ground. Let’s be compassionate, show the love of Christ, share the gospel, and be wise in our Christian response to the Middle East refugee crisis. Matthew 25:40
All for Him,
Howard
If you want to help refugees in crisis right now…you can. Heart for Lebanon is a Christian organization bringing the gospel and much-needed hope to refugees fleeing Syria & Iraq. Concerning The Times is (not) affiliated with Heart for Lebanon, but we have placed a link to this gospel ministry site as one of many possible options to help the “least of these.” Here is the link to Heart For Lebanon: heartforlebanon.org
