Abortion and transgenderism are clearly theological issues but what about illegal immigration? Does the Bible have anything to say about illegal immigrants, border walls, or mass deportations?
Some Christians point to Jesus’ words in Matthew 22:39 — “Love your neighbor as yourself” — as evidence that we should welcome what the Democrats euphemistically call “the undocumented” into our country with open arms.
“A lot of you, because you grew up in the era of Hawaiian shirts, pleated khakis, and sweater vests, have been taught that [rejecting illegal immigration] violates loving your neighbor as you love yourself,” says Steve Deace.
These people, Deace explains, have likely been captured by liberation theology — a neo-Marxist, Catholic theological approach born in Latin America that focuses on political liberation of oppressed peoples, placing an emphasis on social activism over doctrine.
It’s heretical.
Deace points out that the current pope, who’s of course “surrounded by his own private army” and lives “in a gated community,” regularly champions the idea that “it’s not Christian to have borders.”
Now that Catholicism in Latin countries has fused with liberation theology, how then did Donald Trump, who heavily staked his campaign on mass deportations, win over more Hispanic voters than any Republican candidate in history?
“What happened was, we went from people who just came here to pick our berries and make our beds in our hotels” to “an entire generation born and bred in Latin American Catholicism by liberation theology,” says Deace, adding that these people “believe they are entitled” to be here.
“The generation of people who came here in the ’80s and ’90s to pick the berries and make the beds and mow the lawns … they’ve now worked their way up,” and they’re mortified by the people who are coming here to “collect a welfare check” because “they view themselves as entitled.”
On top of that, the Bible does explicitly address illegal immigration.
“Are there mass deportations in the Bible? Are there walls built by God’s people to secure their borders?” Steve asks rhetorically.
“Yes! In fact, there’s an entire book called Nehemiah. That’s literally all the book is about,” he says. “They mass deport people who don’t belong in the country, including women and children … and they literally go to war with their neighbors to rebuild a wall to secure their borders.”
“So the answer is yes.”
To hear more of Steve’s analysis, watch the episode above.
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