Politics and the Bible

I know. Way to title a blog post. We all have opinions. We all have our own belief systems and our own moral compass. But, my belief system and moral compass tells me that using the Bible to justify policies that hurt and harm people is the very definition of blasphemy. We should call it out in others AND be very cautious about falling into that trap ourselves.

Recently our Speaker of the House challenged the Pope's interpretation of scripture in regards to immigration. A bold move, to be sure--even if you have been teaching Sunday School at your church for years.

Whose Authority?

When it comes to authority, the Bible does recognize different spheres— individuals, families, religious communities, and governing powers, but NONE of these spheres or entities are lived in isolation from one another and none are considered immune to God's oversight. Throughout the Old and New Testaments, God consistently holds governments accountable for how they treat society’s most vulnerable members.

The prophet Isaiah condemns unjust laws. Amos rebukes leaders who ignore the poor. Jeremiah warns rulers who fail to defend the oppressed. These prophetic voices were not only speaking to religious people or even Joe-citizen. They were confronting systems of power and calling out government leaders when they failed to embody justice and mercy.

Romans 13, frequently cited as a mandate for unquestioned obedience to civil authority, is often used in isolation from the context of scripture as a whole. Scripture never teaches unconditional obedience to unjust rule. The same New Testament that encourages respect for authority also records the apostles declaring, “We must obey God rather than human authority.” (Acts 5:29)

Civil Disobedience in the Scripture

The Bible is filled with faithful examples of civil disobedience. Hebrew midwives defied Pharaoh’s command to kill children (thereby saving Moses who would later free his people). Daniel refused to bow down to the an earthly ruler. The Wisemen went home by another way to avoid King Herod. Early Christians protected the persecuted despite government opposition.

Some argue that commands to care for immigrants apply only to individuals and churches. Yet the Biblical command to love the stranger appears within Israel’s legal framework — laws that governed national economic and social life. Leviticus instructs the entire community to treat foreigners as native-born citizens.(Leviticus 19:33-34) Exodus prohibits national systems from oppressing immigrants.(Exodus 22:21 and 23:9) These were public mandates that were intended not to merely shape individual actions but society's structure and systems.

Jesus expands this responsibility even further. In Matthew 25, Christ teaches that nations themselves are judged by how they treat the hungry, the imprisoned, and the stranger. Faith, according to Jesus, cannot be separated from how communities collectively care for vulnerable people.

It is also worth remembering that Jesus’ own life began with forced migration. In order to save the life of their child, Mary and Joseph had to flee with him to Egypt where they remained as asylum seekers until it was safe to return to their homeland. For Christians, immigration is part of our story of faith.

I don't think anyone who lifts up the Biblical mandate to welcome the stranger is suggesting that we throw law and order out the window. Scripture affirms the importance of justice. But Biblical justice is never separated from mercy. Christian accountability is always balanced with compassion and never instituted at the expense of human dignity.

Fallibly Living Out Our Faith

Our Christian faith teaches us that when we welcome the stranger, we welcome Christ himself. It's one of those spaces where private faith collides with public life. It's not just something we practice at home, but something that should shape our lives together as family, neighbors and citizens.

We all falter and fall short of who God calls us to be.

We all get it wrong, even in times when we're trying desperately to get it right.

We celebrate and rejoice with much gratitude that our God is a God of second chances who is always ready to pick us up, dust us off and set us back on the right path when we miss the mark.

But as we move forward in faith, may we be mindful, careful and cautious about using the Bible to justify and rationalize actions that are simply not in keeping with being the people God calls us to be.