How Should Christians Respond to the Syrian Refugee Crisis?
Here’s what is happening in the last half of Matthew 2 in a nutshell: the political environment in Israel grows alarmingly dangerous, and because of the threat of death and violence, Joseph takes the Child and his mother, Mary, and flees from the hostile land of Israel to the relative safety of Egypt, where he lives until the danger has passed.
Sounds like the Middle East today, doesn’t it? We see the Child Jesus forced to flee or risk certain death at the hand of Herod, and we see thousands of Syrians fleeing today or risk certain death at the hands of ISIS.
This shines an important light on the realities of the political environment we see in the Middle East today. Political violence and death have been a part of that culture for much longer than Americans care to admit. Jesus was a refugee forced to flee from the threat of Herod.
How Should We Respond to the Syrian Refugee Crisis?
This raises a difficult question for Americans. How should we respond to the request of our president to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States? At the risk of oversimplifying an incredibly complex situation, I see one clear principle in the Matthew narrative that I believe is important when seeking ways to minister to refugees—it is the importance of returning to your homeland. Jesus didn’t flee to Egypt, take up residence and live out the rest of His life in Egypt. As soon as the threat of violence was over, He returned to the Land of Israel.
One of the problems we face with the prospect of bringing Syrian refugees to America is that they will likely live out the rest of their lives here. Is it right to take young people—the very health and vitality of a population—and transport them around the world to a place from which they will never return? Would it not be better to put resources into helping refugees flee to countries neighboring Syria, care for them, and then when the danger of ISIS is removed, help them return home where they can live and serve as productive citizens?
From a military perspective, it doesn’t make sense to transport able-bodied young Syrian men and women to the United States while at the same time arguing we should transport able-bodied young American men and women to Syria to fight their war. I try to picture how Americans would respond if the situation was reversed. Based on what we know of American history, I think it would be safe to assume that most Americans would rather stay and fight for their homeland than flee to another country on the other side of the world.
I recently read an article on Medgar Evers, the civil rights champion of the 1960s. The South was not a safe place to be an African-American civil rights worker in the 1960s. Evers lived with the constant threat of violence and even death, and many encouraged him to flee the South until the political environment cooled down. Not long before he was gunned down by Byron De La Beckwith, he was quoted as saying, “I don’t know whether I am going to heaven or to hell, but I’m going from Jackson.” Evers had the courage and the conviction to stay in Mississippi and fight for the rights of others, but he also had something else–a love for his home and a desire to see it become a better place to live.
I find it hard to believe there are not modern-day Syrians who have the “stay and fight” courage and conviction of a Medgar Evers or Mahatma Gandhi. Would the people of Syria not be better served if we created safe zones within neighboring countries to protect the true refugees–the mothers and their children, the old, and the weak–and then train and equip the young men to fight against the evil that has invaded their country?
I can hear someone now charging, “that’s not compassionate.” Is it compassionate to take the very people who will be needed to rebuild a new Syria after this terrible civil war? Is it compassionate to accept a token 10,000 refugees out of the millions of hurting people just so we can feel good and note we “did our part”? No, my friend, true compassion is being willing to help change the radical Islamic paradigm in Syria in order to lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous country that is safe for all people to live. Simply transporting the problems to America is not a compassionate solution.–Chris Eller
This Week’s Core Virtue
Hope (Hebrews 6:19-20): I can cope with the hardships of life and with death because of the hope I have in Jesus Christ.
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An Unexpected Journey
Here’s what is happening in the last half of Matthew 2 in a nutshell: the political environment in Israel grows alarmingly dangerous, and because of the threat of death and violence, Joseph takes the Child and his mother, Mary, and flees from the hostile land of Israel to the relative safety of Egypt, where he lives until the danger has passed.Sounds like the Middle East today, doesn’t it? We see the Child Jesus forced to flee or risk certain death at the hand of Herod, and we see thousands of Syrians fleeing today or risk certain death at the hands of ISIS.This shines an important light on the realities of the political environment we see in the Middle East today. Political violence and death have been a part of that culture for much longer than Americans care to admit. Jesus was a refugee forced to flee from the threat of Herod.How Should We Respond to the Syrian Refugee Crisis?This raises a difficult question for Americans. How should we respond to the request of our president to bring 10,000 Syrian refugees to the United States? At the risk of oversimplifying an incredibly complex situation, I see one clear principle in the Matthew narrative that I believe is important when seeking ways to minister to refugees—it is the importance of returning to your homeland. Jesus didn’t flee to Egypt, take up residence and live out the rest of His life in Egypt. As soon as the threat of violence was over, He returned to the Land of Israel.One of the problems we face with the prospect of bringing Syrian refugees to America is that they will likely live out the rest of their lives here. Is it right to take young people—the very health and vitality of a population—and transport them around the world to a place from which they will never return? Would it not be better to put resources into helping refugees flee to countries neighboring Syria, care for them, and then when the danger of ISIS is removed, help them return home where they can live and serve as productive citizens?From a military perspective, it doesn’t make sense to transport able-bodied young Syrian men and women to the United States while at the same time arguing we should transport able-bodied young American men and women to Syria to fight their war. I try to picture how Americans would respond if the situation was reversed. Based on what we know of American history, I think it would be safe to assume that most Americans would rather stay and fight for their homeland than flee to another country on the other side of the world.I recently read an article on Medgar Evers, the civil rights champion of the 1960s. The South was not a safe place to be an African-American civil rights worker in the 1960s. Evers lived with the constant threat of violence and even death, and many encouraged him to flee the South until the political environment cooled down. Not long before he was gunned down by Byron De La Beckwith, he was quoted as saying, “I don’t know whether I am going to heaven or to hell, but I’m going from Jackson.” Evers had the courage and the conviction to stay in Mississippi and fight for the rights of others, but he also had something else–a love for his home and a desire to see it become a better place to live.I find it hard to believe there are not modern-day Syrians who have the “stay and fight” courage and conviction of a Medgar Evers or Mahatma Gandhi. Would the people of Syria not be better served if we created safe zones within neighboring countries to protect the true refugees–the mothers and their children, the old, and the weak–and then train and equip the young men to fight against the evil that has invaded their country?I can hear someone now charging, “that’s not compassionate.” Is it compassionate to take the very people who will be needed to rebuild a new Syria after this terrible civil war? Is it compassionate to accept a token 10,000 refugees out of the millions of hurting people just so we can feel good and note we “did our part”? No, my friend, true compassion is being willing to help change the radical Islamic paradigm in Syria in order to lay the foundation for a peaceful, prosperous country that is safe for all people to live. Simply transporting the problems to America is not a compassionate solution.–Chris EllerThis Week’s Core VirtueHope (Hebrews 6:19-20): I can cope with the hardships of life and with death because of the hope I have in Jesus Christ.Download This Week’s IssueDownload The Compass for the week of December 20.
An Unexpected Dream
There are times in life when we can see trials approaching like a storm in the distance. Other times, we are plunged without notice into the deepest, darkest oceans of pain and suffering. This is what Joseph experienced.The months of betrothal are when two strangers develop the deep bonds of love that will carry them through the long years of life ahead. It is not only the man and woman who are shaped and molded together during the betrothal, but their families as well.For Joseph, the suddenness of this dark night enveloped him in the span of time it takes to say three words—“I am pregnant.” Suddenly, without warning, all of Joseph’s dreams and plans for his family were shattered. He loved Mary. How could this happen?The pain of Joseph’s dark night was quickly equaled by an overwhelming sense of shame. Everyone knew that Joseph and Mary were to be husband and wife. Their families had celebrated their engagement in the synagogue, and Joseph now looked to Mary’s mother and father as his own mother and father. They were family.Joseph found himself in a difficult spot. As a righteous man, he knew the Law, and the Law was clear—the punishment for adultery was public shame and even death by stoning. Joseph couldn’t bear the thought of his beloved Mary being shamed and then stoned to death. In spite of her great sin, he loved her, too much to see her die.The other option was to quietly dissolve their marriage agreement. While less public, it would still be painful. Joseph didn’t know what to do. He knew what the Law said. He new what his heart was saying to him. There was no easy way out.Since hearing the words from Mary that she was pregnant, Joseph had not slept well. One night, however, Joseph fell into a deep sleep. While he was sleeping, Joseph had an amazing dream. An angel of the Lord appeared before him and said,
“Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
When Joseph awoke, he wasn’t sure if he could believe the dream or not, but it was so real. And it made sense. Mary had insisted she had done nothing wrong, that the child within her was from God, and she, too, had a miraculous vision of an angel describing a Mighty King who would be born from her and who would reign on his father David’s throne forever.When Mary told this to Joseph, he scoffed at her. How incredible! Did she actually expect him to believe this. A child, born to a virgin?But now, for some unknown reason, he believed Mary, and he believed what the angel had told him in the dream. Suddenly, he remembered the words Mary had told him as she recounted what the angel had said to her: “For nothing will be impossible with God.”Without hesitation, Joseph immediately obeyed what the angel had commanded. He took Mary as his wife, but he did not know her. Joseph remembered an old rabbi once saying, “hope burns brightest in the midst of the darkest night.”This Week’s Core BeliefJesus Christ (John 1:12): We believe in Jesus Christ, His deity, virgin birth, sinless life, vicarious death, burial and bodily resurrection, His ascension to the right hand of the Father and His personal future return in power and glory. We are significant only because of our position as children of God.
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Contend for the Faith
We started our look at the one-chapter epistles of the New Testament by highlighting the importance of truth. A Christian would point to the Word of God as the bedrock foundation of truth. It is from the Bible that we learn and understand the essential elements of the Lord God that define our human understanding of morality and ethics. Our culture, from the constitution of the United States to the legal code that guides our daily life and interaction with each other was founded upon the bedrock truth found only in the Bible.Today, the very definition of absolute truth has become relative. Rather than identifying what is absolute based on the unchangeable Word of God, our culture believes that absolutes can be defined and redefined to accommodate the needs and necessities of society. As a result, absolute truth (the Word of God) does not define and guide culture, culture defines and redefines what is absolute truth!The church is guilty of the same fallacy. Many Christians shy away from hard absolutes because our culture has painted such beliefs as extremist and hateful. Moreover, we have allowed our “pursuit of life, liberty, and happiness” to slowly silence the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit in our life. In a 2009 end-of-year perspective, Christian pollster George Barna noted that “only one-third (34 percent) of [American Christians] believe in absolute truth. This is down from 50 percent in a 2002 survey. The consequences of this slide into relativism within the church is startling. Barna observes,
Americans typically draw from a broad treasury of moral, spiritual and ethical sources of thought to concoct a uniquely personal brand of faith. Feeling freed from the boundaries established by the Christian faith, and immersed in a postmodern society which revels in participation, personal expression, satisfying relationships, and authentic experiences, we become our own unchallenged spiritual authorities, defining truth and reality as we see fit.
Consequently, more and more people are engaged in hybrid faiths, mixing elements from different historical eras and divergent theological perspectives. In some ways, we are creating the ultimate ecumenical movement, where nothing is deemed right or wrong, and all ideas, beliefs and practices are assigned equal validity. Everyone is invited to join the dialogue, enjoy the ride, and feel connected to a far-reaching community of believers. Screening or critiquing what that community believes is deemed rude and inappropriate. Pragmatism and relativism, rather than any sort of absolutism, has gained momentum.It is sobering to realize this is from 2009—six years ago—and the moral decay and confusion within our culture has accelerated at an increasingly alarming pace.This reality makes the warnings from Jude more critical than ever. Jude warns in explicit language that the teaching and acceptance of false teachers leads to destruction (Jude 13b). Jude encourages his readers to contend for the faith and to be people of faith, prayer, and the word. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life” (Jude 20-21).How can you tell if you have fallen prey to relativism, the false teaching of our age? Is the Bible your bedrock guide for how you live and conduct your life? Do you find yourself making decision to participate in things and not participate in things based on biblical conviction? Are you more concerned about biblical truth than about being popular or in with the crowd? These are all signs of a Christian life committed to following God and openly identifying with Jesus Christ.If these signs are not evident in your life, do you live a life of self-determined truth and beliefs. Do you find yourself seeking and searching for spiritual guides and teachers who support your view of life? Do you find yourself confronted with biblical truth yet internally arguing, “yes, but…” Do you find yourself listening to voices who say “judge not lest you be judged” when you see society running in the opposite direction of God’s declared truth? If you answer yes to any of these questions, you need to heed Jude’s warning!Oh, beloved, don’t fall prey to the false beliefs of our age. Ground your life and your worldview on the Word of God. Study the Word. Memorize the Word. Let the Spirit of God mold and shape you into the image of Christ through the Word of God. There is nothing of more importance to the Christian than this process of sanctification that produces the outward evidence of one’s salvation. “Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen” (Jude 1:24-25)–Chris EllerThis week’s R2R distinctive Authenticity (John 13:33-34): I know and understand biblical truths and transfer these truths into everyday life. Who I am on the inside and outside is a pure reflection of Christ and His Word.
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Paul's Thorn In the Flesh
There has been a lot of debate through the centuries regarding the Apostle Paul’s “thorn in the flesh.” He refers to it in 2 Corinthians 12:7: “Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself!”Many believe Paul’s thorn in the flesh was a physical ailment that caused physical suffering and hindered his work as an apostle. Some try and connect Galatians 6:11, in which Paul indicates he is writing large letters with his own hand to point to a potential eye problem or near blindness.I’ve always argued that Paul’s thorn in the flesh was not a physical ailment, it was a person, someone who caused great stress and contention in Paul’s life. John MacArthur argues that Paul’s thorn was in fact a demonic messenger of Satan who used the deceivers within the church at Corinth to cause a rebellion against Paul’s authority. This makes a lot of sense to me.This year I celebrated 25 years in full-time ministry. Over those many years, I can tell you without exception that the times that brought the most personal stress and strife were rooted in interpersonal conflict. During these times the voice of discouragement rings strong within my ears. I often tease my co-workers that I’m tempted to respond to the “Open Interview” sign on the door at the Kum & Go down the street. Nothing sounds better at that moment than to stand at a cash register and ask two simple questions: “cash back?” and “receipt?”In this week’s one-chapter epistle, 3 John, we meet first hand one of these “demons of discouragement,” a man by the name of Diotrephes. We all know him. He’s the man (or woman) in the church who loves the spotlight, hates accountability, speaks unkindly of others, gossips, criticizes others trying to serve, isolates and tries to run off those who resist his or her “leadership.” Yes, the “spirit of Diotrephes” is alive and well in churches all across the world today.As if recognizing that we needed a good example to follow rather than the evil example of Diotrephes, John gives us Gaius. Fortunately, churches see many more living examples of Gaius than of Diotrephes. Gaius focused on a godly spiritual life, was well regarded by other believers because of his life example, spoke truth, showed hospitality to both believers and outsiders, was generous and giving, cared greatly for the missionaries, did not aspire fame or the spotlight.Gaius stands as a shining example of Christian leadership and maturity within the body of Christ. It is my prayer this week that each of us seek to exhibit the qualities John highlights about Gaius as we live and serve together in this great mission endeavor we call First Family.–Chris EllerThis week’s R2R distinctive Faithfulness (Proverbs 3:3-4): I have established a good name with God and with others based on my long-term loyalty to those relationships.
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