The Syrian Refugee Crisis is not a Simple Matter

For months, the Syrian refugee crisis has been in the news. Now after the Paris attacks, it has become a political hot-button issue. Unfortunately, it appears to be a partisan issue dividing the country mostly on party lines. Some of the language being used on both sides is very disappointing. While there are strong passions on both sides, we need to learn to have a civil discussion/debate about the issue and not resort to personal attacks or insults.

That being said, this is a complicated issue. Much of the rhetoric is simplifying the situation to absurd levels. One side says that it is the Christian thing to do to accept them into our country and anything short of that is sin. I have even heard that it is not only against international law but also against the Constitution to keep them out. The other side says that it is strictly a safety issue and they need to stay out or maybe allow only the Christians in. In light of this, here are a few things that we should be able to agree upon in looking at this complex dilemma.

1. ISIS is a Muslim-based organization. It is clear that ISIS uses Islamic language in its communication and takes its cues from a literal reading of the Quran. (See article)

2. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Some have pointed out that the KKK is not representative of Christians just like ISIS is not representative of Muslims. Even if you want to argue that KKK was not following true Christianity and ISIS is following true Islam (which is not an air-tight argument), there are people in both religions that are not as fanatical as these fringe elements. In fact, there are Muslims that are coming out against the attacks. (See article)

3. God calls us to care for those in need. There are many Bible verses telling us to take care of strangers, widows, orphans, etc. Phil 2:4, James 1:27, Matt 25:40, and Deut 10:19 are just a few.

4. There is a safety concern that needs to be considered. In general, allowing 10,000 people into the country has some level of danger involved. Considering that one of the attackers posed as a refugee to enter France, this level of danger has increased. At the risk of over-spiritualizing this, there are biblical references to protection from harm as being a good thing. As an example, after the Israelites came back to Jerusalem, they rebuilt the temple but they also rebuilt the walls. When they were building the walls, they had to fight to protect against those who wanted to harm them and stop the building of the walls (Nehemiah 4). Is there a danger with the refugees? Yes. How big of a danger is it and should it affect our response? Those are harder to answer.

5. There are ways to help the refugees that do not include moving them to the US. Humanitarian aid is needed right now wherever they are located. Also, we should find places for them to live. Finding a country that is more similar to their culture may reduce some problems they might have moving to the US.

6. They are our neighbors and we are to love them like ourselves. Mark 12:31 and Lev 19:18.

In looking at all of these points, it is clear that we have a “moral obligation” to help these refugees (see some ideas here) but allowing them into the country is not our only option. As you can tell, I am not an expert on Middle East affairs and I will not be giving my opinion over whether we should accept the refugees or not. What I am saying it that this is not a simple issue and we should stop the “Sound-bite offensive”. The issue and the refugees deserve more than that.

Why is Biblical Manhod so hard to define?

This fall we launched a Small Group to go through The Family Project, a DVD curriculum produced by Focus on the Family. We have had a wonderful time walking though the design for the family and how we relate to God through our families. We have discussed topics including God’s creation of man, man being in God’s image, marriage, and even sexuality. We had covered mothers as being “image-bearers” and so this week we talked about fathers doing the same. In the video, the sobering statistics about children raised without a father were discussed and it was shocking. For example, in the 1970’s, the African-American community had a 70%+ birthrate of kids within an intact two parent home. Now, that percentage is down to 28%. While this stat tells the extant of the issue, others show that growing up without a father increases the likelihood of incarceration, drug use, pregnancy, among other dangerous behavior. It should be common sense but these stats show that fathers make a significant contribution to family life.

So then this leads to the next question: Why? What does a father bring into a family that flips these statistics around? Unfortunately, I am still trying to answer that question in my head. Hopefully, I will be able to post my thoughts on that matter when they solidify more in my own head. There are many books and blogs talking about this but many show characteristics of being a Godly parent and not specifically a Godly father. Yes, a Godly father needs to be a Godly parent so these all do apply. However, trying to draw a line (however fuzzy it may be) between the roles of a Godly mother and a Godly father is difficult at best and insulting at worst. As I pondered this question, a few thoughts came to mind and I turn to those now.

The first things that comes to mind when discussing roles is that from the very beginning, the first attack on humanity was to the structure of the family. We all know that Genesis 3 says that Satan was talking to Eve and that she was the first one to eat of the tree. If we look back to Genesis 2, who did God give the instructions to? He gave them to Adam and he passed them down to Eve. Notice that Satan did not do a frontal assault on the commands of God to Adam. He ambushed the family from the side by going after Eve. Why do I belabor this point? Because in the curses that are handed out, one of them to Eve speaks directly to the relationship between a wife and a husband. There will be tension in a marriage until the Fall is fixed in heaven.

The second thought is that our culture has given fathers a pass on responsibility. If a pregnancy occurs, it is primarily the mother who is draped in the responsibility of raising that child. There are men who do step up and take to supporting their child but the fact that they are celebrated for their self-sacrifice is the exception that proves the rule. That should be expected instead of the exception. That being said, when we think of father, we have to overcome the culture of absentee fathers before we even begin to talk about how to be a Godly father. We have to teach men what it means to be a parent before we raise the bar to being a father, then a Godly father. With this huge cultural hole, before we start talking about these other things, we need to level-set our audience. Thus, backfilling this hole becomes the vast majority of the discussion.

Finally, putting these two things together, we get the “Murphy Brown” syndrome. Back in 1988 – 1998, Murphy Brown was a sit-com whose main character was a single woman. While being a successful journalist, she decided to have and raise a child on her own. Vice President Dan Quayle took issue with this on the campaign trail and criticized this as “mocks the importance of fathers” by bearing a child alone(Carter, Bill. “Back Talk from ‘Murphy Brown’ to Dan Quayle” New York Times. July 20, 1992). (As an aside, while Quayle was raked over the coals for this comment, the stats prove that he was correct: fathers matter) This idea that fathers are not necessary to raising a child has grown in American culture. Fathers are portrayed as buffoons and only incidental in the shaping of their children in the media. Thus, when we discuss roles for men, there are many examples in society where women have needed to raise and take on that role for their families. Thus, it is hard to differentiate between the roles for the father and for the mother.

To start talking about Biblical Manhood, we have many cultural issues to overcome. We need to teach men to be responsible. We need to teach them how to be a parent. We need to teach them that they matter to the family. When we try to look at setting expectations on the fathers in our ministries to be Godly fathers, we need to make sure that we are aware of these issues. While we want to set the bar a teh example of Jesus, we also want to set realistic milestones for our fathers to use in order to see their progress and so they do not get discouraged. Bottom line with any discipleship ministry, we need to know our audience and be willing to walk them from where they are at to the place God is calling them to be. 

How do you choose your food?

In the past month or so, we have found ourselves eating out quite a bit. Whether it is busy schedules or special days, our meals at home have been fewer than they probably should be. One day when I was ordering, it struck me that I change how I choose my food based on where I am eating. For example, last night, Wanda and I went to Culvers. When I went in, I was looking for something that “looked good”. I choose the Pot Roast dinner. I have had good pot roast and not so good pot roast. While I know what it was supposed to taste like, this one exceeded my expectations of a pot roast from a “Fast Food” place. Still, I went in looking for something that I wanted.

There are some restaurants that are more creative. I am talking about eateries like Panera or those that use unique combinations of ingredients. When I go into those establishments, I am looking to challenge myself, to see how far the chef is willing to push me. Sometimes, you get something that you do not care for too much. Sometimes, it blows your mind with how good it is. I remember going to someone’s house for dinner and they served a vegetable dish with corn, summer squash and zucchini. I normally do not care for summer squash and zucchini but this dish was delicious. If I was at a restaurant, I would not have ordered that because it would not have appealed to me. But, I was glad that they served it so I could appreciate the dish and the flavors that can come out of those often-times bland and strangely-textured veggies.

When I am at home and I am watching TV, there is a better than 50/50 chance that I am either watching sports or a show about food. In both of those environments, they talk about pushing yourself, expanding your horizons, seeing how far you can go. I fully agree with expanding your world for a purpose (pushing the envelope just to push the envelope is for another post). When we talk about sports, it is pushing yourself so in the heat of the moment or a game, you can perform better. When we talk about food, we push ourselves to appreciate the wide varieties of food that God has provided us.

Pushing our limits is not just for food and sports. Too often, we approach God the way we approach a fast food joint or a familiar restaurant: what looks good. We come to church wanting something familiar to satisfy our wants. We expect to know what it should be like and critique it on how it did or did not live up to our expectations. We spend time in our quiet times reading safe or familiar passages, books, genres. I am not saying that this is entirely wrong. Sometimes we need to be refreshed and reminded of good familiar truths from God just like a good bowl of ice cream. Sometimes we are beat up and need something refreshing like a fresh, crisp BLT sandwich or good old comfort food like pot roast with potatoes.

But there are times that we should challenge ourselves spiritually. Paul in 1 Corinthians 3 is encouraging the church in Corinth to push their limits. He wanted to expand their horizons about God but they were not ready. For me, this came when I finished my reading and study of 1 & 2 Thessalonians. For my personal studies, I have spent 90% of my time in the New Testament and probably 75% of that time in the epistles. Again, not that it was not fruitful but I was doing the familiar. So, I then went to Ezra and Nehemiah. While they were in the Old Testament, they were still safe for me because they were historical books. To me, the prophecy books were like summer squash and zucchini. I had it growing up and it never tasted good to me. So I tried to avoid it as much as possible. Thankfully, God prompted me to see where I needed to expand my horizon and also see the connection between the last three books in the Old Testament (Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi) and Ezra and Nehemiah. I am through Haggai and working through Zechariah now. I would not say that I have fully appreciated this new “food” but I am starting to.

While my tastes are not at adventurous as Andrew Zimmer (Bizarre Foods), as a Christian, I affirm the whole council of the Word and the inspiration of all of the Bible. Thus, I should be willing and able to taste and appreciate all parts of the Bible for what God intended. Of course, this means I need to get out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. What new areas of Himself is God wanting to show you today?