Welcoming Refugees: Wisdom and Compassion is the Need of the Hour

Recently, the Governor of Florida has asked the federal government not to relocate Syrian refugees in Florida. He is not alone, as several states have done the same (article from USA Today). The reason is clear - the terror attacks in France show that it is possible, if not likely, that some terrorist might sneak in under the cover of being a refugee. 

I have seen posts from Christians varying from "shut the doors, don't let any refugees in," to "if you don't have an open door policy you are a hateful un-Christ-like person.  I don't think either of those are "the Christian" way to think on the issue. 

I don't claim to have the answers. All I want to point out is that as Christians we of all people should care about the oppressed and endangered people around us and around the world. So, we can't be like the angry "good-luck-with-your-problem" type of person. But neither do we have to affirm that a complete open door policy is biblical. It is not particularly Christian to invite Islamic extremists with plans of shooting our neighbors into our country. This is just as un-Christian as it is to leave women to be raped, men to be crucified, and children to be left as orphans in the desserts of Syria.

So, I don't have an answer, but I think we should not settle for overly simplistic sloganeering on an issue that is this complex and important. Human dignity matters because every person is made in the image of God. So racism, fear of those who are different, and selfishness will not due. Neither will failing to love our neighbors that might be truly endangered by poor policies. Ultimately, we need compassion for the hurting and wisdom as to how to truly help the hurting (ie. how to not unduly open the possibility for more people to be hurt). This is not an easy task, but it is a necessary one.

For more on this issue, I suggested reading Kevin DeYoung's helpful article, "Immigration Policy Must be Based on More than an Appeal to Compassion."

A few quotes from that to close:

I too am turned off by the harsh anti-immigrant rhetoric that sounds more like Pharaoh in Exodus 1 than the “love the sojourner” commands in Deuteronomy 10. It is a commendable response to see hurting people and think, “Let’s do all we can to help.” 

So how do we balance competing goods—the good of welcoming in suffering people and the good of keeping out those who want to inflict suffering on others? And how do we pursue these ends when it may be impossible to know if we are helping the right people? The answer is not as easy as fear versus compassion. Christian charity means loving the safety of the neighbor next door at least as much as loving the safe passage of the neighbor far away.