Years ago, I worked with a refugee community in Nashville, TN. Most of the refugees were Kurds, but, I remember that at least one of the families I worked with was Haitian. Christians were involved with bringing the refugees into the United States, and they were involved with helping them, making sure they got work, a place to live, food, and anything else they needed. The children adapted to the situation quicker than the adults, as they found it far easier to learn English, which often meant, the children often served as interpreters when dealing with the adults. What was remarkable is that how welcoming the families were; even when communication was difficult, they found a way to make sure I was welcome. I was constantly being invited by them to come to their apartments, to eat with them, or at least, to be given some tea and bread to snack on, and just get to know each other. And, when there was a larger community event, like a huge pitch-in picnic with several hundred Kurds from all around the city coming together to sing, dance, and eat, they made sure I was invited and made welcome by the larger community. There was a sense of openness and respect to others, to strangers, the kind which we have lost in the United States today.
It was difficult for some of the refugees I helped to adapt to their new situation. Many of them were not used to city life, and so, during the summer, when I was working with them, their children liked to roam around the city, trying to keep to the sense of freedom they once had in their country of origin. The children would wander around in various sized groups, from five to ten or more, and they tended to be from the ages of six to sixteen (with some of the older teens, especially female ones, staying at home, helping to take care of any infants while their parents were at work). Sadly, not everyone in Nashville was as welcoming as they should have been, mostly because they did not know how to help them and deal with their eccentricates, and not out of spite.
How things have changed! Now, many Christians, far from helping refugees (or other migrants) move to the United States, are among those who are most hostile to them. This is because Christian nationalism has taken control of the narrative in many Christian churches. Instead of helping foreigners as Scripture and tradition tell them to do, many Christians look for any excuse to denigrate them, to treat them poorly, and to deny them their basic rights (such as the right to seek refuge or migrate). This can be exemplified in the way J.D. Vance, Donald Trump, and Christians supporting them, have been denigrating Haitian refugees in Ohio; not only are they spreading lies about Haitians, they are making it clear, if they have the power to do so, they plan to expel them from the United States, sending them off to untold horrors if not to their death. The rally cry I have seen coming from some of them has changed from “We are for legal immigration” to “let’s declare legal migrants and refugees illegals so we can throw them out.” It was, of course, always a dishonest ploy to say they only wanted to round up and expel “illegal” immigrants, because many of those who they denigrated and wanted to round up and throw out of the country were not “illegal immigrants” but those who were here legally, or worse, actual American citizens who are children of migrants. The fact that most of those they were attacking were “legal migrants”, “legal refugees”, and even Americans, and they were willing to lie about that, demonstrated their dishonesty and why they are not to be trusted; but now, many are forgoing such lies and are willing to state out in the open that yes, they just want to kick people of various ethnic groups out of the country, whether or not they are here legally, whether or not they are Americans (as many have made it clear they hope to remove the citizenship status of many Americans). They are also making it clear that any American who does not comply and work with them might also be put on a list to be round up and possibly expelled from the country.
Many of those who are most vehement against those who appear to be foreigners call themselves Christians. This anti-foreigner narrative coming from Christians is a stain on the Christian name, but to be sure, it is not new. It has had a long history in the United States. The sad part is that many who, in one generation, experienced such hate (such as the Irish) have joined in with the new wave of xenophobia and hate and are willing to denigrate and demonize whole groups the same way they were once demonized. Of course, Christian history also shows this is a common problem. Christians of one generation will be demonized, and when they are, they will work for the promotion of human rights, looking not only for their own good, but the good of others who are similarly mistreated. Then, when the situation changes, when they find themselves in positions of power instead of being the ones abused by those who wield power, they begin to treat others the way they once were treated, with one of the greatest examples of this being what happened in Rome after Christians took over the state. Christians went from the time of the martyrs, with Christians speaking about human dignity and the need to treat everyone as equals, to mistreating and abusing, not only each other, but those who did not become Christian once it was the official religion of Rome (Jews and pagans alike).
It has become quite common for American Christian nationalists to try to use immigrants and refugees as scapegoats, suggesting those who are foreign born not only are a major source of crime in the United States, but are actually trying to take it over. This is why it is not surprising to see Fox News giving voice to those who say Haitians are making cities appear as if they come out of Escape from New York. It is, of course, as usual, a great lie. And Christians, once again, should know better and not embrace that lie, as Scripture consistently tells them to treat foreigners with respect, indeed, to treat them as they would treat citizens of their country, making sure they do not needlessly suffer. Sadly, history is repeating itself, as Christians have once again lost sight of the greater good, the higher principles they were taught. They often justify their abuse of others by saying if they do not act in such a way, they would lose power, and so would be the ones who would suffer abuse; that is, they are suggesting what they are doing is out of a desire to survive. But, if that were true, why do they do so in the name of Christ, in the name of Christianity, because that ideology is as far from what Christ taught as is possible?
Not all Christians have embraced Christian nationalism. Not all Christians are xenophobes, spreading hate against migrants and refugees. Indeed, a good number are speaking out against such hate. But, sadly, those who know better are not only being ignored, but threatened by those who have embraced Christian nationalism. Christians need to see what is happening and fix the problem before it is too late. They need to see the way history threatens to repeat itself, as nationalistic rhetoric, especially from Christians, is beginning to imitate the nationalistic rhetoric of the 20th century which led to the Holocaust. Talks about rounding up large groups of people should scare anyone of good will, as they should know how such a round-up occurs, and what happens after people have been rounded up. The playbook of the past threatens to become the playbook of the future, and once again, many Christians are actively involved with the nationalism that defies the Christian faith itself. I hope that, in the election coming up, Americans give a resounding no to the plans being made, putting a stop to it once and for all, though I fear, as we have seen the last four years, that will not be the case.
How we treat migrants and refugees, the least among us, says who we are and who we are going to be as a people. If we can’t welcome them and show them the human dignity and love which is their due, if we can’t defend them from unjust accusations and lies, if the news media can’t stop its willingness to report such lies as if they could be true, we are in for a very dark, and dare I say, demonic future for our country.
*Personal Reflections And Speculations
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