OPINION:
For the past two weeks, the news headlines have been replete with stories of liberal church leaders condemning the Trump administration for its intent to enforce America’s immigration laws.
Here are some examples.
Christianity Today: “Trump’s First Week Sends Shudders Through Immigrant Churches and Ministries.” This article accuses the Trump administration of plunging multiple communities across the nation into fear and anxiety.
Genocide Watch: “Pope Francis Condemns U.S. Deportation Policies, Directly Criticizing Trump’s Immigration Actions.” This column states that the pope has issued a sharp critique of the United States’ current approach to immigration, directly condemning the policies and programs that have characterized the first weeks of President Trump’s second term.
CBS News: “A Growing Number of Church Leaders are Criticizing President Trump’s Immigration Policies.” Here, the report focuses on Bishop Mark J. Seitz, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, who says, “Some provisions contained in the president’s executive orders, such as those focused on the treatment of immigrants and refugees, are deeply troubling and will have negative consequences.”
The Church Times: “Faith Groups Use Courts to Oppose Trump Executive Orders.” This article lauds the legal actions of certain churches suing the Trump administration over its enforcement of American laws.
The Episcopal News Service: “Episcopal Church, Interfaith Partners Challenge Trump’s ICE Enforcement Actions in Court.” This story focuses on a lawsuit against Mr. Trump and his crackdown on illegal immigration.
The Denver Post: “Under Trump, Will Denver Churches Offer Immigrants Sanctuary Again?” The message of this column is a clear call for political resistance on the issue of sanctuary cities, immigration and border security.
The Presbyterian News: “Repeal of Key Immigration Policy Holds Weighty Implications for Churches, Including PC(USA) Congregations.” This is but another article encouraging congregants to react negatively to the enforcement of our nation’s laws.
The National Catholic Reporter: “Bishops Condemn Trump’s Immigration Orders for Stoking Fear and Anxiety.” The premise of this column is that faithful Catholics should “stand in solidarity with all migrants,” and to do otherwise is a compromise of one’s “moral and human” responsibility.
And then there is this statement from Wayne Schmidt, the General Superintendent of The Wesleyan Church, who, among other things, calls for his denomination to “exercise awareness of the laws as they pertain to immigration and endeavor to obey them … UNLESS these laws are contrary to God’s Word AS INTERPRETED BY THE COLLECTIVE WISDOM AND AUTHORITY (emphasis mine)” of him and his merry band of denominational leaders.
Am I the only one who sees all this as a blatantly political appeal from the same people who just yesterday were roundly criticizing conservative Christians for being “too political?”
For example, when we took a stand against the Obamacare abortifacient mandates, all these church leaders roundly accused us of being too political.
When we sued Presidents Obama and Biden for imposing transgender policies on our Christian colleges, we were told we were too political.
When we stood against the Obergefell decision and the oxymoron of “gay marriage,” we were too political.
When we rightfully called Planned Parenthood an evil organization engaging in infanticide, we were too political.
When we criticized the nonsense of cancel culture, trigger warnings and safe spaces, we were too political.
When we stood against the overt racism of critical race theory, Black Lives Matter, and diversity, equity and inclusion, we were too political.
When we said we would not entertain the ontological and biological lies of the LGBTQ movement, we were too political.
When we said that the “Fairness for All” legislation would result in the loss of religious freedom for millions of biblically faithful Christians, we were too political.
When we told the government to stay out of the business of the church during the hysteria of COVID-19, we were too political.
The list goes on and on.
When we stood against sodomy, killing babies, the degradation of women, the destruction of the rule of law and the insult of declaring the church “nonessential,” we were repeatedly told to “stick to preaching the Gospel” and to stop being so “political.”
But now, it appears the same folks who said all of this think it’s fine to suddenly become very political.
One suspects that the “apolitical” criticism from these liberal church leaders was never a principled argument but merely a partisan one all along. Political activity is apparently something to celebrate as long as it aligns with the politics of those who say conservatives are being “too political.”
• Everett Piper (dreverettpiper.com, @dreverettpiper), a columnist for The Washington Times, is a former university president and radio host. He is the author of “Not a Daycare: The Devastating Consequences of Abandoning Truth” (Regnery). He can be reached at epiper@dreverettpiper.com.