The Christian and Politics
Hector Hinojosa・03/07/19
My name is Hector Hinojosa. I was born in South Texas in 1957 to a family of yellow dogDemocrats. That means if there’s a Democrat on the ballot, we will voteDemocrat even that Democrat an “old yellow dog.” Being born in October of 1957I did not get to vote in the presidential election until 1980. I voted for Ronald Reagan. Since then I have voted for every Republicanpresidential nominee since then- until our last election. Because of the position the Republicans havetaken on the wall, I could not support them. I felt like I would be betraying the sacrifice my grandparents andothers made to give me and my children the opportunity we have..
I have been a Christiansince 1991. I have been going to my church since 1998. I am a leader at ourchurch. I work in the Financial Services Business, so I’m pretty conservativeon fiscal matters. I’ve been a Mexicanalmost my entire life and, on this border wall issue, I guess I am considered ableeding-heart liberal. I am consideredone of “them”- you know the guy who hates America and wants it over run byforeigners. I don’t think I am – butthat is what I am told. I hope thatdisagreeing with many of my fellow Christians on this topic doesn’t mean I amcommitting a mortal sin. Having been born a Catholic I know what a big dealthat is! That is why I am so grateful for grace!
I was recently asked towrite this paper. My topic was “the Christian and politics”. As I was gatheringmy thoughts, I came across an article written in the Christian Chronicle that talked about some congressmen who were worshippingwith their first-generation Spanish-speaking Hispanic friends and loving themlike Christ would have us do. These samecongressmen also support building a border wall. They all seem very comfortableholding these two seemingly diametrically opposed ideas at the same time. Butfor me it’s impossible to square them.
Perhaps we should agreethat what someone says, and what another hears are sometimes NOT the samething. Sometimes they’re a littledifferent, and there is not harm. Andsometimes they’re so different it’s almost funny.
And in this instance, apolitician worshiping with first generation Spanish-speaking Hispanics- notcaring if they are fully documented, is a true picture of what Jesus’ love shouldlook like. But, when the very next sentence is that we have to build a wall, thosepositions seem incongruent. What I hear is this: we love you and we don’t carehow you got here or what your status is. On the other hand, your brothers and sisters and mothers and fathers andaunts and uncles are not welcome here. At least not today. Now, if they takethe 5 to 10 years to process paperwork and apply legally- then hopefully they willbe chosen for status of the United States, then we would be happy to welcomethem and love them like Jesus loves us. Short of that, all we can say is “don’tcome.” If you try, we’ll catch you… at the wall.
The disappointing thinghere is that these men all love Jesus. They love their church and the people inthem. I simply must believe that they don’t understand what is being heard-when they speak. I am currently reading a book by Andy Stanley titled Irresistible. The premise of the book isto try to find out why Christianity has become so resistible. Right after theresurrection of Jesus Christ, Christianity was irresistible. People wereflocking to become followers of Christ. And in doing so they faced great danger to livelihoods, to theirfamilies, even to their lives- many were killed because of their faith inChrist. And yet they came. Today onlyabout a third of the people in the county that I reside in, Tarrant county, attenda church assembly on Sunday. Only half consider themselves Christians. What hashappened to our faith? Why has our faith become so resistible?
While there may be manythings we can look to- I believe that this non-congruent view of immigrants is agood example of why people stay away and even refer to us as hypocrites. Afterall, Jesus told us to love our neighbor. The pharisees were trying to get Jesusto say something wrong. They wanted toask him loaded questions to try to trap him. They asked him “who is ourneighbor” and what does love look like. Hetold the story of the good Samaritan. In it he showed us how it is that we areto love our neighbor. We are to do what love requires. The story also forcedthem to realize that people that don’t look like them, or come from the samecountry, or believe in the same way- were their neighbors. I think that’ssomething we should consider today. Instead we seem to be saying that “while welove you, we don’t want or love your family back home.” I don’t believe that’swhat Jesus would have us do. I think thequestion that we need to ask is “what does love require?” How do we love them?The answer is -what does love require. Idon’t know what that means, but I’m pretty sure that love does not require awall. This reminds me a little of thefirst century Jews (Pharisees) that were teaching Gentiles that before theycould become Christians -they first had to become Jews (circumcision). They were adding steps to be worthy of God’slove.
A few years ago, a friendof mine who was the pulpit minister in a church in McAllen Texas (on the border)was looking for volunteers to help when the children’s immigration crisis washappening. He was lamenting that all the churches of Christ in the valley only produced5 to 8 volunteers a day, but that the Catholic Church had hundreds ofvolunteers helping these children. Is there something we can learn from them? Is there any question as to why most of theseHispanics attend the Catholic church? It’snot about theology, it’s about how they are loved.
I believe that we all wanteveryone to follow Jesus and find his love and his grace. It’s important thatwe are sensitive to what our words and beliefs say about how we lovepeople. All people! Even our enemies.And maybe even the people who are risking everything to come to America! Theyare not the enemy. But the enemy hasconvinced many of us that we can treat such people as if we hate them and stilllove Jesus.
If you have read to thispoint, I want to thank you. This has likely not been an easy read. Hopefully Ididn’t offend you. But I do want toremind us that this (Earth) is not our home! That we too are immigrants andthat one day we will go home where there will be no walls. America is the greatest country in the world,it’s not the promised land…. That is coming and I want to see everyone there!
In him Hector