More Than Medicine
More Than Medicine
MTM - Balancing Biblical Compassion with Border Security
Is it possible to balance the biblical call to love our neighbors with the urgent need for border security? As your host, Dr. Robert Jackson, I invite you to explore this complex intersection of faith and immigration. We'll dissect the confusion surrounding immigration reform and grapple with the challenging question: Does Christian compassion equate to unlimited acceptance of immigrants, irrespective of their legal status? Drawing on biblical teachings, I emphasize the necessity of order and lawfulness, arguing for the importance of assimilation and the responsible vetting of refugees and asylum seekers. With alarming statistics on illegal immigration, the discussion underscores the critical role secure borders play in safeguarding our nation's sovereignty and protecting our vulnerable citizens.
Gratitude is at the heart of our podcast community, and I extend a heartfelt thank you to each listener. Your support is invaluable, and I encourage you to further engage with our More Than Medicine podcast by liking, following, and sharing our episodes. There’s much more to discover about the Jackson Family Ministry, including insights into my books and opportunities for speaking engagements. Visit our social media and website for more details. As we wrap up, a special acknowledgment goes to Bob Slone Audio Production for the exceptional work behind the scenes. Dive into this balanced perspective on immigration, where faith and national security converge.
https://www.jacksonfamilyministry.com
https://bobslone.com/home/podcast-production/
Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, dr Robert Jackson, and his wife Carlotta and daughter Hannah Miller. So listen up, because the doctor is in.
Dr. Robert Jackson:Welcome to More Than Medicine. I'm your host, dr Robert Jackson, bringing to you biblical insights and stories from the Country Doctor's Rusty, dusty Scrapbook. Well, today I'd like to try to bring a little bit of clarity to the issue of the southern border and illegal immigration. What does it mean to love thy neighbor? I've heard so many Christian people discussing the whole issue of illegal immigration and so many times I've heard people look at me and say well, shouldn't we love our neighbor? In the current debate over immigration reform and the need to close the border, many Christians are confused. What is our responsibility? Aren't we supposed to love our neighbor? Didn't God tell us I'm sorry? Didn't God tell the Israelites to love the sojourner? But was that a prescription for unlimited immigration, either legal or illegal?
Dr. Robert Jackson:I hear evangelical pastors saying that God has brought the nations to our doorstep and we have a responsibility to reach out to them. The editorial board of Christianity Today warned Donald Trump that in enforcing his immigration policy, he would be deporting our next generation of church leaders. There are bits of truth in these statements, because we are challenged to make disciples of all nations, and that's made easy when the nations come to us via business, via college students and sports and even immigration. But none of that paints the full picture and it wrongly implies that those who favor limiting immigration, either legal or illegal, are un-Christlike. First let's clarify terms, terms which are bandied about very, very loosely. First of all, what is a refugee? A refugee is someone who comes here with a well-founded fear of persecution due to their race, their politics, their religion or their national order, and they must apply for that status outside of the US in a neighboring country. That's a refugee. Now, what's an asylum seeker? An asylum seeker must meet the refugee definition and apply for admission as an asylum, mostly seeking a more prosperous life, which nobody can discredit them for that. But many are selling drugs or trafficking people and an unknown number are terrorists which are enemies of our state.
Dr. Robert Jackson:Accepting as many legitimate refugees and asylum seekers as can be thoroughly vetted is a valid immigration policy and we should accept people who will benefit our nation through their skills, their diligence, their love of liberty, meaning their love of America and the American way of life and their responsibility. People who come here illegally, who have no intention of learning our language or assimilating into our culture or becoming legal citizens, have no part of our America. Now go back to the idea of loving the sojourner. In Exodus 12, 48, god told Moses that the sojourner should be as a native of the land, but only if he let all his males be circumcised. Oh my goodness, does that mean we should circumcise all the illegal immigrants coming across our border? No, I don't think so. What this implies is that the sojourner, that he and his people, would be fully accepting of Jewish law and the Jewish God. God was not condoning uncontrolled immigration, but rather the orderly catch that word now orderly acceptance of those willing to accept Jewish practices and to assimilate into Jewish culture.
Dr. Robert Jackson:Foreigners couldn't respect Israel without respecting their laws. You see, god is a God of order, not of chaos, not of confusion, which is what 1 Corinthians 14, 33 tells us. God is a God of order and of peace. Nehemiah called his fellow Israelites to build the wall of Jerusalem that we may no longer offer derision in Nehemiah 2 and verse 13. Trust me, america is laughed at by the nations of the world because of our porous border without walls. Borders create order, while a lack of borders creates disorder. Chaos and disorder reign at our southern border and it creates victims of our most vulnerable citizens, those with the least physical, economic and political power.
Dr. Robert Jackson:Let me just read to you some statistics. You need to know these numbers. In fiscal year 2023, the Border Patrol recorded 1,254 illegal immigrants convicted of assault, battery or domestic violence, 2,493 convicted for driving under the influence and 2,055 for illegal drug possession and trafficking. And that's just those arrested, tried and convicted. The data doesn't count any of the criminals who got away or who weren't prosecuted thanks to the non-compliance policies of sanctuary cities.
Dr. Robert Jackson:In fiscal year 2021, border Patrol made nearly 1.7 million apprehensions of illegal immigrants, the largest number ever recorded. That is, more illegal immigrants entering in one year than the urban population of any single city in America, except for New York, los Angeles and Chicago. It's enough people to replace the population of New Hampshire, maine, rhode Island or that of seven other states. Now you need to contemplate that. That's replacement population. That's changing our entire demigration. You see, a country has sovereignty only as long as it has borders, and if we have no borders, we have no sovereignty. Laws allow us to have our own sovereignty, and without laws that are enforced, we have no sovereignty. And without sovereignty, we no longer have a nation. No sovereignty, and without sovereignty, we no longer have a nation.
Dr. Robert Jackson:Border Patrol estimates that another two million immigrants crossed the border illegally and got away, though there's no way they could know for sure, in large part due to the sheer volume of immigrants. The Department of Homeland Security estimates that an even larger number 4 million crossed the border in that same fiscal year, 2021. If that level of illegal immigration stayed steady for President Biden's term alone, in just four years, more illegal immigrants would have entered the country than the population of 46 states. Oh my goodness. Now, in 2023, border Patrol caught 160 illegal immigrants on the terror watch list, compared to 100 in 2022. In 2019, 280 potential terrorists were caught crossing the border. We don't really know how many terrorists got away, so let me tell you this In 2016 to 2020, nearly 750 members of MS-13, a notorious vicious and violent gang from El Salvador, were charged with federal crimes. Between 74% and 90% of those gang members were here illegally. That meant up to 674 members from a single gang committed crimes that never should have occurred. If they were not here, none of those crimes would have been committed.
Dr. Robert Jackson:Now, I don't know if you remember or even saw it, but President Trump, after he was elected, was at an inaugural Episcopal service and the female priest that presided over that service castigated President Trump over his border and immigration policies. Well, we found out just this week that the immigration ministry that her church sponsored received multiple millions of dollars from USAID, which President Trump's doge closed down and suspended. This woman also lives in a $2 million house in a nearby neighborhood that has five bedrooms and three or four bathrooms. Well, you get the picture. Well, I now have a response to the presentation that she made in which she publicly castigated President Trump. It's by a gentleman named LeVend Montgomery, and this is his response to Mary Ann Edgar Booty, who was the Episcopal priest While your plea for compassion?
Dr. Robert Jackson:Well, let me just see how he starts. He says, dear Mary Ann Edgar Booty, while your plea for compassion is commendable, it is neither compassionate nor biblical to undermine the rule of law or to disregard the sovereignty of a nation tasked with protecting its citizens. The scriptures are clear God is a God of order, not confusion. 1 Corinthians 14, 33. That's the verse we just referred to a moment ago. Governments are instituted by him to promote justice and uphold the rule of law Romans 13, 1 through 7. To imply that securing borders and enforcing immigration laws is contrary to God's mercy is a misrepresentation of biblical teaching. The same God who commands us to love the foreigner Leviticus 19, 34, also establishes boundaries for nations and call leaders to exercise wisdom and discernment in governance Acts 17.26.
Dr. Robert Jackson:Your statement that the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals misses the point. The issue is not the inherent morality of individuals, but the legality of their presence. To dismiss the importance of documentation is to suggest that laws governing immigration are trivial, thereby eroding the integrity of the very system that allows people to come to this country safely and legally. Justice cannot exist without law and law cannot stand without enforcement. Furthermore, while you highlight the contributions of undocumented immigrants, you fail to address the strain that unchecked illegal immigration places on public resources, infrastructure and the American workforce, particularly among lower-income citizens. Is that not equally compassionate to consider the plight of working-class Americans whose jobs, wages and safety are directly impacted by illegal immigration?
Dr. Robert Jackson:True mercy requires balancing justice and compassion, not sacrificing one for the other. You also appeal to the fears of children whose parents might face deportation. While this is indeed heartbreaking, we must remember that the parents themselves bear responsibility for placing their families in such precarious positions. Compassion does not absolve accountability. The call of the gospel is not to enable lawlessness, but to minister grace within the framework of truth. Finally, your call to welcome those fleeing persecution is one that conservatives do not reject, but it must be done responsibly. The United States already accepts more refugees and asylum seekers than most nations worldwide, a testament to its generosity. However, such hospitality must be balanced with national security and the well-being of current citizens, lest we compromise the very stability that makes this nation a refuge.
Dr. Robert Jackson:President Donald J Trump and his administration were entrusted with the responsibility to govern wisely and justly, ensuring the safety and prosperity of all Americans. This includes upholding immigration laws while extending mercy in ways that do not undermine justice. As Christians, we are called to care for the vulnerable, but such care must never come at the expense of truth, order or the well-being of the broader community. Grossly misusing the pulpit to advocate for policies that erode these principles is neither biblical nor constructive. It's demonic. Well said Levin Montgomery. I commend him for his well-thought-out and biblical response to the Episcopal priest, mary Ann Edgar Booty. Well, I hope that brings a little clarity to this whole issue of loving your neighbor, loving the sojourner and immigration policy.
Dr. Robert Jackson:You're listening to More Than Medicine. I'm your host. Dr Robert Jackson, I would like to commend to you a book that I've read on toxic empathy how Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion by Allie Beth Stuckey, and she discusses the abortion issue. Beth Stuckey and she discusses the abortion issue, the issue of the southern border. She discussed the transgender issue and social justice. It's an excellent book. It's entitled Toxic Empathy how Progressives Exploit Christian Compassion, by Allie Beth Stuckey. Some of my thoughts and some of these statistics come from one of the chapters in that book. All right, I pray the Lord will bless you. I'll be back again next week. If you like what you hear, I trust that you will like follow, share or download More Than Medicine. May the Lord bless you. Real good. Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. May the Lord bless you real good.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry, dr Jackson's books, or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or their webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. This podcast is produced by Bob Slone Audio production at bobslone. com.
