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Churches in the 90s were defined by their response to creation vs. evolution. In the eyes of both churches and popular culture, our response and attitude towards evolution defined the church. Think about how much money and energy was put into this one issue! I’m not saying that was wrong, it was an issue that dominated how churches and Christians were viewed – how we responded mattered.
This wasn’t the only culture war of its kind, though it was probably the biggest in recent years. In the 50s-60s it was racism and pacifism. In the 70s-80s, it was music and abortion. In the 2000’s, it was our response to the LGBT community. Polarizing issues plague the church and we pick sides with or against popular culture. Obviously, all of these discussions continue today (but when was the last time you saw the media care about as pastor’s opinion on creationism versus evolution?).
The debate of our response to the LGBT community will continue for years, though it’s slowing down. I think the next critical issue for the church in the United States will be our response to undocumented people, aliens, and immigrants.
We need a good theology of what to do with undocumented people (the bible uses the word alien, but you shouldn’t!). We need to embrace this struggle head on. Instead of picking an opinion and digging trenches (like we did with creationism and gay rights), we should learn to engage in discussion, listen, and acknowledge it’s a complex issue. We should be involved in politics because it impacts people, but be more interested in peoples’ issues than political opinions. So, how should Christians (whether in politics, business, education, or in the neighborhood) to undocumented people?
Thursday at 13:50
yes, we should care and, work toward a common, reasonable solution. I like Newt Gingrich’s take on it because as he stated, we should care about families and be concerned that we don’t split up families who’ve lived here 20 some years and paid taxes etc. I’ve always felt that we could have a two tier legal citizenship policy where those who have been here for years could have a road to legality but, never have the right to vote. Also, securing the the border seems like a safe guard for our own citizens who at the moment are struggling to find work. It’s complex for sure but, sometimes imagining ourselves in other people’s shoes makes us a bit more introspective.