Friends,
As I was fighting writer’s block, looking for inspiration for this week’s contact piece, I came across the news that a certain prominent American politician had called for laws banning all Muslims from immigrating to the United States.
Now, because this is a church publication I am not allowed to name said politician, lest by my criticism of him, we lose our tax-exempt status, so I’ll just say this is a politician whose likes to employ superlative adjectives, a man who claims expertise in building beautiful walls, and whose name—though I cannot say or write it—rhymes with “dump.” This Mr. Dump has claimed on a couple of occasions that he is a Presbyterian, and while I am not in any position to judge the man’s fidelity to Presbyterian doctrine, I will point out the following:
- Immigrant bullying is not something you’d expect out of a good Presbyterian, especially in a season dedicated to the anticipation of the birth of a Child who, early in life, was a refugee;
- A Presbyterian familiar with the denomination will know that Presbyterians—from Donadina Cameron a century ago to Primera Iglesia Hispana in Oakland today—long have supported immigrants, especially immigrant refugees; and
- If Mr. Dump really wants to know what Presbyterians think of welcoming Muslim refugees, I suggest he take a look at the following photo, which I found on the Presbyterian Church (USA)’s official Twitter feed.
This photo was taken in response to the Governor of Maryland’s decision to add his name to the list of Governors seeking a ban on Syrian refugees, and I believe it reflects a true Presbyterian spirit, especially in the season of Advent, when the Christ comes first (at least in Matthew’s telling of the story) to foreigners.
If you run into Mr. Dump, please teach him what it means to be a good Presbyterian.
Meanwhile, I pray you may have a blessed Advent.
Salaam, Ben