I try to refrain from using passages of scripture in order to support a political point. However, in the midst of our current immigration debate, there is an incident in the life of Christ that cries out for our attention.

Each week as we head for church, those of us who are Christians should remember we are there to worship a savior who virtually began his earthly existence as a political refugee (Matthew 2:13-15). We have no way of knowing exactly how the holy family was received when they arrived in Egypt, but it is clear that Mary and Joseph were given sanctuary to protect the life of their infant son.

There is no indication in scripture that the holy family was forced to suffer the anguish of being separated from their child. It is also doubtful that they were placed in cages to await their fate. Since they were both peasants and refugees, I suspect whatever accommodations Mary and Joseph found were sparse.

As Rep. Ted Budd exclaimed after touring the detention facilities along our southern border, “It’s not the Hampton Inn, OK?”  He also reassured us that the sole reason migrant children are being held in cages is to keep them safe from sexual predators.

There was a recent poll of different religious groups in which the only question was, “Have we any responsibility as Americans for the refugees at our border?” Barely a quarter of members in evangelical churches felt we did. A close second in lack of concern were predominately white, Protestant, members of mainline churches, which is the type of church I attend.

The group that reached out with the greatest compassion for refugees was those who consider themselves nonreligious. What is happening to Christians in America?

— Keith Townsend
Mount Ulla