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He [the LORD] defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt. Deuteronomy 10:18-19
Lutherans were in the national news this past week, but not in a good way! A story (click here) on “X” (formerly Twitter) accused some of the Lutheran social service non-profits like Lutheran Immigration Services (LIS, now Global Refuge) and various Lutheran Social Service (LSS in different states) of “money laundering” government grants to work with immigrants, perhaps amounting to billions of dollars. This funding is now coming under scrutiny with D.O.G.E in their efforts to root out corruption and waste.
Indeed, the bulk of governmental refugee resettlement work is done by faith-based groups, primarily those with Protestant, Catholic and Jewish origins, so this is not a complete surprise. Since 1980, that work was standardized under the Refugee Act, and refugees have been granted legal status to be in the United States. Faith-based non-profits like Global Refuge often help immigrants get set up with housing and jobs, train them how to set up utilities and bank accounts, and get their kids into school. With the recent influx of refugees, non-governmental organizations (NGO) like these and many others have received funds to help in that process.
These groups often do the work that the federal government isn’t doing or can’t do, and often see it as a part of their Christian mission to do good in the world. The Christian perspective on immigration is based on the idea that all people are created in the image of God and have inherent dignity. Christians believe that they should show compassion and hospitality to the foreigner, which can include immigrants, while also respecting law and order.
I do not know whether or not these groups have misused funds, or if there is widespread corruption. I do know some who have been critical of the policies and activities of LSS related to sexuality, abortion, and adoption, which I am very concerned about. I, too, welcome efforts at transparency and accountability in our government. Unfortunately, in our polarized culture, our politicians have used immigration on both sides to demonize the other, avoided finding merciful solutions, and fundraised off of the issue in order to stay in power. In the end, they have created a bigger, costlier mess that appears to be coming to a head, and like usual, the least among us will suffer. Many in our community are affected by the recent crackdowns on illegals and are afraid, even many legal immigrants.
Two of my best friends in High School were Vietnamese immigrants who fled the war in the 1970s, likely through the work of Lutheran Immigration Services. I have friends and family and congregants who immigrated legally to the USA, which is often costly and tedious. I also know that most of us descended from immigrants who came to America with a dream for a new life. We don’t need to be anti-immigrant, but we should find ways to manage immigration better into the future. I pray for a just and graceful solution as we move forward as a nation.
I don’t know if the social service agencies are the bad guys in all of this, though I fear they have benefited much from the chaos of the huge influx in recent years. I have heard and read in recent years how LSS and LIS, like many similar organizations, have wandered from their original Christian values and distanced themselves or separated from their founding church bodies. Because the bulk of their funding often comes from government grants and not the church, they have left the church behind and may only be Christian in name (i.e. Lutheran), which is unfortunate. This may also be true about the many schools, colleges, hospitals and nursing homes that were founded by the Lutheran churches or other denominations.
First Lutheran is a part of the NALC, or the North American Lutheran Church. We do not have any direct connection to LSS or LIS or any of these organizations under suspicion. Our bishop has not offered any statement yet regarding this news story and may not need to. But for reference, I am including a couple links to statements from the two largest Lutheran church bodies, the ELCA and LCMS, so you may be better informed if you are interested.
The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) presiding bishop offered her statement in support of LSS, which you can read here. The Lutheran Church Missouri Synod (LCMS) president offered his critical statement of LSS here.These two church bodies tend to be on opposite sides of these kinds of issues, so be ready to see that come out in their responses.
I’d like to close by sharing a quote by Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.who said: “The church must be reminded that it is not the master or the servant of the state, but rather the conscience of the state. It must be the guide and the critic of the state, and never its tool. If the church does not recapture its prophetic zeal, it will become an irrelevant social club without moral or spiritual authority.” Our government will need a conscience now, as it always has, and we as the church, must be ready to speak truth and action in our day to honor the Lord, respecting the law of the land but showing mercy to God’s created people.
In the name of ChristJesus;
Pastor Dan
Special Announcements: Mark your calendars, coming up:
· Please join us for a delicious lunch in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the service today.
· First Evangelical ChurchCouncil will meet following worship today.
· Our musicians today are guitarist Franklin Eddie and special guest gospel music pianist, MaxineDavidson.
· Holy Cross AnnualCongregational Meeting will be rescheduled at a later date.
· We wish you all a very happy Valentine’s Day!
