3 facts about the Syrian refugee crisis many Christians overlook
When I talk to conservative Christians about their stance on a hot button issue like abortion or gay marriage, they usually quote the Bible. But when I've spoken to them about admitting Syrian refugees, almost none of them do. These Christians--many who oppose allowing refugees into the United States--do not cite the Bible's many commands to practice hospitality. They do not wrestle with God's instructions for how the Israelites should treat refugees and immigrants. They do not invoke Jesus' comments on loving one's neighbor or Paul's reminder that God does not give his children "a spirit of fear." Instead, most of my conservative Christian friends talk a lot what is "practical" and "logical" and "safe," which seems to depend on how one defines those terms and which facts one is considering.
Here are a few of facts about the Syrian refugee crisis that many Christians seem to be overlooking.