A national debate has erupted over cats.
It differs from the age-old debate over whether dogs or cats make better pets. This current national argument is over whether 20,000 noncitizens shipped to Springfield, Ohio, under the Biden-Harris Administration’s resettlement policies, are harvesting cats (and geese) for food. After former President Trump surfaced this viral report in his recent debate with Kamala Harris, the media pounced on it.
As Christians, we must step back and let the temperature in the room cool for a moment (see James 1:19). When we do that, we see that we have a real issue before us. Whatever is going on in Springfield (and reports are not encouraging), America has been hit hard by leftist policies on illegal immigration. Numerous communities have buckled under the weight of a sudden influx of immigrants, with very little infrastructure to help handle such drastic infusions.
According to a House committee, “Under President Biden’s watch, there have been over 8 million migrant encounters nationwide, 6.7 million of which have been at the Southwest border.” Much evil has flowered under this dereliction of duty; for example, over 50,000 pounds of fentanyl has been trafficked into the country since Biden took office.
America has historically been a “nation of immigrants,” and happily so. Yet there is a straight line from the “open borders” ideology to the national drug crisis. This is not a bug in the leftist software; it is a feature. Tragically, the Left wants—and has created—an unsecured border and an open nation.
As Christians, we have much to say about this. We welcome sojourners, recognizing that we are all “strangers and exiles” on the earth (Hebrews 11:13–16). But we know that the character of nations matters to the Lord as well. We get a powerful picture of the importance of walls and borders in the book of Nehemiah when Nehemiah leads the people of God to rebuild Jerusalem and uses both a sword and a trowel to do so.
In the New Testament, we learn that God is the one who sets up nations and borders (Acts 17:26). It is not wrong for a country to secure its perimeter; it is essential. So, while immigration is good in principle, unlimited immigration is untenable, and illegal immigration is unconscionable. Our nation needs to be secured, illegal immigration needs to be stopped, and citizens of communities all across America need to be protected.
As Christ’s church, we are “salt and light” in this place (Matthew 5:13–16). That means we don’t give in to the empty pieties of the Left. Christians, after all, follow the God of order (1 Corinthians 14:33) and see order as both essential and good. That is true in our homes, congregations, and civilization.
Whether or not you are a cat lover, you need to care for our country. This nation needs you to back sound policy that creates stability and security for all.