Offering Sanctuary


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In the past, Christian churches offering sanctuary to those fleeing the law was respected. Christian sanctuary was viewed as a shield to protect the guilty from the state and the lynching mob "because the redempton of the sinner was more important than law and order." Before the Civil War some groups refused to enforce the Fugitive Slave Act and gave protection to escaping slaves. Some saw sanctuary as a way to put a check on the excesses of government. Even in the Middle Ages the state "seemed to recognize the value of the church's role as a negotiator, guardian against violence and force for reconciliation," according to Rockhurst University religious historian Joanna Carraway-Vitiello.

This week Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced that the government will withhold federal funding from any institution that offers safe haven to undocumented immigrants. A number of churches have said they offer sanctuary to law-abiding people with no papers. Many of these people have spent their whole lives in this country and know no other home. Some are students who are studying to become leaders and contributors to our economy. Others have tried every way possible to obtain green cards.

It is admirable that churches are willing to forego federal funds in order to do what is right for the undocumented. Hopefully, there will be enough resistance to the new restrictions that the government will back down. If not, they have chosen to obey the command of Jesus "to care for the alien for you were once aliens yourselves."

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