Augustine’s article is the epitome of putting the cart before the horse — he’s lost the forest for the trees.
One example: “before Jesus’ ministry began - a ministry rooted in an ethic of social justice, given his status as an ethically marginalized Jew, living under the Roman Empire’s totalitarian regime - Jesus was born to refugee parents who were forced to flee their land of occupation.” Not only is this poor hermeneutics (especially for an M.Div…), somehow the twisting of Christ’s human nature - a fulfillment of the Jewish bloodline and prophecies - to a mere modern sociological analysis dismisses the fact that Jesus came into the world to save sinners (John 1:29; 1 Tim 1:15). Yes this was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic year of the Lord’s favor — the ultimate year of jubilee — but that was not an earthly, political kingdom (Isaiah 61). Jesus wept at Jerusalem’s blindness of this! They wanted to appoint him king to save them from the Romans (John 6:15), he wanted to die to save them from their sins (Mt. 1:21).
Christians, argue for open borders or new immigration policies or sanctuary cities or whatever you want, but stop manipulating scripture to bolster your claims. There are so many better arguments from the Bible to be made than Jesus was a refugee or Abraham had strangers over for lunch. You’re missing the point! Oh that we would be known as people who are strangers of this earth (Philippians 3:20-22; 1 Peter 2:11-12) not screaming hosanna as we try to make Christ our political king.
Augustine’s article is the epitome of putting the cart before the horse — he’s lost the forest for the trees.
One example: “before Jesus’ ministry began - a ministry rooted in an ethic of social justice, given his status as an ethically marginalized Jew, living under the Roman Empire’s totalitarian regime - Jesus was born to refugee parents who were forced to flee their land of occupation.” Not only is this poor hermeneutics (especially for an M.Div…), somehow the twisting of Christ’s human nature - a fulfillment of the Jewish bloodline and prophecies - to a mere modern sociological analysis dismisses the fact that Jesus came into the world to save sinners (John 1:29; 1 Tim 1:15). Yes this was the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophetic year of the Lord’s favor — the ultimate year of jubilee — but that was not an earthly, political kingdom (Isaiah 61). Jesus wept at Jerusalem’s blindness of this! They wanted to appoint him king to save them from the Romans (John 6:15), he wanted to die to save them from their sins (Mt. 1:21).
Christians, argue for open borders or new immigration policies or sanctuary cities or whatever you want, but stop manipulating scripture to bolster your claims. There are so many better arguments from the Bible to be made than Jesus was a refugee or Abraham had strangers over for lunch. You’re missing the point! Oh that we would be known as people who are strangers of this earth (Philippians 3:20-22; 1 Peter 2:11-12) not screaming hosanna as we try to make Christ our political king.