Christian, You Are An Alien.

Once again, issues over illegal immigrants dominated the news last week. Largely, the point of contention was whether they should be treated to the same privileges, services, and amenities as law-biding citizens—should illegal immigrants have the right to health care, public school, driver’s licenses, voting, welfare, and other citizen privileges. Those on the right of this debate deem it incredulously absurd that illegal immigrants, non-citizens, are being treated like citizens when they are “aliens.” I am not inviting an argument; I am writing only to use this contention as an analogy. (Though believing that non-citizens should not have the same rights and privileges as citizens, we, as Christians, I think, should not forget that these folks are humans to whom we should respond with compassion and love while dealing with the criminal element among them and the illegalities created by their immigration.) Now, political correctness insists that “alien” not be used in referring to illegal immigrants; “undocumented immigrant” is best, we’re told. However, “alien” is, not only the legal term, but also, the most precise and accurate description. An “alien” is one that is from or belongs to another country. In every case, an illegal migrant fits this description—alien. It’s taken me a while to get to it but, here’s my point: We who are conservatives have a big problem with aliens in our country being treated like citizens. Understandable. But, we have a bigger problem: We, Christians, though citizens should consider ourselves aliens. Huh? Harder than accepting aliens treated as citizens is being citizens but seeing the need to consider ourselves as aliens. On this point we need to hear from the Apostle: “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as STRANGERS and PILGRIMS, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul;” (1Pe 2:11). There we have it. We are aliens, although citizens of our country. Aliens, those from another country who do not have the same values, desires, goals, beliefs, and culture as those around them. Here is where things differ from the illegal immigration debate. We are not aliens in our country because we are immigrants. We are aliens because we are pilgrims. We live in this country, but we are on our way to another. Admittedly, we Christians live with a tension. As St. Augustine pointed out, we are citizens of two cities; a citizen of this world and a citizen of Kingdom of Heaven. There is often a clash between the two. However, when there is a conflict between the two, I must choose to go with my heavenly citizenship and consider myself an alien to my country and world. Often, we Christians give preeminence of attention, interest, engagement, and emotional involvement to earthly citizenship at the expense of the same to our heavenly citizenship. Today, many Christians are far more worked up by and engaged in political activities than in evangelism or compassion-based activities—activities of the Kingdom of Heaven. Though citizens of this country, we, if true to Biblical precepts and principles, are aliens in world-view, morality, and lifestyle choices. Yes, illegal immigrants are in fact aliens. True. But, we Christians are as well. We are aliens in our own country. Or, should be. For all my patriotism, if the choice needs to be made, I would rather be an alien to U.S. culture than an alien to the Kingdom’s culture. It may not be politically correct, but I’ll say it any way: Christian, you are an alien. You are a stranger, a pilgrim. Alien, Alien, Alien!

Christian, You Are An Alien.

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