Redstate’s Erick Erickson pointed out a disturbing trend Thursday of decidedly un-Christian responses to three recent events coming from conservatives: Feeding children at the border, the decision to bring Ebola-infected Dr. Brantly back to America and the shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
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Erickson writes, “In the past several months there have been three incidents that have solidified for me that my faith and my politics are starting to collide. While I am a firm believer in the idea of a conservative populism, I see a dangerous trend within the mix of unfortunate shrillness and hostility.”
On feeding illegal immigrant children at the border
Christian conservatives were roundly assailed by other conservatives for daring to provide aid and comfort to children whose parents had shipped them across the border. Some could not distinguish between giving a child a teddy bear and supporting Mexican drug cartels. It was all one or all the other. In fact, many Christians, myself included, want expedited deportations and a secure border. But we also want to make sure the children, some victims of human trafficking, were taken care of, fed, and comforted.
It’s an interesting question: Why do conservatives think feeding a child or giving a teddy bear is an approval of illegal immigration or a step toward amnesty? Being against something and treating a person like a human being are not mutually exclusive, but instead “the anger and hysteria directed at conservatives engaged in private charity had all the makings of a leftist police state making us care about how we choose to spend our own money.”
On bringing Dr. Kenneth Brantly, a Christian mission worker, back home while infected with Ebola
The second was bringing Dr. Brantly and his co-worker back to the United States. The number of angry calls into my radio program from well meaning conservatives, comments across social media, opinion columns, agreement thereto, etc. really boggled my mind. Here are two Americans risking their lives to help others and we are supposed to turn our back on them, leave them there, or criticize their decision to go in the first place? That’s not the America I know or love. The level of outright anger, fear, and bitterness over the decision to take care of American citizens and the lack of knowledge and understanding that formed the foundation for the anger, fear, and bitterness really left me wondering what is going on.
Conservatives aren’t against the idea of bringing home American citizens, but they are if they’re afraid of catching an illness that can only be spread through exposure to bodily fluids.
Erickson was right to note that too many conservatives decided that it would be best to let Dr. Brantly die in Africa from a disease they knew nothing about, when only a few weeks later he’s a healthy man and free to roam in America.
On Ferguson
The last is the present situation in Ferguson, MO. The rush to win a fight and lay blame instead of mourning a loss and praying for a situation just leaves me perplexed. The rush to “change the narrative” with bad facts to replace bad facts by some folks who keep the ichthys on their car unsettles me.
Any loss of life, even if it happens out of necessity, should be looked at for what it is: A tragedy. Too many conservatives drew conclusions along the lines of Michael Brown “had it coming” or “he got what he deserved” to make a point about law and order. Erickson’s right: Ferguson, for all sides involved, was more about saying “See, I told you so” than it was about the truth.
Erickson writes “We should find balance,” between faith and politics. “We may fail, but we should keep trying. We should not recede from the public square and a growing number of conservatives are showing more willingness to drive from the public square those who urge greater measures of Christian grace and charity than they prefer.”