So God created mankind
in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created
them. (Genesis 1:27)
Christians believe that this poetic verse contains a deep and
mystical truth. Every human being is
precious. Every human being is
valuable. Every human being is
sacred. Somehow, every human being
carries the image of his or her creator.
That’s why Christians have historically spoken out against
abortion. We have taken the politically
incorrect position against the elimination of the unborn because the scriptures
teach us that all human life is sacred. We call this a pro-life stance.
You may be familiar with Mother Teresa’s passionate
plea. “Please don't kill the child. I
want the child. Please give me the child.
I am willing to accept any child who would be aborted, and to give that child
to a married couple who will love the child, and be loved by the child.”
Like Mother Teresa, other Christians have a deep compassion
for the little children.
So I’m encouraged that many Christians are responding to the
recent influx of undocumented immigrant children the same way they have
responded to the unborn children. Like
Mother Teresa, many Christians are saying, “Give me the child.”
These children are being sent here by desperate parents who
are forced to choose between the danger of keeping them in a violent war zone
and the danger of sending them on a long arduous journey to a strange place. Like a
terrified teenage mother, they can’t take care of them so they give them up to
adoptive parents in hopes that we will.
These are real children.
They are like your children. They
get hungry and sick. They are helpless
and vulnerable. They have hopes and
dreams. They need love and
protection.
The collective Christian voice echoing the words of Jesus
Christ when he said, “Let the little children come to me,” must drown out the
voices of those shouting, “Send them back.”
I don’t claim to have any political solutions to the problem
of immigration. But I do claim to have
some insight into the heart of Jesus Christ when it comes to the value of
human life, born or unborn, native or immigrant.
Every human being is sacred.
I’m grateful that many Christians can see the sacred in the little human
beings coming to us for help. This too is a pro-life stance.
