To the editor:

Over the past week you may have heard or read the following verse from St. Paul’s letter to the Romans: “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities; for there is no authority except from God, and those authorities that exist have been instituted by God.” 

This week, Attorney General Sessions cited this verse in defense of the current administration’s policy of separating children from their parents when they cross the border illegally, including separating nursing mothers from their babies. White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders continued this line of defense saying she was not aware of Attorney General Sessions’ remarks but stated that “it is very biblical to enforce the law."

In that same statement Attorney General Sessions asked religious leaders to “speak up strongly” about this topic. I am a religious leader, so this letter is me “speaking up strongly”:

Paul did say those words, and they have been used in some very dubious and unbiblical ways over the years. These words have been used to defend slavery and the Third Reich. It is easy to pick and choose verses from the Bible to support any argument. Satan himself does this while tempting Jesus in the Gospels. When you look at the whole Biblical message, however, picking and choosing your verses to support your argument gets a little bit more difficult to do. If you just continue a handful of verses beyond what Attorney General Sessions cited, for instance, you will read, “Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.” 

Yes, St. Paul calls us to obey authorities, to obey the law, but he then goes on to tell us that “loving your neighbor as yourself” is the law, and loving your neighbor supersedes any commandment to obey governing authorities.

The same thing goes for White House Press Secretary Sanders’ remarks. Certainly as Christians we are not called to heedlessly flout the law but there is a strong thread throughout the Bible of God’s people flouting the law when it is contrary to the law of love. A number of the letters St. Paul wrote we believe were written from prison. Beyond Paul, I am also reminded of Puah and Shiphrah, midwives in Egypt who went against Pharaoh’s command to kill the Hebrew babies. The history of our faith is filled with people standing up to unjust and cruel authorities because our allegiance is to God and God’s law of love rather than allegiance to governing authorities.

In the First Letter of John we read, “Whoever does not love does not know God, for God is love.” It is in love that God has made Godself known to us. It is in love that we come to know God. It is in love that we fulfill the law.

A few weeks ago you may have seen Presiding Bishop Curry preach at the royal wedding. Following that service I heard and read so many people saying what a breath of fresh air that was, and how surprising and refreshing his message was. The thing is, it really wasn’t surprising, and it should not have been refreshing. It should have been the standard message of Christians everywhere. Presiding Bishop Curry has said elsewhere, “If it is not about love it is not about God."

The message of God’s love and grace, our call to love God with all we have and love our neighbors as ourselves should not be unusual or surprising at all. It is the Gospel, it is at the heart of what it means to be a Christian. In response to Attorney General Sessions’ call for religious leaders to speak up strongly on this issue I will continue to say as strongly as I can:

If it is not about love, it is not about God. There is nothing loving about tearing families apart.

The Rev. Patrick J. Greene

Barrington

Rev. Greene is Saints Matthew & Mark Episcopal Church Rector.