Bill Gilkeson: Compassion lost

When Republicans proposed turning away Syrian refugees, President Obama said that would be untrue to our tradition of welcoming the world’s oppressed, symbolized by the Statue of Liberty.

It was appropriate for him, as the leader of a nonsectarian government, to make that argument. But I wish there had been an outcry from America’s Christian leaders as well, saying that such a xenophobic stance is contrary to the teachings of Christ.

Perhaps there was, but it was nearly drowned out by noise such as that from the Rev. Franklin Graham. He has said the United States should refuse to allow any Muslims into the country. “This is not the time to be politically correct,” Graham said.

If Christian leaders can dismiss the parable of the Good Samaritan as political correctness, we should worry that their own political agendas have deafened them to Jesus’ message of compassion.

This story was originally published December 5, 2015 at 1:00 PM with the headline "Bill Gilkeson: Compassion lost."