Separating Kids at Border Belies Our Christian Values

GOP leaders seem to be looking the other way as children are separated from their asylum-seeking parents at the U.S.-Mexico border - Mitch McConnell, Jeff Sessions, Mike Pence and, until recently, Paul Ryan, all of whom boldly declare their allegiance to President Donald Trump's immigration reforms and to cracking down on those crossing our borders illegally. They're looking the other way because these same men proudly declare themselves to be Christian and, thus, presumably, pledge at least an equal allegiance to Jesus of Nazareth and his values. In fact, each has said he does publicly; and, recently, Jeff Sessions appealed to the Bible to justify the practice of separating families This contradiction should give all of us pause, regardless of whether we identify as Christian. It is baffling how those who say they're "pro-family" and "pro-life," who run political races on these platforms and who routinely cite their faith as the bedrock of their personal and political lives, could square their positions on immigration with the personal values they say they so deeply embrace - namely, the values of Jesus. And if they are insincere about things that they say lie at the heart of who they are, what else might they be insincere about? Consider what Jesus says about children. He says "Let the children come to me, and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs" (Matthew 19:14; Mark 10:13-16; Luke 18:15-17). He also says "Whoever welcomes [a] little child in my name welcomes me..