Refugees, Ai Weiwei and The Gospel of Christ

Everyone is getting madder and madder.  The TV focuses on one group and the other group is watching the TV.  It is like the TV is the playground snitch pitting one against the other.  Are you being watched by TV or watching TV?  The latest thing is immigration and refugees. 

I can remember last summer my youngest son calling me asking what I thought about the Southern Baptist stance on the refugees, which he felt, was to closely tied to the Republican Party and not in line with the gospel.  My wife and I were riding in the mountains and I can remember looking down at the mountain stream we were riding by as I prayed for wisdom because I knew what was coming.  He asked, “What do you think dad?”  There are times when your children, even your grown children, ask you to the witness stand.  I said, “Son of course you are to live with open arms to all people, especially the least of them but you are not the government.  The government is not a religion, its main purpose is to protect.  I would not want to be put in charge of how our government should respond to this crisis but I do not mind being put in charge of how you and I should respond.  We should respond as Christ did, with love for all.  Never look to the government to do what you should do.”  He then asked if I had seen the great artist, Ai Weiwei’s new video showing him actually being present with the refugees and working to bring attention to their plight.  Weiwei was not protesting his government’s, China’s, refusal to take in these refugees but just showed up himself to help.  His government had already beaten him, jailed him and destroyed his studio but they cannot stop him.  We talked about our responsibility as artists to make work that brings Christ’s voice of love to the table and also confronts those that don’t.  (Now I hear where artists are stopping work to protest our government.)      

My heart goes out to the government especially the president who has to make all these decisions.  But my real heart lies with my children and their Lord who commands us, not the government, to love others, to reach out with aid and comfort to everyone who is in need.  I would encourage all of us to stop trying to be in front of the TV cameras or in front of the TV and be behind yourself as you try to offer aid and comfort to a hurting and dying world.  Be with a refugee and MAKE ART TOO!  

One of many works Ai Weiwei has made in support of the refugees.
Refugee lifejackets in Berlin.