Migrant Caravan Mixes with Politics of Generosity

Charitable giving should cross the political divide and international borders

As the controversial migrant caravan marches north on this Election Day, I’m making a $5,000 donation to World Relief. The gift to the humanitarian aid organization that helps immigrants and refugees isn’t a political statement, though. It’s a decision rooted in faith and the realization that political divisiveness has caused charitable giving to become too insular.

Let’s start with the faith argument. Despite the Bible’s call to care for refugees, Vox reports that 75 percent of U.S. white evangelicals think “the federal crackdown on undocumented immigrants” is a positive thing, and 68 percent say America has no responsibility to house refugees. As an elder at a predominately white evangelical church (in a mostly Republican district), I’ve watched with sadness and anger as some national Christian “leaders” have embraced the fearful and uncaring rhetoric of the Trump administration. I can’t be silent about the assault on the migrant caravan without being complicit.

It’s time for Bible-believing Christians to take a stand against those who put allegiance to party ahead of devotion to Jesus. My donation to World Relief — and this blog post — is my response to that hypocrisy.

In addition to that conviction, a new study on how politics influences generosity challenged me to expand my philanthropic horizons. According to a story in The New York Times, charitable giving falls as counties become more politically competitive. The authors conclude that people feel more comfortable giving when they think their donations will benefit people like them.

I’m saddened that we’ve become so politically divided that we’re not willing to help people in need who look or think different from us. The Bible’s mandate to help the poor and marginalized implies that the most needy often don’t fit in — that’s exactly why they need help. So, my donation to World Relief is also a commitment to become more diverse in my giving.

Let’s examine both of these reasons as I try to separate politics from philanthropy.

Christian Leaders Silent, But the Bible Speaks

I don’t want to lose sight of the fact that some evangelical Christian leaders have called for a compassionate response to the caravan of Central American migrants. But too many have stood by silently or even endorsed President Trump’s scare tactics.

Trump has called the migrant caravan “an invasion,” claimed without proof that “criminals and unknown Middle Easterners are mixed in” and suggested the military will shoot anyone who throws a rock. This is our president’s response to the plight of helpless people fleeing persecution, violence and poverty in their home countries.

In contrast, the Bible tells us to love refugees, feed them, give them clothes and open our homes to them. It issues stern warnings against oppressing refugees, wronging them and thrusting them aside. In Isaiah, it even singles out rich political rulers who abuse their power to deny the poor their rights:

Woe to those who make unjust laws, to those who issue oppressive decrees, to deprive the poor of their rights and withhold justice from the oppressed … What will you do on the day of reckoning … Where will you leave your riches? (Isaiah 10:1-3)

I understand that we must enforce our immigration laws. But as the richest country in history, we also have an obligation to use our vast resources to care for the poor and oppressed in our world. When we demonize them instead, we’re just rich fools who close the border behind us so we can hoard our unprecedented wealth. And we’re in direct contradiction to what the Bible says about refugees.

Charitable Giving Shouldn’t Be Comfortable

If politics can make us afraid of people who aren’t like us, then it makes sense that it would also stop us from helping them financially. The study on politics and charitable giving concludes that people keep more money for themselves in diverse districts because they don’t trust how their donations will be used.

On the one hand, I get that people don’t want to support charities that don’t align with their values. That’s a factor in my own giving. But the study implies that the political giving divide is more than that; there’s a racial undertone. Diversity causes people to become less generous.

“There’s something about the like-mindedness where perhaps the comfort level rises,” said one of the study authors, Robert K. Christensen, associate professor at the George W. Romney Institute of Public Service and Ethics at Brigham Young University. “They feel safe redistributing their wealth voluntarily.”

I don’t want my charitable giving to be safe or comfortable. I want it to cross the political divide and international borders to reach those who need it the most.

Vote With Your Ballot and Wallet

This is the first time that I’ve waded into politics on The Rich Fool. So far, I have explored the intersection of money and faith without venturing into hot-button issues like immigration. But this topic jumps out at me as a place where generosity has suffered.

I won’t tell you how to vote because I don’t have a political agenda. I do, however, hope that you’ll join me in being more intentional about giving money to people who look nothing like you. The migrant caravan of “sojourners,” as the Bible often calls them, is a great place to start.

Politics aside, there’s a group of 5,000 fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers marching this way who have risked their lives to gain a small chance at freedom. The migrants have left everything in search of a better life for their families. They are the poor, marginalized and oppressed of our world. They are truly the least among us.

That’s why I’m donating $5,000 to World Relief this Election Day 2018. It’s an action that means just as much as my vote today.

Please consider joining me in my support of refugees and immigrants by donating to World Relief.