JD Vance is Right, and He is Wrong

The Christian ideal of love for family, neighbor, and the nations

***Just yesterday I sent out a one-question survey for readers here, asking if they wanted me to occasionally write about issues related to culture, politics, and the common good more broadly, in addition to the focus on personal spiritual formation. So far it is 86% yes, 14% no. We’ll see how it ends up as more readers vote. I thought I’d offer an example—a relatively longer one—of the kind of thing I have in mind. So, here goes!***

Recently Vice President JD Vance discussed love in the context of “America first” with Sean Hannity of Fox News:

There’s this old school, and I think it’s a very Christian concept, by the way, that you love your family, and then you love your neighbor, and then you love your community, and then you love your fellow citizens in your own country, and then, after that you can focus and prioritize the rest of the world.

Vance goes on to claim that a lot of “the far left” seems to hate the citizens of their own country, going into partisan stuff that we’ll ignore here. I’m not interested in how some on both sides of our partisan divide characterize the left or the right with broad, sweeping, and unhelpful generalizations.

Vance is Right

Some Christian thinkers had very strong reactions to what Vance said yesterday. Consider what a few said in reply to Vance:

• “Jesus’ fundamental message is that everyone is your neighbor, and that it is not about helping just your family or those closest to you. It’s specifically about helping those who seem different, foreign, other. They are all our ‘neighbors.’”

• “I am a theologian trained at one of America’s top conservative evangelical theological seminaries. This is not a Christian concept; it’s a Western individualistic one.”

• “It’s important to point out that this is the EXACT OPPOSITE of what Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10), the sermon in his hometown synagogue (Luke 4), and basically every other time he opened his mouth.”

In reply, Vance posted “Just google ordo amoris. Aside from that, the idea that there isn’t a hierarchy of obligations violates basic common sense. Does (another commenter) really think his moral duties to his own children are the same as his duties to a stranger who lives thousands of miles away? Does anyone?”

I think Vance is right that there is a hierarchy of obligations, or an order of love (the ordo amoris). As a Christian moral philosopher, I agree that there is space for certain kinds of partiality in ethics, including Christian ethics. All else being equal, I am more committed to my wife, our children, my friends, my siblings in Christ in my local church, and the people in my local community than I am to a stranger who lives outside of our nation’s borders. I have special obligations to these individuals, and in certain contexts stronger obligations. This is not because those in my family and community matter more than the stranger, rather, it is simply part of the human condition under God. Our time, energy, money, and other resources are limited. We are placed by God in families, in a church, and in a particular community where the majority of our time, energy, humble and loving service in the Spirit of Christ, and money are to be spent. There are portions of Scripture that support at least some forms of partiality, too (1 Timothy 5:5-8; Galatians 6:7-10).

But…

Vance is Wrong

Christian ethics includes partiality, but it doesn’t end with partiality. The ethics of the Scriptures generally, and of Jesus in particular, include a strongly impartial component. This means that our obligations to love others can go beyond our family, friends, community, and nation, in more cases than Vance seems to allow.

Consider the family. While it is true that, all else being equal, I have stronger obligations to my children than to the children of others, there are exceptions to this. It’s true that if I face a choice between feeding my own child and feeding the child of someone else, my first responsibility is to my own child (partiality). But there are all sorts of cases in which the prioritization of my own child does not hold, in which I can meet the basic needs of a someone else by forfeiting luxury goods for a member of my family, or myself. For example, if I’m faced with a choice between buying my child an expensive gift she doesn’t need and feeding someone else’s child, there will be plenty of cases in which I should use that money to feed the other child (impartiality). The needs in play matter, not just the relationships that exist. And given that we as followers of Jesus are to be people of love, humility, compassion, justice, and generosity, we are compelled by his love to meet those needs as we are able.

In Luke’s gospel, an expert in the law asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life (Luke 10:25-29). Jesus affirms his answer, to love God and love your neighbor as yourself. Then, the expert in the law, who “wanted to justify himself” asks, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus answers him by telling him the well-known parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37).

A Samaritan, of all people, is the hero of the parable, the example for followers of the Way of Jesus to imitate. Once the Samaritan encounters the victim, he takes care of him, motivated by compassion. He meets the immediate needs of the victim, giving him care by bandaging and treating his wounds. But he doesn’t stop there. He takes him to an inn and cares for him. The following day he pays the innkeeper to take over that care, and promises to pay whatever costs were incurred when he returns.

Jesus turns the question “Who is my neighbor?” on its head. Rather than saying what the expert in the law may have hoped, telling him to focus only on a specific religious or ethnic group, or even simply saying outright that everyone can be your neighbor, Jesus takes a different tack. For Jesus the question is not “Who is my neighbor?” but rather “How can I be a neighbor?” And when we ask this question, we realize that we are to be a neighbor to others as we have the opportunity to do so, to meet the needs they have as we are equipped to do so. This is how we, in the words of Jesus, “go and do likewise” (v. 37).

The comments by Vance and the fallout of it are all occurring in the context of debates about immigration, refugees, and foreign assistance. This is not the particular context of the Parable of the Good Samaritan, or even of the command to love God and neighbor. But the values and virtues here and in other biblical texts are relevant to immigration. Certainly immigration is a complex and serious problem, one that our politicians have refused to comprehensively address. I’ve done some reading and research on this issue, and plan to do more, as I want to be more informed. There are no easy solutions.

I agree that we should not allow in and imprison or deport (as appropriate) immigrants who are guilty of violent crimes or pose a clear danger to the public. But as Christians we should also be thinking about the welfare of refugees and immigrants (including many who are our brothers and sisters in Christ) who are neither criminals nor a danger to others. We should recognize the reality that they have much to offer us, both in the church and in our nation more broadly. And we have obligations to them, regardless of what they have to contribute. We should be thinking, praying, and acting on behalf of those who are fleeing persecution, violence, chaos, grinding poverty, and death. And as citizens of the United States, we should encourage our government to play a proper role in this, too, via law and policy.

An acquaintance who works with a Christian ministry for refugees and immigrants asked the following question yesterday, and it is one worth reflecting on: Do we want the United States to be a refuge for those fleeing persecution – including those persecuted for their faith in Jesus? I certainly hope so, both as a Christian and as an American. While a lot of noise and extreme voices online and on television cloud our perspective about this and many other things, American evangelicals are more open to saying yes to such a question than we might think. Certainly this doesn’t mean we should have open borders. But it does mean that whatever the policymakers do, those of us who count ourselves as followers of Jesus must accept our responsibilities to those who bear God’s image and are in need of the help that we are able to give.

This is, in part, an application of Galatians 6:9-10:

⁹ Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰ Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

We are, as we have opportunity, to do good to all people. This reflects the impartiality of Christian ethics. We are also to have special concern for other followers of Christ. This reflects the partiality of Christian ethics.

Much more can and should be said. But for now, where does this leave us, with respect to immigration and Christian ethics?

The church is a worldwide entity, which means that we have special obligations that extend beyond the borders of our nation, because the church extends beyond the borders of our nation. Our responsibilities to our fellow Christians in this and other nations are stronger than our responsibilities to other Americans who are not followers of Jesus. We owe much to all our fellow Christians, regardless of where they live. Yet all people in other nations and our own, regardless of their faith, are human beings made in the image of God. When we are given the opportunity and have the ability, there are times when we should love people from other nations, even in ways that call for sacrifices on the part of ourselves, our families, our churches, and our communities.

This doesn’t mean we ignore providing for our own, or neglect their needs and interests. That’s a false dilemma. Most of the people reading this aren’t faced with this dilemma. We can care for those closest to us and those from other nations who reside among us (Lev. 19:34). We can follow the guidance of 1 Timothy 5:8 about providing for the members of our own household, and we can help provide for others in our community, nation, and world. Many of us don’t have to choose between providing for members of our household or helping citizens of other nations, immigrants, and the undocumented. It is a both-and situation, not an either-or one. Christian morality tells us to do both, as we are able. I worry that too many of us, including myself, are more like the ones in the parable of the Good Samaritan who could have helped but chose to walk by and ignore the suffering of the man at the side of the road.

Finally, Luke 12:48 records Jesus’s teaching that “From everyone to whom much is given, much will be required, and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded.” Those of us in America who have the resources to do so ought to care for our families, neighbors, and communities. We should also provide help to those who don’t fall within any of these groups. America has many problems, but many resources, too. As a nation, we’ve used them for great good around the world, and been a refuge for many. We can and should continue to do so, as wisdom and love dictate, as individuals and as a nation. And we know that not just individuals, but nations too will be judged by Jesus (Mt. 25:31-46).

Possible ways to help, if you think you might want to do something:

• Support your local refugee and immigrant ministry, like this one in my community.

• Reach out to your Senators and Representatives about reinstating the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program.

• Support the work of ministries like World Relief, financially or otherwise.

• Become more informed, and apply what you learn with God-given wisdom. There are things some of us can and cannot do, but together we can help.

• Love the immigrants and refugees in your church and community. Hear their stories, listen to their fears and dreams, share a meal, and let them know you are with them.