reformed | presbyterian (PCA) | RTS student | data engineer | dmv/moco | okie | not a pastor
Silver Spring, MD
Joined September 2014
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Westminster Larger Catechism 🧵
Q. 143. Which is the ninth commandment?
A. The ninth commandment is, Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.
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One of the ironies of hardcore anti-immigration “Heritage Americans” is that the bulk of the modern border control and immigration paradigm in the US and most other Western nations originates as WW1 security measures and then expanded and settled as a part of the post-WW2 consensus.
This doesn’t necessarily make these immigration policy paradigms either good or bad, but they’re absolutely modern in comparison to the majority of American and Western civilization. It’s a fairly shallow heritage and demonstrably modern.
John Reasnor retweeted
This has been a very "are we the baddies?" week for Twitter Christian Nationalists.
It's not too late. Leave the group chat. Close the account. Reconnect with your church. Put Jesus above your online frens.
Note:
The only time in my life I’ve ever come across believers seriously arguing for the permissibility of not just polygamy, but also pedophilic child brides, was when I was still a part of Christian Reconstructionist Facebook groups.
Now, they weren’t the norm, but still.
John Reasnor retweeted
And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.”
And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.” (Mark 3:31-35, ESV)
It’s common for a permanent residency application process to take one to three years. That’s common and expected.
It’s also not unheard of for it to take longer. This is especially true over the last few years.
Something to keep in mind is that it’s been common and accepted practice for individuals filing for permanent residency to *technically* overstay their visa while the application is processing. Their status is not “legal” in the fullest sense, but they do have an authorized stay. This has been the standard for decades.
However, this standard has been challenged over the last year. In more than one case individuals arriving to have their green card interview after years of waiting in limbo have been detained and at least face possible deportation by ICE. This is after YEARS of doing things according to the law.
I don’t know what’s going on with Sey. Heck, if I can be frank, I don’t even particularly like him very much nor do I find a lot of his writing helpful. However, he’s a brother and I love him like a brother in Christ. I want what’s good for him and his family. Further, while I don’t know all the details, we’re called to assume the best of our brothers and sisters. While we should be cautious about making bold and confident declarations, we can rightly give him and his family the benefit of the doubt. That’s the way.
Update from the Seys:
“My husband Samuel Sey entered the United States legally and has been working ever since in good faith with a lawyer to obtain permanent legal status. Our family is trying to understand what went wrong in the process. In the spirit of Romans 13, our family fully supports and respects American law and are prayerfully working to get him home through the legal process.”
John Reasnor retweeted
White nationalism is sin.
Millenniums ago, the Old Testament nation of Israel was not based on skin color, but allowed foreigners and those of other races to become part of their covenant community, and many did, including in the line of Jesus.
In America we fought with blood to recognize all people are made in God’s image and endowed with certain rights inseparable from that image.
This is antichristian and unamerican, are so is anyone who platforms or praises this wicked ideology.
Ancient Israel certainly wasn’t a modern nation, but it was a covenant nation.
Which isn’t the same thing as a proposition, but it’s also more than merely belonging to a particular genetic group and does not require that genetic alignment either.
It’s also funny bringing up the colorblind concept. As if you’d be able to tell the difference between a Benjaminite and an Edomite. It speaks to the modern racist proclivity to see national identity in the most crass and overly-simplistic skin color lens.
If your kid's "Christian" college isn't inviting @MrsErikaKirk to speak -- or inviting me -- you should rethink paying tuition there. We are in an existential crisis. Know which side you're funding.
John Reasnor retweeted
And no, I’m not saying government agencies must prove guilt before taking action. What I am saying is that ICE has an awful track record of not establishing probable cause.
But more severe than this, they assume guilt and carry out deportation without due diligence and proving their case. In essence, what probable cause they manufacture is seen as good enough for deportation. And while deportation isn’t the same thing as a guilty verdict in a criminal trial, it’s a very real penalty that has significant consequences on those deported.
These individuals are put into handcuffs, placed in a cage, treated like a criminal, then deported from the home they know—oftentimes separated from their family and church. But because it’s *technically* a civil issue, ICE is not required to get independent warrants and now detainees don’t even need to appear before a judge.
It would be *better* if they were accused of a crime because then there would be at least some kind of reasonable process. But the civil nature of ICE is effectively a loophole that they desperately want to remain a loophole. They’re able to treat people like criminals without any of the safeguards our nation has for suspected criminals.
It’s evil and un-American and you don’t need to support open borders to realize this.
No matter what happens with the Samuel Sey case, one of my fundamental problems with ICE isn’t so much their mission, but that they regularly operate with “guilty till proven innocent” policies.
If Sey is blameless, it’ll likely only be legally established after deportation, thousands and thousands of dollars spent in legal fees, the probable loss of his job, a loss in his reputation, and the significant economic and emotional turmoil his family will likely suffer through.
ICE can take away someone's liberty and livelihood before proving anything, and the person bears the cost. Even when vindicated.
The onus, according to how this works today, is entirely on Sey. Not the state.
I don’t care who you are or what your poltics are, this isn’t how any federal agency should operate.
And no, I’m not saying government agencies must prove guilt before taking action. What I am saying is that ICE has an awful track record of not establishing probable cause.
But more severe than this, they assume guilt and carry out deportation without due diligence and proving their case. In essence, what probable cause they manufacture is seen as good enough for deportation. And while deportation isn’t the same thing as a guilty verdict in a criminal trial, it’s a very real penalty that has significant consequences on those deported.
These individuals are put into handcuffs, placed in a cage, treated like a criminal, then deported from the home they know—oftentimes separated from their family and church. But because it’s *technically* a civil issue, ICE is not required to get independent warrants and now detainees don’t even need to appear before a judge.
It would be *better* if they were accused of a crime because then there would be at least some kind of reasonable process. But the civil nature of ICE is effectively a loophole that they desperately want to remain a loophole. They’re able to treat people like criminals without any of the safeguards our nation has for suspected criminals.
It’s evil and un-American and you don’t need to support open borders to realize this.
Yes, a DHS spokesperson making a statement should be considered.
Yet, it takes a lot of unearned faith to treat such a statement as the final word. These sorts of statements ultimately mean very little and should be taken for what they actually are: non-legally binding public relations.
Full and unqualified support for the institution’s own actions is the de facto position for their messaging. This will remain so until they’re forced to say otherwise, and even if they are forced to say something different, they won’t take responsibility or accept liability. This is true and has been true whether they’re actually correct or found to be severely at fault. This is true of essentially all federal agencies, regardless of motives or intentions. It’s just standard procedure.
Trust DHS or not, it’s silly and naïve to treat what amounts to a PR statement as some kind of final declaration of truth.
There’s plenty of folks who either disagree or agree with @SlowToWrite.
A lot of both of those groups are showing him and his family love. It’s beautiful to see.
Then, there are others who are showing anything but love. Remember who these people are and do not forget.
John Reasnor retweeted
Give, give, give!!! Let’s help brother Samuel and his family during this horrific experience.
Earlier this week, our dear brother Samuel Sey @SlowToWrite was en route to appear on our podcast when he got detained by ICE. Samuel is from Canada, and has been living here as a legal resident of the United States. We are confident this clerical mistake will be fixed, but this has been a terrible experience for his family.
Please consider supporting his lovely wife Annie and their three small children as they deal with the legal and living expenses of this terrible ordeal.
If you know Samuel, you know what a good man of character he is. So many of us have been blessed by his writing and ministry. Please help! givesendgo.com/support-for-s…
This is partly true, but also reductive.
Rome: magistrate enforces, church judges.
Classic Reformed: magistrate has care about religion (circa sacra), never in it. No Word, sacraments, or keys (WCF 23.3). For example, Melville to James VI, "two kings and two kingdoms."
Also, Rome did want civil rulers enforcing religion, just not sacred practice narrowly. Pareus even points this out on the same page. So, when the American Westminster revision dropped both judging and enforcing, which is a third position, not a return to Rome.
John Reasnor retweeted
The racist Christian Nationalists are celebrating the arrest and holding for ICE of brother @SlowToWrite.
Pray for his family. ICE has a horrific track record, and those in immigration holding are many times abused.
