Iranian Christians fleeing persecution should get U.S. care and refuge

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TOM LAMPRECHT: Harry, I want to give you two stories that made the news this week and get your response. The first was the Golden Globes ceremony and the speech given by Oprah Winfrey. There was a lot of focus on sexual abuse and women being abused. From that speech, a number of individuals are now talking about Oprah Winfrey running for president.

DR. REEDER: It’s kind of the idea, “Well, if a celebrity – Donald Trump, ‘celebrity’ from business and media – can be president, well, here’s a better one, Oprah Winfrey, so we’re going to put up our from-the-left celebrity to run against the populist celebrity of Donald Trump.”

And that’ll be interesting to see how that story unfolds, but, Tom, as you referred to this moment, there are a number of other things that I think bear analysis and elucidation from a Christian world and life view.

Everything was about “the sexual harassment, #metoo will be no more.” And I quote now, “The people that are going to do that are in this room, some absolutely astounding women and even some phenomenal men.” That’s what was said.

Now, when I was listening to the reports of that – I do confess, I was not able to watch it, I wasn’t capable of interacting with it, but I did do my research on it afterwards – and, Tom, first thing that strikes me is the absolute tone-deaf and reality-denying dynamic of the event.

This whole sexual harassment has come to the forefront, highlighted in about three arenas. No. 1 was the government, No. 2 is the news industry, and No. 3 and most prominently was the entertainment industry.

Here’s an entertainment industry that is promoting moral relativism. In fact, that was even revealed in Oprah Winfrey’s speech – the embrace of moral relativism that undergirds the sexual revolution.

TOM LAMPRECHT: Harry, it’s interesting you bring that up. One of her quotes out of the speech was, “I want to say that I value the press more than ever before as we try to navigate these complicated times, which brings me to this. What I know for sure is that speaking your truth is the most powerful tool we all have.”

DR. REEDER: She reaches out to a group in which this sexual harassment dynamic has been most prevalent in the news organization – that she now values them – and that the change is going to come from within the room.

And here is a room that promotes the sexual revolution by promoting moral relativism – there are no moral absolutes.

In other words, we have this event because the people in that room make the movies based on moral relativism that celebrates the sexual revolution of sexual promiscuity and sexual perversion and wants to mainstream that through their movies and their storytelling and have been very successful at it and, now without repenting of the moral relativism, you will notice that none of the women who have come forth on the Harvey Weinstein, you’ll notice that none of them were even at the Globe Awards.

You will also notice that no names were mentioned – there was no confession that “we have sinned,” that “we have been part of this – it was, “We are the messiah.”

Not only were they tone-deaf, not only were they reality-denying of their role in this entire process, they also were not able to identify that they have actually mainstreamed this sexual absorption and this sexual saturation and have mainstreamed it with their moral relativism.

She reaffirms moral relativism with this “your truth.” There’s no such thing as your truth – it’s either true or it’s not true. There’s objective truth and the refusal to understand the only answer to this is to, again, according to moral truth, place sex within the bounds of a marriage of one man and one woman.

That’s what ought to be dramatized, is the ability to speak to people concerning their call to restrain sexuality outside of marriage and walk away from it and celebrate sexuality within marriage as the gift of God for initiation of a marriage, for rejoicing in a marriage and for procreation within the context of a marriage between a man and a woman committed for life.

And there was no ability to do that so here is moral relativism that promoted the sexual revolution now declared as the answer to the sexual revolution.

Most of the time, if you understood your role in the problem – you had the major role in producing the problem – you sing in a minor key and say, “Give us a chance to clean up our own house,” – not, “We’re going to clean up America,” but, “We need to clean up our own house.”

And then thirdly there was a clear messianic complex that the people in that room actually believe they are the saviors of society when, in reality, they have produced the blight upon society. Repentance needs to begin within their own household before they claim the role of setting straight America.

They have put western culture into this downward spiral of degradation, and marriage destruction, and family destruction and the objectivization of women as sex objects. They have been the primary propagators and purveyors of this. The need is to confess it and to repent of it, not claim that their moral relativism is the answer and that they are the messiah who will deliver this society from its problems.

TOM LAMPRECHT: Harry, let me take you to Story No. 2. A number of media outlets have reported on this, including The Washington Free Beacon. 100 Iranian Christians are waiting to enter the United States. However, they could be sent back to Iran this week. Right now, they’re over in Vienna, waiting the okay to come to the United States. There are some homes set up for them in California but, right now, their future is in question.

DR. REEDER: Tom, this is something that we actually have responded to two ways in this program. No. 1 is affirming the fact that America needs to take a good solid look at an immigration policy that is beneficial to the American nation and people and is properly responsive to the refugee issue within our society.

And, if you’ll remember in our program – I think it bears repeating right now – that, while a nation needs to establish national security, and have an appropriate immigration policy and ought to be bringing in some of the best for the benefit of the society, it also ought to provide a place of refuge for the refugees until they can be properly vetted and either restored back into their nation or brought into this nation and, in the vetting, there ought to be a category for religious and political persecution.

Well, if you have that category, these Iranians do fit that category. If they go back to Iran with the publicity around their profession of faith in Christ as their Lord and Savior, they are going to be targeted, there is no doubt about it. This is a life and death issue for them and this is an appropriate portal of immigration into our nation, is that they are truly religious refugees, in general, and Christians, in particular, so I obviously have a special interest.

I do agree that there ought to be clarity of how people brought into this country are going to be cared for and you are correct – there are people who have stepped up. I have actually made communication offering to lead a search for families who would sponsor each one of these families.

And someone said to me, “Harry, do you know what you’re getting into?” I said, “Actually, it would not take long at all.” I think I could get them all settled in Birmingham without a problem. I think the volunteers who would sponsor these families are prolific right now so that would not be a problem at all.

Tom, I do hope and pray that our listeners will bring some pressure to our elected officials to bring the proper pressure upon our State Department that these truly persecuted Christians can have access to coming into this country and I believe they will be of great benefit to our nation. There is no doubt their religious persecution is authentic and there is no doubt that they would be an asset to this nation.

Tom, and whenever we deal with this, I’m always thinking of the fact that we, as Christians, are refugees. The Bible says we are sojourners. We thank the Lord that we, who were the refugees of sin, have found a home in Jesus Christ.

Dr. Harry L. Reeder III is the Senior Pastor of Briarwood Presbyterian Church in Birmingham.

This podcast was transcribed by Jessica Havin, editorial assistant for Yellowhammer News. Jessica has transcribed some of the top podcasts in the country and her work has been featured in a New York Times Bestseller.