And we Christians can be both law abiding citizens, expect our government to enforce the laws our elected representatives passed and
also answer the call to the humanitarian crisis at our border in Christian love. These are not exclusive with the others, as some in the press seem to portray.
Speaking as a Christian who like you has been around this world a bit...The dire picture the Apostle Paul paints for us in Romans chapters one through three has been at work since the fall of mankind. It gets worse as there are more of us in this world. And I think that is why in another thread
@Hammster was imploring us all to preach the Gospel.
When the Pharisees were what we would call "virtue signaling" today about keeping the outside clean Jesus focused on the inner person and indicts fallen humanity (bear with me, I like to put the context of the passage out there)
Mark 7: NASB
1The Pharisees and some of the scribes gathered around Him when they had come from Jerusalem,
2and had seen that some of His disciples were eating their bread with impure hands, that is, unwashed.
3(For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they carefully wash their hands,
thus observing the traditions of the elders;
4and
when they come from the market place, they do not eat unless they cleanse themselves; and there are many other things which they have received in order to observe, such as the washing of cups and pitchers and copper pots.)
5The Pharisees and the scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat their bread with impure hands?”
6And He said to them,
“Rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:
‘THIS PEOPLE HONORS ME WITH THEIR LIPS,
BUT THEIR HEART IS FAR AWAY FROM ME.
7‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME,
TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.’
8“Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.”
9He was also saying to them,
“You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition. 10“For Moses said, ‘HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER’; and, ‘HE WHO SPEAKS EVIL OF FATHER OR MOTHER, IS TO BE PUT TO DEATH’; 11but you say, ‘If a man says to his father or his mother, whatever I have that would help you is Corban (that is to say, given to God),’ 12you no longer permit him to do anything for his father or his mother; 13thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”
14After He called the crowd to Him again, He
began saying to them,
“Listen to Me, all of you, and understand: 15there is nothing outside the man which can defile him if it goes into him; but the things which proceed out of the man are what defile the man. 16[“If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.”]
17When he had left the crowd
and entered the house, His disciples questioned Him about the parable.
18And He said to them,
“Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, 19because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?” (Thus He declared all foods clean.) 20And He was saying,
“That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. 21“For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, 22deeds of coveting and wickedness, as well as deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. 23“All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.”
Bold red underlined just above is what each generation deals with. We are no different other than each generation has their white supremacists, Marxist genocidal maniacs, violent religious extremists, and dehumanizing government policies and unjust practices. Yes we need to call it out, speak and teach against it and fight it. This evil proceeds from the fallen sinful human heart. Only One can change that, and we as Christians need to be equipped to pronounce the Hope that is in us, that Hope is Jesus Christ our sure and steady anchor.