The Border Crisis and a Viral Photo. Biblical Responses to the Needs of Children.

This is Dr. Jim Denison's The Daily Article Podcast for Thursday, June 27th, 2019.

It is a photo that breaks your heart. Oscar Alberto Martinez Ramirez died with his 23-month

old daughter, Valeria, as they tried to cross from Mexico to the U.S.

The New York Times describes them. The father and daughter lie face down in the muddy water along the banks of the Rio Grande.

Her tiny head tucked inside his t-shirt and arm draped over his neck.

Their family had reportedly fled from oppressive poverty in El Salvador

and had been waiting for two months in a migrant camp in Matamoros for an appointment to receive

political asylum in the U.S. According to Oscar's wife, Tania, the family decided to cross the Rio Grande

out of desperation. According to the journalist who later took their picture, Oscar crossed the Rio Grande with his

daughter, then turned to get his wife. Valeria saw him swimming away and jumped after him. He clung to her,

but a strong current drowned them. The border crisis continues to dominate the news today. The house

passed a $4.5 billion emergency border aid package this week, mostly along party lines.

However, Republicans argued that it contains inadequate funding and too many restrictions on the power of immigration agencies.

The Senate then adopted a $4.5 billion bipartisan aid package yesterday after voting down the House version.

Given the political divisiveness

and vitriol associated with the border crisis, I looked for a respected authority who's

reporting on this issue can be trusted as objective and biblical. And so I turned to the

evangelical immigration table, headed by the president of the National Association of Evangelicals,

and the President of World Vision U.S., among others.

It is supported by prominent pastors including Matt Chandler, Tony Evans, Jack Graham, Max Lukato, and Southern Baptist Convention President J.D. Greer. The EIT website has posted a very

informative paper by Kristen Wright-Taylor titled, Border Crisis 101, Answering Your Biggest

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