Two Executive Orders

U.S. President Donald Trump issued two significant executive orders this week: 1) an order narrowing the applicability of birthright citizenship, and 2) an order altering the childhood vaccine recommendations.

The birthright citizenship order directs that a child born on U.S. soil to foreign national parent(s) will not be deemed a U.S. citizen if any of several circumstances are true. These include: a) either parent is an alien enemy of the U.S., b) either parent is a foreign government employee, c) either parent is engaged in a “commercial transaction to obtain citizenship,” or d) the birth occurs in a territory where citizenship is not granted by statute.

The vaccine order establishes new “Gold Standard Childhood Vaccine Recommendations” and direct federal agencies and state governments to adopt applicable laws and regulations to reflect the changes. It also directs the Department of Justice to ensure state compliance with parental authority laws, including religious freedom and disability accommodations.

Analysis and eternal perspective: Each of these is a hot-button issue and it will take your intentionality to interact with this story in a way that prioritizes relationship with those around you. This is a unique and significantly counter-cultural approach we embrace at The Equipped, but it is one specifically instructed by scripture. Matthew 5:19 calls us to peacemaking and Romans 12:18 tasks us to choose peace whenever possible and to every extent that depends on us.

There are two caveats here that are true but that each of us will be tempted to invoke prematurely. First, these are not calls to acquiescence. God’s Word is equally clear that we are to defend (and even adorn ourselves in) truth (see Eph. 6:14 and 2 Cor. 13:8 for two of many such directives). Next, and somewhat conversely, it is easy to point to another’s departure from truth as cause for abandoning the pursuit of peace with them.

Neither of these off-ramps align with our call. We are to stand on and speak truth in love (Eph. 4:15) and we are also to pursue loving relationship across lines of disagreement (1 Cor. 4:12; Rom. 14:1-22).

Both issues in this story are important. Our community certainly has a variety of views on them, and our public policy around each improves when we sincerely engage with each other across lines of difference. Doing so requires an intentional rejection of the cultural norm of vilifying your brother or sister who begins the conversation from a different perspective on the issue. 

Let’s together as The Equipped community lead the way in this biblical model of civic dialogue.