Christians are called to be people of truth. But when we fail to ground our thinking in biblical principles, we can end up telling inadvertent lies — and mischaracterizing fellow believers in the process.

Exhibit A: this post from a Christian writer and speaker, sharing with her Christian followers, regarding current events centered in Minneapolis.

Empathy for the hurting extends to all those who hurt, and plenty have been hurt by the assault on our borders over the past few years.

She writes:

I’m reading through the gospels right now, and I’m struck by what the leaders of Israel enticed the crowds to demand — that an innocent man be put to death and a murderer (Barabbas) be freed from prison and the obvious consequences of his egregious actions. This is the hallmark of an unjust society, where we vilify those who have done nothing wrong (and treat them like criminals), or we applaud and set free those who harm others.

She never mentions Minnesota or Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but her followers’ responses make it abundantly clear they got (and “loved”) the intended message.

‘Vilifying’ crime?

Apparently the writer perceives illegal immigrants as “those who have done nothing wrong” who we are “vilifying” and “treating like criminals.” (Pro tip: Breaking a law makes you a criminal.) ICE agents, apparently, are “those who harm others” that we are supposedly “applauding” or “setting free.”

She goes on:

I am heartbroken by the current state of things in my country. Deeply troubled. Praying. Worrying, if I’m honest. I keep watching documentaries about tyranny and cult leaders and history.

Tyranny and cult leaders? Since we hear this from the left constantly, we know exactly what she’s trying to say.

And that’s what “deeply troubles” ME.

That the current administration — which is carrying out the federal government’s long-neglected role in protecting our borders and thus our communities — is somehow tyrannical. That those of us who support this, many of us who voted for this, are akin to a “cult.”

Thinking it through

I’m troubled by Christians who knee-jerk react to the world without thinking issues through biblically, as she demonstrates here:

I do understand the nature of evil — to call evil good and good evil.

My friend, we are not the ones confusing evil and good here. Let’s break it down.

First, sin is evil. Period. So when we are talking about evil, we are talking about sin.Second, breaking the law is sin/evil. Unless the law directly contradicts the word of God.

Can we agree on those two principles?

If I break down your door to get into your home — even if I just walk in your unlocked door — that is a sin.

It’s a sin because it’s against the law (and that law in no way contradicts the word of God).It’s also a sin because I am taking — stealing — something that belongs to you. Your home, your privacy, your sense of safety, your peace. I have no right to invade your space. I have no right to breach your border.

Profoundly hypocritical

Doors and locks exist for a reason, just like borders and guarded crossing points do. Those who advocate for open borders (identified by their yelling, “No one is illegal!”) live in homes with doors and locks. They are profoundly hypocritical.

They are worse than hypocritical actually. Because while they still seek to protect themselves, they are happy for other people to be stripped of that right. And for other people to have to deal with the loss of safety and peace.

Consider these females, all attacked and murdered by men here illegally: Kayla Hamilton, Ruby Garcia, Lizbeth Medina, Rachel Morin, Laken Riley, Jocelyn Nungaray, Joselyn Toaquiza, Melody Waldecker, and Mollie Tibbetts.

And these women are hardly the only victims. In Texas alone, hundreds of people have died in recent years at the hands of people who entered illegally. I mention Texas because nobody else is tracking this particular statistic — Americans killed by illegal border-crossers.

Meantime thousands of illegal border-crossers who are also convicted murderers still roam free nationwide.

Of course, murder isn’t the only evil aided and abetted by illegal immigration. As we’ve seen in recent days from the same troubled state, fraud and taxpayer abuse is rampant as well, with wholly corrupt public officials turning a blind eye or benefiting from the scams.

RELATED: A protest doesn’t become lawful because Don Lemon livestreams it

Law and sin

But even if an illegal border-crosser never committed another crime nor took a dime of taxpayer money — it would STILL not be wrong to send him/her home. There is a line to get in, there are people waiting in that line, and they cut in front. They broke the law. It’s a sin. It’s evil.

(By the way, speeding is against the law too, in case we’re feeling superior in any way. God’s standards are high!)

The left cannot and will not see border issues for what they are, but Christians should take no part in the ungodly confusion of thinking that wanting to curb this evil is itself evil.

No true Christian

One of the comments to the post came from a Canadian:

I don’t even live in the USA but I am deeply troubled also. I am praying for the so called “Christian” to wake up from their slumber and see what’s really going on. True followers of Christ would not support this evil.

This comment, actually, is a sin. Because it’s wrong to assume that fellow Christians whose viewpoints on deportation proceedings differ from yours are therefore not “true followers.”

Especially in an age when people tend to get their news from the same sources over and over, we should tread very lightly in making assumptions about someone’s salvation. That is in fact the judging we’re not supposed to do, because we don’t know people’s hearts — as opposed to the judging we can do, when people say or do specific sinful things.

Can we talk?

A reasonable discussion we might have here could center around specific ICE tactics. But we can’t have that discussion because one side refuses to acknowledge the legitimacy of ICE in the first place (many also seem to be under the wholly ignorant impression it didn’t exist or take action before Trump). They also refuse to acknowledge the legitimacy of a border, for the most part.

And they certainly refuse to acknowledge the fact that actively impeding lawful efforts to enforce law is in fact breaking the law and is therefore … yes, a sin/evil.

Peacefully holding a protest sign is not wrong in any way. But let’s not pretend that’s what’s happening here, when “playbooks” are being disseminated online for physically engaging with these federal officers and “anti-ICE” groups openly call for violence. These things, as we have already seen, put the protesters — whether they are paid or just easily misled — in danger too.

Empathy for all

A topic for another time, perhaps, is the over-the-top emotion and angst over this American situation, which at this point involves the sad death of exactly one person who arguably put herself squarely in harm’s way. This response to the writer’s post is a good example:

It’s really hard for me to enjoy life like nothing is happening when so many others are hurting.

This Christian American woman is struggling to enjoy life. Because ICE. Not because thousands of Iranians are being slaughtered by the Islamic Republic of Iran, or the humanitarian crisis in Sudan, or any other people hurting, but because America is deporting people who shouldn’t have illegally crossed in.

Empathy for the hurting extends to all those who hurt, and plenty have been hurt by the assault on our borders over the past few years. With that in mind, another quote from the original post:

The way of Jesus is not conquest, nor is it victory over our so-called enemies. … It means listening to the hurting, entering into the worlds of those who differ from us, and loving people we disagree with.

I could not agree more. We Christians, who believe any government’s God-ordained job is to protect its own citizens and therefore support deportation of people who “skipped the line” to get in (especially violent people), would appreciate having a civil conversation about this topic.

That — as opposed to indirectly or directly calling us nonbelievers — would be the loving thing to do.

This article was adapted from an essay originally published on Diane Schrader’s Substack, She Speaks Truth.

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A former football sideline reporter has announced a strong Donald Trump-style platform in her run for office.

Michele Tafoya is a former Sunday Night Football staple, interviewing coaches, players, and the like from 2011 to 2022.

Now Tafoya has launched a bid for a Senate seat in Minnesota that will be vacated by retiring U.S. Sen. Tina Smith (D).

‘I will clean up the system, fighting corruption, ending the fraud, and protecting your tax dollars.’

On Wednesday, Tafoya launched her campaign with a video, stating that “massive government fraud” has been “ripping off” hardworking Americans while showing clips of journalist Nick Shirley’s viral videos that uncovered alleged fraud at Somali-run day cares.

Tafoya also pointed the finger at Gov. Tim Walz (D) and said the state has been forcing “radical ideologies” in schools and sports, putting young women in danger.

RELATED: Whitlock: Michele Tafoya risked everything to start her own Freedom Convoy

“I will clean up the system, fighting corruption, ending the fraud, and protecting your tax dollars,” Tafoya said. “I will protect what’s fair and safe, standing with our law enforcement officers, deporting dangerous criminals, and keeping female sports for female athletes.”

She added, “And I will make our lives affordable again.”

Furthermore the former broadcaster promised to cut taxes for the middle class, strengthen manufacturing, and lower the cost of groceries, prescription drugs, and mortgages.

Tafoya will have stiff competition, even if she is the most notable name in the Republican primary field. Other candidates include former NBA player Royce White, retired Navy officer Tom Weiler, and retired Navy SEAL Adam Schwarze.

RELATED: Facing down cancel culture: 4 courageous women who stand firm in their beliefs

Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Tafoya, 61, is originally from California but relocated to Minnesota to cover the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings and then the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves before shifting to national coverage.

In mid-December, Tafoya reportedly met with members of the National Republican Senatorial Committee to discuss the potential run. On Tuesday, paperwork for “Tafoya for Senate” was filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Retiring U.S. Sen. Smith, who is from the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party wing of the DNC, won her primary in 2018 after former comedian Al Franken resigned over a picture of him pretending to squeeze a news broadcaster’s breasts while she was asleep.

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A 12-year-old boy accused of striking a woman in the face with a screwdriver and beating her amid a weekend robbery in Seattle went before a juvenile court judge Tuesday, KOMO-TV reported.

Despite the boy’s attorney referring to him as a “good kid” who should be released to his parents — and his father making what a KOMO video report said was an emotional plea to the court — the judge didn’t see it that way.

‘He turned 12 about three months ago.’

The first-appearance judge determined there was probable cause to believe the boy committed first-degree robbery, which under state law involves the display of a deadly weapon or the infliction of bodily injury, the station said.

The judge ordered the boy held in secure juvenile detention, KOMO reported, adding that bail is not considered in juvenile court and a respondent is either released or held.

The defense argued that the boy’s parents would watch him and monitor his behavior, while the state said the boy has chronic issues, the station report. The defense still asked for the boy’s release to his parents and wasn’t opposed to electronic home monitoring, KOMO added.

In the station’s video report, the boy’s attorney is heard arguing that her client is “quite young; he turned 12 about three months ago. He has no criminal adjudication history.” The boy — whose face isn’t shown in the video — is seen apparently wiping his eyes with tissue during the proceedings.

But Judge Tanya Thorp said he’ll remain in detention, noting that his “multiple contacts” with police deemed “chronic is of great concern to me.”

RELATED: 3 males — ages 8, 11, 12 — steal car, crash into house; driver, 11, says he learned how to steal cars from YouTube: Cops

More from KOMO:

The case remains under investigation by Seattle police and has not yet been formally referred to the King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office. Prosecutors said that timeline is typical, noting that charging decisions require a higher burden of proof than the probable cause standard used at a first-appearance hearing.

King County prosecutors said they expect to receive the case referral from Seattle police on Thursday and anticipate making a charging decision later this week. Prosecutors said first-degree robbery cases are not eligible for diversion and are instead handled in juvenile court with input from juvenile probation counselors.

Washington state law says a 12-year-old charged with first-degree robbery must remain in juvenile court, the station noted, adding that officials said prosecutors and judges lack the authority to transfer such a case to adult court, regardless of the circumstances.

Authorities told KOMO the next update is expected Thursday evening.

In regard to Saturday evening’s incident, police said a juvenile suspect wearing a “hot pink ski mask” robbed a 43-year-old woman at an Amazon Fresh store. Police said the suspect “attacked the victim, hitting her multiple times in the face with his hands,” after which he struck the woman in the face with a screwdriver.

The suspect rifled through the victim’s handbag in a parking garage — and then returned to the victim and assaulted her again before running off, police said.

While police located the suspect, they said he fled from them on foot. However, police recognized the suspect based on previous interactions — as well as his age and unique clothing description — and went to his family’s house and got a search warrant for his arrest, police said.

Officers took the suspect into custody without incident and recovered the screwdriver, police said.

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Rep. Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) faced intense — but warranted — backlash from Fox News’ Sean Hannity after voting against a bill that would have mandated the deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes, a position that exposes the Democratic Party’s dangerous priorities.

And BlazeTV host Sara Gonzales isn’t thrilled with Thanedar either, whom she likens to Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) as another foreigner in our government.

“We’re allowing foreigners to come into our country and lecture us about what America stands for. And in some cases, not just lecture us, but that we then allow them to actually participate in representing constituents,” Gonzales says, before playing the clip of Hannity and Thanedar.

“You voted against a bill mandating the deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of sex crimes. Can you explain that to me?” Hannity asked.

“Well, look, look, anybody who breaks U.S. laws, an immigrant that breaks U.S. laws, should be deported. Anyone that commits —” Thanedar responded, before Hannity cut him off to say, “Sir, sir, you voted against a bill that mandated the deportation of illegals convicted of sex crimes. Do you regret that vote now?”

“No, I don’t regret that vote,” Thanedar responded. “Look, no bill is perfect.”

“What if it was your wife, your sister, your daughter that was raped? That’s a sex crime. You want that person to stay?” Hannity asked.

Thanedar continued to make the excuse that there are multiple reasons to vote on a bill, but Hannity isn’t the only one calling him out.

“You’ve got Shri Thanedar over here thinking that he can just come in here and lecture us about how to run our country while he is voting not to deport illegals convicted of sex crimes. Those are his values that he’s bringing from, I don’t know, I guess wherever he came from,” Gonzales says.

“The Democrats are having a very, very difficult time. They’re having an identity crisis because they’re dealing with all of these radicals who are taking over their party. They’re dealing with, literally, their position is, ‘We should protect illegal criminals from being deported. We want to keep the violent gang members, rapists, child diddlers,’” she continues.

“‘And on top of that, oh wait, hold on,’” she says, still mocking the Democrats. “‘President Trump is actually eliminating fraud and corruption at the federal level? No. No. We won’t stand for it. In fact, if you vote for us in the midterms, we will both make sure that the illegal criminals are protected and also apparently make fraud great again.’”

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Democrats and their friends in the liberal media have worked overtime to demonize U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers who have in recent months faced a massive spike in death threats and attacks.

President Donald Trump confronted the legacy media on Tuesday with insights into the real villains — those degenerate criminal noncitizens whose removal from Minnesota streets leftists have fought and in at least one case died obstructing.

‘They have to be abused by guys like Don Lemon, who’s a loser, lightweight.’

At the outset of a press conference, during which he highlighted some of what he accomplished in his first year back in office, Trump noted that it was appropriate to shine a spotlight on some of the individuals whom ICE has arrested “because Minnesota is so much in the fray.” He produced a stack of illegal alien mugshots, then began showing them one by one.

“They’re apprehending murderers and drug dealers and a lot of bad people,” said Trump. “And these are just some of the more recent ones that we have, and I could show you some of the people — vicious, many of them murderers. These are all out of Minnesota.”

Aldrin Guerrero-Munoz was one of the illegal aliens whose mugshots Trump showed reporters. Guerrero-Munoz is an illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal from 2015.

According to the Department of Homeland Security, Guerrero-Munoz is “a criminal illegal alien who has been incarcerated on the taxpayer’s dime since 2004 following a 32-year prison sentence for the intentional murder of his three-month-old son.” During his time in Stillwater Prison, Guerrero-Munoz assaulted a fellow inmate, resulting in another conviction.

RELATED: More UNHINGED anti-ICE extremist footage: ‘I am a liberal, leftist, pagan, lesbian, transgender woman, and witch!’

Photo by Joshua Lott/The Washington Post via Getty Images

“Do you want to live with these people?” Trump asked as he parsed through pages of mugshots depicting killers and sex offenders.

Trump also held up the mugshots for:

Abdirashid Adosh Elmi, a Somali national convicted of homicide; Chong Vue, a criminal illegal alien from Laos with a final order of removal dated March 11, 2004, who was convicted of strong-arm rape of a 12-year-old girl, kidnapping a child with intent to commit sexual assault, and vehicle theft; Hernan Cortes-Valencia, a criminal illegal alien from Mexico with a final order of removal dated Dec. 1, 2016, who was convicted of sexual assault against a child, sexual assault-carnal abuse, and four DUIs;Sriudorn Phaivan, a criminal illegal alien from Laos with a final order of removal from March 8, 2018, who was convicted of strong-arm sodomy of a boy, strong-arm sodomy of a girl, another aggravated sex offense, nine counts of larceny, unauthorized use of a vehicle, four counts of fraud, vehicle theft, two counts of drug possession, obstructing justice, possession of stolen property, receiving stolen property, burglary, and check forgery; andothers.

Abdirashid Adosh Elmi, Chong Vue, Hernan Cortes-Valencia, and Sriudorn Phaivan. Mugshots courtesy of ICE.

“These are just in Minnesota,” said Trump. “In California, it’s worse. In other states, it’s worse.”

ICE previously noted in reference to several of the criminals identified by Trump that these “are some of the monsters Walz, Frey, and rioters are defending in MN.”

“ICE arrests criminal illegal aliens. Communities get safer,” said ICE. “Governor Walz and Mayor Frey’s radical sanctuary agenda is doing the opposite — putting Minnesotans at risk.”

Trump emphasized on Tuesday that ICE simply wants to get the criminal noncitizens typified by those in the mugshots out of the country.

“That’s all they want to do. They’re patriots, and they have to be abused by guys like Don Lemon, who’s a loser, lightweight,” said the president, alluding to the storming of St. Paul’s Cities Church on Sunday by Lemon and other anti-ICE radicals.

— (@)

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced on Monday that ICE has “arrested over 10,000 criminal illegal aliens who were killing Americans, hurting children, and reigning terror in Minneapolis because Tim Walz and Jacob Frey refuse to protect their own people and instead protect criminals.”

Noem indicated further that “vicious murderers, rapists, child pedophiles, and incredibly dangerous individuals” were among the 3,000 criminal illegal aliens captured over the past six weeks during Operation Metro Surge.

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​Us immigration and customs enforcement, Ice, Metro surge, Minnesota, Minneapolis, Illegal alien, Criminal noncitizen, Donald trump, Truth, Liberal media, Don lemon, Walz, Frey, Illegal immigration, Arrests, Kristi noem, Dhs, Politics