Evangelicals & The False Immigration Narrative Explained

Why the Evangelicals False Immigration Narrative Claim Fails Biblically

A growing claim now advanced by none other than Christian musical artist Kirk Franklin, among many others in modern Christian discourse, argues that Jesus, Mary, and Joseph should be framed primarily as immigrants in a way that directly maps onto modern immigration policy debates.

Even if one is as charitable as one can biblically be, that claim may sound compassionate — but it is exegetically careless and historically weak. There is clearly no fear of God in the land, as people freely use social media, believing they can post whatever suits them with impunity.

The biblical account presents something far more specific: a targeted flight from political violence, recorded to demonstrate prophetic fulfillment and divine preservation.

This distinction matters because theology matters, and it always matters. Why? Because we are discussing matters that pertain to life and death, and it is no small thing to misuse the Word of God.

At the center of this debate is the Evangelicals' false immigration narrative, which attempts to reinterpret the Flight to Egypt through modern immigration policy frameworks instead of biblical categories.

The Flight to Egypt Was a Refugee Escape — Not Immigration Policy

Matthew 2:13–15 — Divine warning and escape.

Matthew 2:13–15 records an angelic warning to Joseph to flee because Herod intended to kill the child. This was an emergency departure due to the threat of state violence.

That is more closely aligned with what we call refugee flight, not standard immigration.

Scripture’s emphasis is not on border status but on messianic preservation. Nowhere in the Epistles do we find any of the writers giving license for anyone, to include Christ-follower, to enter another sovereign's territory without permission.

Roman Imperial Geography Changes the Framework

I find it ironic that people fail to note that both Judea and Egypt were under Roman imperial rule at the time. Movement within imperial territory does not map cleanly onto modern nation-state border systems, but that never stops people, ranging from the Pope (who ought to know far better than even someone like Kirk Franklin) to Joe Citizen, from rarely, if ever, seeking to think critically before speaking in public.

Modern immigration debates assumes matter such as but not limited to:

• sovereign nation borders

• immigration codes

• enforcement structures.

Those categories did not exist in the same form in the first-century Roman world.

Projecting modern policy frameworks backward into the Nativity text is anachronistic. Anyone postulating that Joseph and Mary, and by implication Jesus Christ, were illegal immigrants is guilty of Stinkin Thinkin.

Prophecy — Not Politics — Is Matthew’s Point

Roman imperial territories in the first century

Matthew explicitly ties the event to Hosea 11:1 — “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

The Gospel writer is making a theological claim: Jesus is the true Israel. Jesus fulfills redemptive history. Jesus is divinely preserved for mission. It is a gross miscarriage of justice to take the Nativity story and Jesus's flight into Egypt to serve one's political aspirations.

The text is doing salvation theology, not public policy. We make God's Word a proverbial waxed nose when we use it to fit our pagan agenda. The impact is even greater when someone of the social cache of Kirk Franklin speaks into the public square. Precisely why the Word of God warns those who are given much that much will be required.

Scripture Also Affirms National Order and Authority

A full biblical ethic includes both compassion and order.

Acts 17:26 — God established national boundaries

Romans 13:1–4 — Civil authority is ordained by God

1 Peter 2:13–17 — Believers are commanded to honor governing authority

Any theological argument that ignores these texts is incomplete and can only find its source as arising from the Adversary because he is all too eager to have people minimize the Cross and rob God of His due glory and honor.

Personal Compassion Is Not Government Policy

Imperial travel routes

Commands to care for the stranger appear throughout the Old Testament — but they are directed toward covenant community ethics and personal conduct.

They are not written as state immigration codes.

Blurring those categories produces confusion and weakens biblical argumentation.

America will rue the day if it ever abandons a dogged determination to secure its borders. One need only look at contemporary Europe to realize that when you allow foreigners free rein within your borders, your way of life quickly becomes their way of life.

The Real Danger: Turning Christ into a Political Symbol

When Jesus is recast primarily as an immigration illustration:

• incarnation becomes messaging

• prophecy becomes rhetoric

• redemption becomes activism branding

Christ did not come to serve as a policy metaphor. He came to save sinners. Satan is all too content to allow us to proclaim a Christ without a Cross, a Savior without sacrifice, and a Redeemer without rule.

Faithfulness requires refusing sentimental reinterpretations that override textual context.

Kirk Franklin is just the latest in the long line of professing Evangelicals who display a wanton disregard for carefully handling God's Word. If I could speak with Franklin, I would simply warn him that it is still a fearful thing to fall into the hands of a living God.

I will release the accompanying YouTube Video on February 9, 2026 @ 12 pm.https://youtu.be/ICJD_WQRPok

Please check it out and share it with someone in your sphere of influence, along with this blog.

With fear & trembling,

Ricky V Kyles Sr. DEd.Min