We had a very interesting disagreement with the self-described Christian nationalist
@WilliamWolfe on loving one's enemies. Here's the exchange:
@matthewkaemingk: Center of the Christian faith — loving your enemies. Who is your enemy, and how are you called to love them? Finish us off with that.
Wolfe: That’s not the center of the Christian faith. The center of the Christian faith is repenting and believing in Jesus. Matthew, I’m not going to accept your framing there. It is not the center of the Christian faith. Not even close. Christ actually defeated his enemies and he’s going to put them all under his feet. So it’s like, I’m sorry, I can’t accept that. So you want to try that question again?
Kaemingk: No, I think that’s a great way to end.
Wolfe: Well, no, I mean, that doesn’t mean we don’t love our enemies. I’m not going to accept the—I think that’s actually quite a liberal vision of Christianity, that the center of it is loving our enemies, when we worship and serve a risen, resurrected, and reigning Christ who’s going to return with a sword to put all of his enemies under his feet, the ones who do not repent and believe.
Kaemingk: I still think we should love our enemies.
William Wolfe: Absolutely. But I will say this: loving your enemies is not a public policy prescription, right? I’ve said this before, you’re not a very good Christian if you don’t help somebody broken down on the side of the road because you think they’re an illegal immigrant. You, of course, you should help them, right? Like, that’s not how we should be carrying ourselves. But we can also still enforce our immigration laws, and I see no contradiction between the two.