Latest / Beliefs, Ballots, And BullDawgs / October 7, 2026
Transcript
- Greg: What's up everybody and welcome to the latest episode of Beliefs Ballots and Bulldogs. All right, dog fans, it's Alabama week, and I know what happens when I say those two words. There's a certain portion of our fan base that immediately gets a little bit uncomfortable. Look, I get it. We we have been through some stuff with these people. We have watched Alabama rip our heart outs in just about every conceivable way in the national championship game, in SEC championship games, and overtime in the fourth quarter with backup quarterbacks, receivers appearing out of nowhere. We've led them, we've chased them, we've almost had them, and occasionally we have gotten the better of them. And somehow we all walk out of the stadium wondering, what the heck just happened? It's always so emotional and so full of energy. So I understand it. Look, to some degree, as good as the run has been, Alabama has been a little bit of a boogeyman for us. But I think it's time that as dog fans we stop treating them like one because honestly, I think something has changed. And actually I think it's us that's changed. I think the program has changed. Georgia's no longer the program trying to catch Alabama. We aren't walking into Tuscaloosa Saturday night hoping to find out whether we belong on the same field. We know we do. We have won two national titles under Kirby Smart. We have won back-to-back SEC champions. And the last time we saw Alabama, let's remember, we beat them pretty handily 28 to 7 in the SEC championship game. So I'm not going into Saturday night afraid of Alabama. I respect them. Of course I do. They're five and they're scoring 50 points a game. Keelan Russell looks like the next great Alabama quarterback that must be developed in a lab somewhere beneath Bryant Denny Stadium. They're good. They're really good. And hey, look, that's what we want. This is why we watch college football. Number two, Georgia, at number six, Alabama, both undefeated. Saturday night, Tuscaloosa, Bryant Denny Stadium, 100,000 people, most of whom aren't going to like us very much. Let's go. This is what we're here for. And here's the part I want dog fans to really hear this week. Stop going into this game carrying the ghost of 2002, 2012, 2017, 2018, and all the other times that Alabama broke our hearts. Those games aren't walking through that tunnel Saturday night. Nick Saban didn't walk in through that tunnel. Tua isn't walking through that tunnel. Jalen Hurts isn't gonna walk through that tunnel. Gunnar Stockton is, Chris Cole is, KJ Bolden is, Nate Fraser is, and most importantly, Kirby Smart's walking through that tunnel wearing the G. And those guys aren't carrying the emotional baggage. I promise you, we are. So maybe it's time we put it down. There's one piece of history now that I do want to actually absolutely get a part of Saturday night. Georgia hasn't won a game in Tuscaloosa since 2007. You remember it, I remember it. Matthew Stafford, overtime, final play, Mikey Henderson, touchdown, ball game. It was awesome. That was the man enough game, if you recall. But I'd like a new memory. I'd like Kirby Smart to accomplish the one thing he hasn't accomplished in Georgia. He's got national championships, he's got SEC rings, he's got number one rankings, NFL draft picks everywhere. He has turned Georgia into one of the two or three defining programs of this era. But he's never walked out of Bryant Denny Stadium as Georgia's head coach with a win. Let's get that fixed Saturday night. And look, this isn't about making some statement on a national stage about Georgia or the balance of power in college football. look, I this isn't about officially declaring the Alabama dynasty over. I don't need some long spiel from Paul Feinbaub on Monday to tell me what it means. I just need one thing. Go to Tuscaloosa and beat Alabama. And that's it. Walk into Bryant Denny, take whatever punch Alabama throws and beat them. Because here's what I believe about this Georgia team. They're not going to Tuscaloosa hoping they're good enough. They know they're good enough. And maybe it's time the rest of us started acting like that and believing it too. So dog fans. No fear this week, no PTSD, no waiting around for the shoe to drop and something terrible to happen. We're not going to Alabama or Tuscaloosa to see Alabama. We're going to Tuscaloosa to beat Alabama. Saturday night, under the lights, two undefeated teams on one of the biggest stages in college football. This is what we wanted. Let's go get this thing. We're going to continue our series today on faith and politics. And today we're going to go somewhere that can get people angry in about 12 seconds. We're going to talk about immigration, the border, illegal immigration, refugees, assimilation to this country, national security, all of it. And before we're finished, we're going to talk about something that I don't think gets discussed nearly enough. What should America reasonably expect from the people who want to come here? Because look, I'll tell you where I stand. I believe America should have a secure border. I believe immigration laws should be enforced. I believe we should know who's entering this country. I believe people who pose legitimate national security threats. Should not be admitted. And I believe people who choose to come to America should come here with the intention of becoming contributors to America rather than simply consumers of what America has to provide. But I also believe something else. Every immigrant, every refugee, every person standing at that border, illegal or legal, bears the image of God. So if we're going to think about immigration biblically, we're going to have to hold some ideas together that American politics continue to try to pull apart. Law, compassion, security, human dignity, responsibility, and yes, love. So let's get into it. We'll start with the question that that nobody really likes, and that is, what are you here to build? If somebody wants to come to America, I don't think that's an unreasonable question to ask. Why do you want to be here? Do you want to work? Do you want to build a business? Raise a family, create something, become a part of a community? Do you want to live peacefully beside people who may worship differently than you? Are you going respect the laws? Are you going to participate in the country? Are you going to contribute to the place you've chosen to call home? Wonderful. If you are, you might be welcome here. That's the immigration story that Americans have celebrated for generations. People came here looking for opportunity and they helped build the country that provided that opportunity. But I have a problem when the relationship becomes purely transactional, when it becomes about what can America give me? What benefits can I receive? What services can I access? What can this country provide for me? And it then nothing is expected in return. That's what bothers me. It's not that I hate immigrants. It's just because I don't believe that's what citizenship or even community is supposed to mean. It's not about what you can take. We've talked about this on our episode about the economy. 2 Thessalonians 3.10 says, if anyone is not willing to work, let him not eat. And remember the important word there, willing. Paul isn't condemning somebody who cannot work. He's addressing someone who's unwilling to work. And that principle doesn't suddenly change depending on where somebody was born. If you're capable of contributing, contribute. Born in Mexico, contribute. Born in India, contribute. Born in Honduras, contribute. Born right here in Georgia? Yeah, you should contribute too. This isn't about making immigrants need to work while Americans sit around and collect checks. No, same standard. If you're able, work. Build, serve, help, create, take responsibility. Because a healthy society cannot consist primarily of people asking, What am I entitled to receive? Somebody has to produce the things that we're all planning to consume. There's a passage in Jeremiah 29 that I think gives us a very interesting principle. And look, let's be careful here. This isn't God giving America an immigration policy. The context here is completely different. This is the Jewish people living in exile in Babylon. But listen to what God tells them. In Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 7. Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile and pray to the Lord on its behalf. Seek the welfare, not seek the welfare program, seek the welfare, the well-being. Think about that. They're living somewhere that isn't originally their home. And God's instruction to them isn't use this place for everything you can get out of it. His instruction is seek the welfare, build houses, plant gardens, raise families, contribute. Pray for the place, help the community flourish. There's something deeply biblical about asking, how can I make the place where God has put me even better? And that's what exactly what we would hope for anyone coming to America would be asking. Not simply what can America do for me or what can I get, but what can I build here? What can I contribute? Now let's get into the part that people will tend to call controversial. I believe the United States has every right to determine who enters the United States. I believe the government has a responsibility to determine whether someone trying to enter poses a legitimate danger to Americans. And look, this is not some imaginary concern. Our government already conducts extensive visa screening when people are coming in. We examine criminal and security concerns, and screening has been expanded even further to include online activity and things like that for any of the dangerous categories. Why? Well Because admitting to someone admitting someone into this country isn't merely about the paperwork and the processing. It can legitimately be a national security decision. And therefore, I I support rigorous screening. If there is any credible evidence that somebody ref somebody supports terrorism, political violence, espionage, any sort of belonging to violent or extremist organizations, or has any intention to harm or conduct anything negative in America. We have no moral obligation to admit that person into being amongst us. And that's not hatred, that is simple discernment. But we must be very careful here, because this is where legitimate security concerns can become something ugly. Muslim does not mean terrorist. Immigrant does not mean criminal. Hispanic does not mean illegal. Refugee does not mean extremist. And foreign born does not mean anti-American. And somebody's skin color, accent, religion, or country of origin is not even evidence that they're dangerous. We don't look at an entire category of human beings and pronounce them guilty. That's not justice. The issue is evidence, conduct, associations, intentions, credible security concerns. And there's actually something very important about that distinction. We should screen people more carefully, precisely, so we don't have to stereotype people so broadly. Investigate the individual. Evaluate the evidence against that individual. Identify the actual threat. Don't smear minutes millions of innocent people because some dangerous people exist. That's not justice. All right, now we get to swing to the other extreme because sometimes as conservatives, we're so afraid of being called intolerant that we become unwilling to acknowledge that look, dangerous ideologies actually exist. They really do. They're out there. There are people in this world who genuinely hate America. There are extremist movements out there that desperately want America harmed. There are organizations that celebrate political violence. There are foreign adversaries who would love to exploit weaknesses in our immigration and travel systems. Pretending those threats don't exist isn't compassion. It's simple foolishness. The FBI continues to warn us about international terrorist threats to homeland. Our own government maintains screening systems specifically because hostile actors may attempt to enter or operate inside the the United States. Some of them are already here. So so here's my my position on this. Compassion doesn't require ignorance or stupidity. Christians are called to love people, but we're not called to abandon discernment. Jesus himself said in Matthew 10 16, be wise as serpent and innocent as doves. Notice the combination, innocent and wise, not hateful, not paranoid, not prejudiced, but not naive either. And this brings me to something deeper than immigration paperwork. It's assimilation. It it's assimilation has almost become a dirty word in our society, and and in no way should it be. If you come to America, I don't expect you to forget where you came from, keep your food, keep your family traditions, celebrate your heritage, speak your native language at home, tell your children about their heritage and their grandparents, bring the best parts of your culture with you. That's part of what has made America the greatest place in the world and makes it so interesting. But there's a difference between bringing your heritage to America. And refusing to become part of America. You don't have to erase where you came from to embrace where you've chosen to live. If you're choosing America, then become part of America. Learn how the country works. Respect the constitutional system, obey the laws, participate in your community, work beside people who aren't like you, don't w worship like you, live peep peacefully beside people who might disagree with you, contribute to everything around you. And if you eventually become a citizen, Understand that citizenship should mean something more than just obtaining a passport. When somebody becomes an American citizen, we are actually asking something from them. We ask for allegiance, and I think that's incredibly important. Being America can't mean you just want to come to America because America has things that you want. Citizenship means becoming part of a people, a community, a nation. Look, that doesn't mean that America is perfect. Far from it. It it doesn't mean you can never criticize America. Americans have practically made criticizing America a national pastime. We all do it all the time. And look, sometimes the criticism is very warranted and very necessary. America has done things wrong and will do wrong things again in the future. Patriotism doesn't require pretending that we're perfect, but there's a difference between I love this country enough to want it to become better, and I despise this country and want to see it destroyed. And if somebody genuinely wants the destruction of the United States, if they support violence against Americans or reject the basic constitutional order through any sort of violent means, I don't understand why we're supposed to pretend like that shouldn't matter when we're when it comes to the choice of pretend like admitting that person or not. It absolutely should matter. Now look, I know what this means, and and some Christians are already going to be yelling at me or go, Well, Greg, what about welcoming the stranger? And look, I get it. The Bible absolutely talks about it in Leviticus chapter 19, 33 through 34. When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. And then it even tells us, you shall love him as yourself. We don't get to delete that part of the Bible. God repeatedly commands his people not to exploit foreigners, not to mistreat them, not to treat vulnerable people as though their vulnerability makes them worthless. And Christians should take that very seriously. But here's the thing we have to stop doing. Turning one biblical command into an entire modern immigration code. Ancient Israel is not the United States. A biblical sojourner isn't automatically equivalent to every category in modern immigration law. The Bible doesn't tell us how many visas America should issue. The Bible doesn't tell us what the asylum standard should be, what am what the annual immigration level should be like, or how long immigration court should take, or exactly what the border enforcement system should even look like. Those are all very prudent and political questions, but scripture does give us principles on these things and we have to apply them wisely. The government and the church do not have the same job. This is a distinction I think we have to focus on. If somebody appears at my church hungry, I need to feed him. If my neighbor is suffering, I need to help him. If a refugee family legitimately arrives in the community with absolutely nothing, Christians ought to seriously consider whether we can help them get established or not. Food, clothes, furniture, a job, transportation, friendship, community, all of those things ref like that's just a a reference point for Christian love. But none of that answers who should legally be admitted into the United States. That's a completely different question. The government has responsibilities that I don't have as an individual Christian. The government has responsibility for borders, law, public safety, national security. The government has responsibility for its existing citizens. The church has responsibilities that the government cannot fulfill either. Love, generosity, discipleship, volume and charity, community. We can't confuse the two. There are different responsibilities. My obligation to love the stranger doesn't require the federal government to abandon immigration law. And the government's law or the government's responsibility to enforce immigration law in no way eliminates my obligation to love the person standing in front of me. Both can and must be true. So what about somebody who came here illegally? Look, that's where that's where things get a little harder. Personally, I believe laws matter. If somebody entered the country illegally, that absolutely matters. You can't build a functioning immigration system around the idea that immigration law is optional. But the moment somebody breaks immigration, the moment somebody breaks immigration law does not mean they cease bearing the image of God. Illegal status here doesn't mean that's a worthless human being. It doesn't mean we are called to hate this person. It doesn't mean we need to humiliate this person. And it doesn't mean that anything done to them because they're here illegally is justified. Here's the distinction I think that we as Christians should be capable of making. A person's legal status can affect his legal rights and consequences, but his legal status should not determine his human worth. Now that's Christianity. Justice without hatred. So let's talk about the the other hot button issues, the people who were brought here as children. This is where kind of the some of the easier points and the bump bumper sticker quotes kind of fall apart. You know, somebody that's brought here across the border illegally at age two and now they're 25, they went to school here, they work here, they speak English. America is essentially the only country they've ever known. Did immigration law get broken? Yeah. Did that two year old make the decision? No. All right, so now we've got a harder problem. And Christians shouldn't be afraid of hard problems. We can believe that borders matter, we can believe that laws matter, and personal culpability matters too. Wisdom requires distinguishing between circumstances. Not every immigration case is morally identical. And that's why the policy, whatever it is, is gonna always require some personal judgment. If we're going to demand that immigrants respect American law, Then I think we better respect American law too. If we're furious that somebody is working here illegal, but we're perfectly happy to hire undocumented labor because it'll save us 50 bucks. Well, it's time to look in the mirror. If we're going to preach personal responsibility, we absolutely have to practice it ourselves. If we're going to demand that newcomers contribute to their community, well, we'd better contribute to ours. And if we're going to say that immigrants should love America, we should probably ask ourselves what we're doing to make America worth handing on to the next generation. Because being born here doesn't automatically make you a good citizen. Citizenship requires something from all of us. And this is where I think the whole conversation turns. Maybe the problem isn't simply that some people come here to America asking, what can I take? Maybe it's that we've increasingly taught everybody to ask that question. What benefits do I get? What programs can I qualify for? What can the government give me? Who's going to pay my debt? Who's going to solve my problem? Who's going to make my life easier? What's in it for me? And very few people these days are asking, what am I responsible for contributing? Who builds these things? Who works? Who serves? Who volunteers? Who raises responsible children? Who starts the businesses? Who employs somebody? Who helps take care of an elderly neighbor? Who helps coach the baseball team? Who serves at church? Who joins the military? Who pays the bills? Who creates something today that didn't exist yesterday? Who helps make the community better? And this isn't only an immigration problem. This is an entire citizenship problem. So maybe the standard shouldn't be immigrants should contribute. Maybe the standard should be we all should contribute. If you came here yesterday, contribute. If your family came here a hundred years ago, contribute. If your ancestors were here when the country was founded, contribute. If you were born here and never intend to leave, contribute. America isn't some giant vending machine where we can all just keep pushing buttons and hoping the government drops something into the tray. A country is people, families, communities, businesses, churches, schools, neighbors, citizens. A healthy country requires people who put something into it. And there's one final warning that we as Christians need. America is not the kingdom of God. America is not our savior. Philippians 3 20 says, our citizenship is in heaven. My ultimate allegiance belongs to Jesus Christ. Not a president, not a party, not a flag, and not a country. And because my highest allegiance belongs to Christ, I should be capable of admitting when my country is wrong. Patriotism does not require worship. I can love my country without pretending that it's perfect. I can defend it without idealizing it. I can criticize it without hating it, and I can want it to flourish without confusing its success with the advancement of God's kingdom. Christian first, American second. But being a Christian first doesn't require me to stop loving America. So here's where I stand. I want a secure border. I want immigration laws enforced. I want serious screening if we're allowing anyone into this country. I want legitimate security threats identified before they ever enter the country. And and we should stop this wherever reasonably possible. I I want people, if they are going to be here, to be people who genuinely want to become part of America. I want workers, builders, entrepreneurs, doctors, teachers, tradesmen, mothers, fathers. I want good neighbors, people who want freedom, people who want opportunity, but people who want to work and build something, people who want to contribute. And I don't care where you were born or what color skin you have, nearly as much as I care, why are you here and what are you here to build? If you're coming here because you want to work, build, Raise your family, live peacefully, obey the law, and contribute to your community. All right, I think that's something worth celebrating. But if credible evidence shows someone is their intention is terrorism, violence, espionage, or actively working to help destroy the country and its people, like I don't believe compassion requires us to invite that person inside. It's not hatred, that's responsibility. So here's the challenge. You know, to the to the person who may have come to an America as an immigrant, what are you here to build? And to those of us who are fortunate enough to have been born here, what are we building? We don't get to demand contribution from newcomers while we just focus on being consumers ourselves. We don't get to demand patriotism while refusing responsibility. We don't get to complain about people taking from America while spending our entire lives asking America what it's going to give us next. Maybe the better question for every one of us is the question God essentially gave those in exile in Babylon. Are you seeking the welfare of the place where God has put you? Are you making it better? Are you contributing? Are you serving? Are you building? Are you raising people who will build after you're gone? Because citizenship shouldn't merely be about what you're entitled to receive. It should mean accepting responsibility for something far bigger than yourself. And Christianity has one final requirement for us. While we defend our country, enforce our laws, and protect our citizens, and exercise discernment for those who enter. We never forget who's standing on this other side. It's a human being made in the image of God. Maybe desperate, maybe dangerous, maybe dishonest, maybe terrified, maybe hardworking, and maybe somebody who will become one of the greatest Americans you will ever meet, which is why we discern instead of stereotype. We enforce law without abandoning love. We protect without hating. We show mercy without surrendering wisdom. We welcome people who want to build with us. And we remember that those of us already inside the gate, well, we've got some building to do ourselves. That'll do it for the day, guys. Get in your Bible, say your prayers, love your neighbor, respect the law, take responsibility, contribute more than you consume, tell the truth, and wherever God has placed you, seek the welfare of that place. Build something worth leaving behind. God bless.