Counting the Cost of Immigration

Sin as Addiction | The Hardest Pitch to Hit | [View online]( [Give Now]( Advertisement [The Galli Report]( [Home]( [Podcast]( [Subscribe]( Friday, April 27, 2018 Counting the Cost of Immigration Regarding German chancellor Angela Merkel’s generous immigration policy, by which in 2015 she permitted some one million migrants to settle in Germany: I’ve read those who think this was abominable, and those who think it saintly. I am of the view that her instincts were fundamentally sound—especially since these migrants were refugees fleeing worn torn lands. At the same time, as [this article notes in reporting on the consequences of Merkel’s policy,]( we would do well to “count the cost”: It would be better to recognize that there are problems associated with immigration as it is practiced in Germany. And then to explore how many of those problems can be overcome by way of education, jobs and opportunities for advancement. … The German government does need to muster sufficient courage to impose more regulation on immigration, reform the European asylum system, and find effective ways to send rejected asylum applicants back to their home countries more expeditiously. Those of us who believe the US can handle significantly more immigrants would do well, in addition to lobbying for a generous immigration policy, to champion a robust assimilation strategy. This would lessen the suffering of both citizens and newcomers. An Antidote to Chaotic Ideas About Jordan Peterson I continue to be fascinated by the meteoric rise of Jordan Peterson, the now best-selling University of Toronto psychologist, author of [12 Rules for Life: An Antidote to Chaos](. I’ve watched many a Peterson YouTube video and I’ve read his book—and I’ve followed the searing critiques of him. And I must agree with reviewer Tim Rogers [who notes]( “It is hard to recall a recent bestseller that’s been so misread, so misunderstood, and so misrepresented.” I think Rogers does a good job of locating Peterson philosophically. A lot of what Peterson says resonates with Christian thinking, but he’s hardly an orthodox Christian. Stoic, partly. Jungian, partly. Shades of Paul Tillich, yes. Other worldviews thrown in, to be sure. All that being said, it seems to me that Peterson is saying things that need to be said and heard right now. [Even this anarcho-syndicalist leftist (look it up!) agrees!]( To Disagree Is Not Immoral One group of intellectuals that Peterson critiques—and who in turn despise him—share a set of intellectual assumptions grounded ultimately in Marxist theory. Entire academic departments espouse these views, and they have made their way into mainstream media, even in some Christian circles. One concern to me is advocates’ “unwillingness to engage with the ‘other side’ … [that is] symptomatic of their entire way of thinking which, being hermetically sealed and basically circular in its argumentation, has no language to deal with critics beyond reactive moral condemnation.” Or more simply, if you disagree with them, you have a moral problem. So writes Neema Parvini, senior lecturer in English at the University of Surrey, in “[The Stifling Uniformity of Literary Theory](.” The piece helped me sort out various strains of thought that come from this group of theorists. I also appreciate that he recognizes the value of many critiques that literary theories offer, while reminding us that “Critical thinking cannot flourish in conditions in which students cannot question the material they are being taught.” [Mark Galli] [Mark Galli] [Mark Galli](mailto:GalliReport@christianitytoday.com) Editor-in-Chief, Christianity Today Advertisement More from Christianity Today [Willow Creek Will Investigate New Allegations Against Bill Hybels]( [News]( [Willow Creek Will Investigate New Allegations Against Bill Hybels]( “We are sorry,” elder board says as more women claim misconduct. Bob Smietana [Read More]( [ Jesus, Take the Control Wheel: Southwest Pilot Saw Flying as Ministry]( [News]( [Jesus, Take the Control Wheel: Southwest Pilot Saw Flying as Ministry]( Fellow Texas Baptists cheer on Tammie Jo Shults, who heroically landed Flight 1390 after engine failure. 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