Last week, following Paula White’s erroneous and problematic comments about Jesus being completely law abiding, Father James Martin was on CNN with Anderson Cooper to respond.
Martin, a Jesuit priest, author and the editor-at-large for America magazine, began his statements by saying: “I just wonder what Gospel she’s reading. Jesus sets aside a lot of traditions, He goes against Jewish laws … And really Jesus’ whole point over and over again is that God’s laws supersede man’s laws.”
Martin also reiterates that Jesus was a refugee and emphasizes the message of loving and welcoming the stranger and the marginalized.
"I’m sort of mystified what gospel she is reading." Reverend James Martin on report President Trump's faith advisor, Pastor Paula White, defended the administration’s immigration policy by citing the New Testament https://t.co/l1uuLWwCaQ pic.twitter.com/hDQLVSiF1k
— Anderson Cooper 360° (@AC360) July 12, 2018
Cooper asks Martin about the relationship between Scripture and following the law. Martin responds, in part:
[lborder]Jesus, over and over again, sort of points us to higher laws. One of the ironies is that a lot of these conservative Christians have no trouble saying that there are higher laws when it comes to things like abortion and same-sex marriage, which are both legal. But in the case of refugees, suddenly the law becomes an idol. So, it’s also very selective when they decide laws are going to be the most important thing. Basically, Jesus is saying God’s law supersedes man’s law and that comes across in almost every Bible story.
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