Evangelicals Split on Illegal Immigration

Evangelicals Split on Illegal Immigration

What will Dobson do?

More than 50 evangelical Christian leaders and organizations
voiced their support yesterday for an immigration bill that would allow illegal
immigrants to become U.S. citizens without returning to their native countries.

The statement marks a deepening split among evangelicals
over immigration. It was signed by a mixture of Hispanic and white church
groups. But most of the nation's large, politically influential evangelical
organizations either back rival legislation that focuses on border enforcement
and the deportation of illegal immigrants, or have been silent on the issue.

Hispanic evangelical leaders said yesterday that they
have received support from Roman Catholic, Jewish and Muslim groups, but have
been bitterly disappointed by the response of most of their fellow evangelicals,
both white and black.

\”This is the watershed movement — it's the moment
where either we really forge relationships with the white evangelical church
that will last for decades, or there is a possibility of a definitive schism
here,\” said the Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic
Christian Leadership Conference, which serves 10,700 Hispanic evangelical
churches with 15 million members.

\”There will be church ramifications to this, and
there will be political ramifications,\” he said.

Letter
on Immigration Deepens Split Among Evangelicals

This is the split that's been brewing since illegal immigration
hit the Senate fan.

You've got the Christian Coalition and Phyllis Schlafly's Eagle
Forum adamantly opposing McCain-Kennedy, calling it \”amnesty,\” but they're coming up against Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, their worst nightmare.

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez of the National
Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference stated, \”We have an obligation
to respond to them with the rubric, the matrix and the framework that drives
our value system, which is our Judeo-Christian value system.\”

\”This immigration debate is about security,”
Kennedy said, “but it's also about our humanity, and these religious
leaders make that clear today.\”

The evangelical leaders sent a letter to Congress saying,
\”We value immigrants as human beings, made in the image of God…God
requires that we show love and compassion to aliens.\”

But not all evangelicals are sold on illegals staying
here for good. The debate has led to divisions along religious and racial
lines.

Immigration
Bill Stalled in Congress

But on another side you've got Dr. Dobson's Focus on the Family
staying out of the fight, so far.

World Relief, the humanitarian wing of the National Association
of Evangelicals signed the letter referred to above, while the NAE itself did
not, because the group is divided on the subject.

One of the problems facing Christian evangelicals is that Hispanics are a growing
number in their ranks. Hispanics also are conservative socially, usually joining
evangelicals on issues like gay marriage bans and pro-marriage amendments.

\”Evangelicals are a lot more sensitive to the
plight of immigrants than outside observers might think,\” he said. \”When
you put together the biblical mandate to care for the alien and the receptivity
of the Latino community to the evangel, to the gospel, you have a sensitivity
factor that almost outweighs the traditional evangelical concern for law and
order.\” (source)

The Hispanic Christian conference is still wondering something,
however. When will Dr. Dobson speak out on immigration? If he doesn't or comes
to the wrong conclusion, he could find himself in trouble with a growing constituency.

\”We need to know from white evangelical
leaders why did they not support comprehensive immigration reform, why they
came down in favor exclusively of enforcement, without any mention of the
compassionate side, without any mention of the Christian moral imperatives,\”
(Rev. Samuel Rodriguez) said.

\”So down the road, when the white evangelical
community calls us and says, 'We want to partner with you on marriage, we
want to partner on family issues,' my first question will be: 'Where were
you when 12 million of our brothers and sisters were about to be deported
and 12 million families disenfranchised?'\” (source)

As for me, I'm sticking with my latest conclusion. Target
employers, because until you do that nothing will actually stop the flow
of illegal immigrants into the country.