Immigrants Among Us

Micah 6:8 is a Bible verse that can shape our attitudes toward loving God and His principles, as well as developing a compassionate heart for other people:
8He has shown you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you But to do justly, To love mercy, And to walk humbly with your God?

The grace of God has been extended to each of us - none of us are deserving of His love.  While His justice would mandate that we spend eternity in a place of punishment for our sins, He has shown mercy toward us, to the extent that God sent His only Son to die in our place so that in Him, we might experience His forgiveness.   When we mess up, we can experience the grace of God, and when we see others who are in need of God's forgiveness, we can rely on Him to give us compassion in order to minister effectively.

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I believe that a passage in Zechariah chapter 7 reflects the heart of God and can be helpful to us as we attempt to develop a Biblically-informed position on the topic of...immigration:
9"Thus says the Lord of hosts: 'Execute true justice, Show mercy and compassion Everyone to his brother.10Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, The alien or the poor. Let none of you plan evil in his heart Against his brother.'

Tonight, the President will be addressing the nation and is expected to announce changes to immigration law, presumably resulting in a sizable number of illegal immigrants being allowed to stay in this country.  It has become a hot political topic, because Congress is deeply divided on how to reform the immigration system. There are a number of issues at play, including effective enforcement of the current law, which some would say is not being done.  There are those that would enhance border security first as a prerequisite to providing the opportunity for immigrants to become U.S. citizens.  It is also impractical to send the millions of people who are here illegally back to their home countries.   The heartbreaking situation of the scores of children who have crossed into the U.S. at the southern border has only intensified calls for the U.S. government to do something, and border states are facing enormous pressure.

And, survey data shows there is concern.  A recent Gallup survey indicates that while 20% of those surveyed believe that the economy in general is the most important U.S. problem, followed closely by dissatisfaction with government, immigration is considered the most important problem by 13% of respondents.

Christianity Today reports on a LifeWay Research survey of 1,000 pastors that shows that nation’s Protestant senior pastors want the U.S. government to mix justice with mercy when it comes to immigration reform.

Most say it's the government’s job to stop people from entering the country illegally. They also support reform that includes a path to citizenship for illegal immigrants already in the country. And they believe Christians should help immigrants, no matter what their legal status. Scott McConnell, vice president of LifeWay Research, said pastors don’t approve of illegal immigration. But they want to help illegal immigrants make things right.  He said, “This is one of many cases in which Christians can look at those around them and say, ‘I don’t agree with what got you to this place in life, but I will love you while you are here."

87% of those surveyed said that it is the government's responsibility to stop illegal immigration and 79% believe that Christians have a responsibility to assist immigrants, even if they are in the country illegally.

And this is a telling result: Nearly 6 in 10 of Protestant senior pastors - 58 percent - agree with the statement: “I am in favor of immigration reform that includes a path to citizenship for those who are currently in the country illegally.”  That includes 80% of African-American and 59% of white pastors who agree.  About two-thirds of mainline pastors and just over half of evangelical pastors also favor a path to citizenship.

At the 2011 national convention in Phoenix, the Southern Baptist Convention approved a resolution that, according to Baptist Press, urged Southern Baptist churches to proclaim Christ and minister in His spirit to everyone, regardless of their "immigration status." It said "any form of nativism, mistreatment, or exploitation is inconsistent with the Gospel of Jesus Christ."

The measure called for the government to make a priority of border security and holding businesses accountable in their hiring. It also requested public officials "to implement, with the borders secured, a just and compassionate path to legal status, with appropriate restitutionary measures, for those undocumented immigrants already living in our country."

This is one indication of how the church is speaking out on the issue of immigration.   A number of Christian and denominational leaders are part of the Evangelical Immigration Table (www.evangelicalimmigrationtable.com), which has a statement of principles that includes these words:

As evangelical Christian leaders, we call for a bipartisan solution on immigration that:

• Respects the God-given dignity of every person
• Protects the unity of the immediate family
• Respects the rule of law
• Guarantees secure national borders
• Ensures fairness to taxpayers
• Establishes a path toward legal status and/or citizenship for those who qualify and who wish to become permanent residents

Another group called, Evangelicals for Biblical Immigration (www.evangelicalsforbiblicalimmigration.com) take a different approach.  In a letter they have distributed to members of Congress, they say:

God loves us all, and America should remain a land of opportunity. Yet, accelerated immigration in the context of a growing welfare state, such as ours, is unsustainable, unjust to citizens and unbiblical. It does not yield hospitality but hostility. What would help is a firm border, tens of millions of jobs, justice for citizens who’ve paid into social safety nets, the deportation of gangs and criminals, and the safe return home of children and others in this current Progressive open border import of people.

So, despite what the President may or may not do tonight, and what Congress will deliberate on the issue, there are several principles by which the church and individual Christians can recognize:

One is that I believe that we can apply a Christian worldview perspective to the issues of the day. You may not agree with all or most of these tenets that I have mentioned, but I do think we can develop positions based on the Scripture and coated in prayer.  That can apply to immigration, the economy, who we vote for, and how we become involved in speaking out on cultural issues.

There will be issues over which we disagree, but if we are dedicated to being centered on the Scriptures, civil in our interaction, and compassionate in our approach, we can help to shape the debate on the immigration issue.   Compassion does not necessarily extend to amnesty, but we also have to recognize that the immigrants among us, legal or illegal, need to experience the compassion of Jesus Christ and the truth of the gospel.