The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission | Southern Baptists and Immigration Reform: Setting the Record Straight | Comments http://erlc.com/ This feed provides all comments on "Southern Baptists and Immigration Reform: Setting the Record Straight." en web-master@erlc.com ℗ & © 2008 ERLC Comment 1 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment1 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment1 The bible says A LOT about immigration (far far more than it has to say about homosexuality or abortion) yet I don’t hear Christians often bring the bible into this political debate like we do with other issues.

Here is one Christian response, worth reading:

‘The Bible as the Ultimate Immigration Handbook: Written By, For, and About Migrants, Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylum Seekers’

http://www.churchworldservice.org/Immigration/bible-as-handbook.html

I suppose some here will dismiss Church World Service as liberal but, then, how do we evangelicals respond to the fact that the bible has a zillion verses commanding us to welcome the immigrants?

Do we just throw away that part of the bible? If we do, we risk revealing ourselves as hypocrites in how we apply the bible to our political opinions.

]]> Tue, 16 Oct 2007 10:05:52 CST Comment 2 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment2 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment2 You are exactly correct (Post #1), in your assertion that we as evangelicals should not turn away the immigrant. However, the people in question are intentionally breaking the federal laws of our country, at our expense. They are lawbreakers.

Would you, an American citizen, expect to be above the laws of a foreign country if you became an illegal immigrant there?

The best way that the Church can help illegal immigrants is to either a) assist them in returning to their own country and connecting them with a local Church there, or b) helping them to right their wrongs and become law-abiding American citizens like the rest of us.  (Which may rightly include paying fines, back taxes, etc.)

If the Church does not encourage illegals to right their wrongs, they are advocating civil disobedience; if the Church ignores or refuses illegal immigrants they are committing Spiritual disobedience.

]]> Thu, 18 Oct 2007 07:59:11 CST Comment 3 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment3 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment3 Welcoming the immigrants is far different than welcoming the “illegal” immigrants! Don’t forget what the Bible says about obeying the law and the government!

Seal the border, send the “illegals” home and then work out the necessary details to welcome the “LEGAL” immigrants!!!

Nothing political or hypocritical here, just common sense!!

]]> Thu, 18 Oct 2007 16:30:43 CST Comment 4 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment4 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment4 In Phoenix, where I work with an interfaith group on social justice, ICE is deporting nursing mothers without their baby, breaking up families,and taken children away from their deported parent and placing them in foster homes.  In addition US Citizens who can’t quickly prove they are citizens are being deported.

The family unit is the building block of our Country.  Why can’t we identify individuals who are part of a family, release them on their own recognizance or have them report periodically until a comprehensive immigration bill is passed - and their will be one within the next two years.

Richard Humphries

]]> Sun, 21 Oct 2007 13:41:17 CST Comment 5 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment5 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment5 Immigration is out of control.  some them want to return Texas and California back to Mexico.  I say to make English the officail lanuage for America now!  The SBC should stop helping come here by providing Spanish pastor for them.  They should learn English be loyal to our federal constitution or it will not be america but a union with Mexico with more loss of our rights!

]]> Tue, 15 Jan 2008 12:43:19 CST Comment 6 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment6 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment6 The pro-immigration platform of the Southern Baptist shocked me and made not want to be part of this denomination.  As previous posters have stated, it is not being a good Christian when you encourage others to break the law and subvert the American process.  Do not kid yourself if you think that dont believe the churches are encouraging this lawbreaking.

Mothers being sent home without their children?  Thats their choice.  They could take their children back to Mexico.  Don’t make it sound like ICE is ripping children from the arms of their parents.  I resent silliness lie being thrust into the debate.

]]> Sun, 10 Feb 2008 21:51:18 CST Comment 7 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment7 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment7 Our form of government, republicanism, is the rule of the majority.  Only the majority has the right to change the government.  One of the misleading events that has happened in recent history is that of the Civil Rights movement.  Mr. Falco made a great point that we all need to take heed:  Civil disobedience is not a tool to be used by the minority to change our government, only the majority can and only when the government has become tyrannical to that majority.  Were Civil Rights advocates right for using civil disobedience to futher their cause, especially as some of them were Christians?  I would have to say no.  Were they wrong in wanting the change?  Of course not.  It was their method that was wrong, not their reason.  Civil disobedience is rebellion - period.  If the power of government rests with the people as it does in America, then only the majority can lead that change - not the minority.  This is how we speak with “one voice”.

]]> Tue, 03 Jun 2008 14:49:24 CST Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:47:58 CST Comment 8 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment8 http://erlc.com/article/border-security-has-to-come-first-baptists-urge-major-immigration-reform#comment8 There is nothing in the bible about making someones who strolls through your country a citizen.  The fact that there are 12-20 million (double or triple the entire population of Tennessee)is an indictment of the pitiful collective church missions programs.  If they were taking care of the people in another country they would not be compelled to come here.  THe reason the churches have not taken care of these poor people of the world is because of a lack of resources not desire to help.  Someone better realize the US has limited resources.  If we do not stop the surge of illegal immigration now, the next surge will over whelming and our country will be lost.

]]> Sun, 10 Aug 2008 20:47:58 CST