‘Grace’ is the unmerited divine assistance given man for the purpose of his regeneration or sanctification. God’s grace entails mercy and pardon. No one, including “very hard-working illegals” deserves God’s free, unmerited grace! They all must pay for their illegal violation of our immigration laws.

Are we to “overlook” crime just because someone is “hard-working”?  What does such “tolerance” say to those who await their chance to commit such crimes?

You have over-stepped your authority, miss-applied holy scripture, sanctioned breaking the immigration laws of America, and thoroughly discredited yourself concerning this particular issue. 

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RE: http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/128428.aspx?option=print

Something has to be done! Here at the Crittenden Baptist Association we have a mission ministry to Hispanic individuals. Our Hispanic pastor informed us a couple of meetings ago that almost 99% of the Hispanic individuals coming to the mission were illegal. What do we do? We feel an obligation to help these individuals spiritually; but, on the flip side, feel like we may be braking the law in providing a place for these individuals to gather and worship. We’re not the only ministry that feels this way. Can you offer any suggestions?

Greg Nimmo, DOM

Your brother in Christ,
Don

Before Southern Baptists encourage our federal government to enforce back taxes of illegal immigrants, one must consider the empathy Christ must have toward the majority of this people group --- although not universally true, this group has no monetary savings, no bank account, and are probably working without being paid a decent wage.

An illegal immigrant has violated the laws of this country, nonwithstanding the reason he/she entered the country . Punishment by law, as I understand it, is arrest and deportation. This would give one criminal status and therefore should prevent him/her from ever receiving US citizenship. Anything less than this is a form of AMNESTY, regardless of how you want to define it. The rhetoric about the proposed immigration legislation is 99% snow.

Rigid enforcement of our existing immigration law will result in fewer jobs for illegals and with no jobs, they will leave voluntarily. They are then free to try immigrating legally.

Although I was not at the last Southern Baptist Convention I want to say I’m very proud of the stand the Convention took regarding illegal immigration.. Your answer to the critics on this matter was beautiful. Thank you and keep up the good work, our prayers are with you.

Rev. Ed. Cluck

Peter tells us we are to obey the laws and Government that we currently have.  If the Government is not enforcing existing laws, they are being unlawful and this should be addressed by we the people.  If someone sneaks into your house uninvited, and helps himself to everything you have earned by the sweat of your brow, but feels he deserves what you have and more for nothing, I call that a thief and he should be dealt with as a thief.  We forgave four million thieves in 1986, a third of them are still on welfare.  That number was too large to verify who was a felonious criminal, and have them pay fines.  No one did,so what ever they said was accetted as gospel truth. Thus the problem is fourfold worse and growing.  Compassion and love does not eliminate the need to uphold and support our laws.

Your comments on immigration are very thoughtful.
Particularly your response to the “amnesty” label
is the best I’ve heard.

However, I wish you would take more forceful leadership
on the issue. After the failure of the immigration bill, your postmortem that Congress failed to
fashion a bill that got consensus support seems awfully
weak.  Perhaps strong Southern Baptist backing would
have generated that support.  Baptists could be the
“tipping point” on this issue, but you seem to lack
the courage of your convictions.

At any rate consensus is not nearly as big a concern for Christians as justice is.  Pontias Pilate acted according to consensus.  We Christians have to take a stand, even and especially when it’s unpopular.
12 million souls desperately need your leadership on
this issue, sir.  Thank you.

While stationed at Fort Hood, Texas, I worked in a food pantry supported by local SBC churches.  I had a family of five come for assistance, food, clothing, etc. because the father of that family can not compete with illegal foreign nationals.  Twenty of them live in a house together, they claim Government benefits for family (70%) who are still back home.  But there is no help for this out of work construction worker who can’t support his family on four dollars an hour.  Where is the compassion and love for this American down on his luck due to our governments failure to secure our borders, and protect the american worker from unfair unlawful, foreign workers.  You need to stay out of politics and worry more about the American working poor, than the four billion in the rest of the world!

Additionally, this page will provide a number of articles on poverty, hunger, and homelessness.

-Moderator

More and more southern Baptists are simply calling themselves Christians.

We do not need you to tell us what we should believe.  Who are you?  I listen to God, not you!

You seem to insinuate that “the opposition” to illegal immigration needs instruction in compassion for the poor, the hungry and the homeless. Apparently, Mr./Ms. Moderator, you just don’t get it.

Do you also intend to provide a number of articles on crime by Illegal Aliens in the U.S.?  What about a series of articles on the aggregate amount of taxes extracted from U.S. citizens to pay for the medical, education and welfare of these Illegals?  What’s good for the goose seems good enough for the gander, my friend!!! 

As Christians, we should provide all due respect and compassionate care for these Illegal interlopers after they’ve been taken into custody and are awaiting expulsion. The Lord demands no less from His people!

Mel Ingram

Thanks again for your insight on the issue.  Let’s
not wait until after the election to act - too
many people are living in fear.

Respectfully,
Sean McKenzie

Where do you find support for your idea that we as Christ followers are only responsible, let alone accountable, for others’ spiritual health and not their physical health? How does not caring for anothers’ physical needs exemplify anything we’ve been taught by Scripture?

Would you follow the rule of law if it is contrary to divine or natural law? Numerous Nazis at the Nuremburg trials were found guilty even though they argued that they followed the rule of law set out before them. The prosecutors argued that natural law prohibits following man-made law when it is contrary to what we as humans cannot not know. However, there should be a higher standard for Christ-followers than what all man-kind cannot not know. Do you not agree?

I commend your noble effort in attempting to discern right from wrong in this moral dilemna. I do hope you will consider the difference between man-made law and natural law and when the two conflict.

If you had read it carefully I said primarily responsible for their spiritual needs.  Jesus said to go into all the world and preach the Gospel, not to bring the whole world to your sovereign country, and then preach to them.  Meeting the physical needs of foreigners is how to connect with them, so that one has the opportunity to share the gospel.  Every nation on earth has the God given right to control who and what crosses their borders.  We are the only nation that is saddling its citizens with the debt of the world’s poor.  Bad economic policies led to Hitler and nazis, caos, and it will doom this nation if we do not control our own borders and enforce our laws.  By the way have you been to a nazi concentration camp?  I have, and it is an unspeakable sadness that comes over you when you are there.  My wife is German and we are pro immigration, just do it legally.