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HOUSTON—Few topics are as polarizing in America, even among Christians, as the subject of illegal immigration. But Christians, of all people, should be offering solutions that “embrace the tension” between loving compassion and the rule of law, said one pastor during a Criswell College-sponsored panel discussion on the issue at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention, Nov. 10.
The diverse panel included Andrew Hebert, pastor of Taylor Memorial Baptist Church in Hobbs, N.M.; Felix Cornier, pastor of El Companerismo Biblico El Camino in Lewisville and SBTC Field Ministry Strategist; Roland Johnson, pastor of Primera Iglesia Bautista in Keller; and David Fleming, pastor of Champion Forest Baptist Church in Houston.
Despite a diversity of views on the matter, the pastors agreed on two significant points: the U.S. immigration system is broken and Scripture must guide any resolution.
Forum moderator Barry Creamer, president of Criswell College, asked the panelists what they want believers to understand about illegal immigration.
The subject pits two diametrically opposed ideologies against each other—deportation or amnesty for all—with neither side willing to break ranks, Fleming said. That has left the nation floundering with no reform and a growing illegal population. By “embracing the tension” between love and compassion and justice and the rule of law believers can find common ground for reconciliation.
Hebert said such a dialogue could begin as believers submit their views about immigration and those in the country illegally to the authority of Scripture. That, combined with personal relationships with undocumented immigrants, will give Christians a better understanding of who and what is at stake in the debate.
“The world has come to our doorstep,” Johnson said, noting the number of undocumented immigrants ranges from 11-30 million. “What an opportunity to share the good news of the gospel.”
Cornier simply asked that pastors not forget their calling as ministers. It is not their job to act as politicians or police. Instead their role affords them unique access into the lives of those living in the shadows.
But what should a pastor do when he discovers a church member is in the U.S. illegally, Creamer asked?
No one on the panel would report the person to the authorities, but Fleming and Cornier acknowledged the difficult situation a pastor is placed in with such a revelation.
Cornier said while ministering to the needs of the individual is paramount, he also encourages them to be truthful and Christlike.
“What they do with that information is up to them,” he said.
Hebert used to take a “hard right” political view on immigration and did so without being able to put a name or face to the issue. But once he took his current pastorate he came to know and befriend undocumented immigrants.
“And they joined my church. And I baptized their children. And I began to shepherd them,” Hebert said.
Citing the story of the Good Samaritan, Hebert said if someone confides they are in the country illegally, “You show them the love of Jesus Christ. We’re not the police. I feel no compelling responsibility to report them.”
Fleming agreed to a point. He said, “We would, and have done, whatever we can to meet the immediate needs and to love that person to Christ and be a community and a faith family for them.”
But, he added, knowing an individual is actively breaking the law puts Christians, particularly pastors, in a different situation. The same Scripture that teaches the lesson of the Good Samaritan also teaches, in Romans 13, submission to governmental authorities.
Unjust laws notwithstanding, Fleming said he wants to help the individual “make this right.”
But making it right is part of what is wrong with the immigration system, the pastors contended.
Their concerns included: efforts to rectify a person’s illegal status while remaining in the country with their U.S.-born children is virtually impossible; 40 percent of the undocumented immigrants are here with expired visas; employers and government tax coffers benefit from the labor of illegal immigrants whose status is often exploited by employers.
Each pastor emphasized the need for believers to treat all people, even those in the country illegally, with compassion. Despite their immigration status they have needs the church can and should meet, most notably an introduction to the gospel.
The pastors said racism cannot be tolerated in any discussion of immigration. They acknowledged it is a aggravating factor in some people’s opposition to reforming the system.
Cornier concluded, “It’s such a touchy subject, and all the wrong people are talking about it. We need to get the right people to talk about it.”
