The following was my response to an article (linked below) in the Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal regarding Christianity and immigration policy:
A born again, spirit-filled, very conservative Christian who lives in a county (Gwinnett, GA) with one of the largest immigrant communities in the nation here with a few thoughts for you to ponder…
Regarding the fear under which Hispanics in this country live… perhaps it is evidence of a guilty conscience, which is a good thing; a spiritual thing. And what is the purpose of a guilty conscience but to motivate any man to stop sinning and do right, first in the eyes of God and then in the eyes of man?
The fact is that a larger number of illegal immigrants are “going to City Hall” to “get square.” According to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, significantly more applications for citizenship have been received this year… over double the number for the same period last year.
I will not debate Scripture with you, except to propose an alternative understanding.
I submit that even the Israelites defended their land against those who entered “illegally.” There is a huge difference between the reception that a welcome “foreigner” should receive and that that an invader (I hesitate to use that word) should receive. You would be welcome in my home as long as you meant and caused me and my family no harm.
Sure, we were “once strangers in a strange land,” but only in a spiritual sense. You cannot spiritualize the “we were all immigrants” argument. “Immigrant” is a legal term with specific meaning, not a spiritual state. The fact is that neither you nor I am immigrants in any sense of the word, and the use of such a flawed argument is designed to do nothing more than provoke guilt.
No American should feel guilty for experiencing the benefit of citizenship, whether obtained by birth or naturalization; just like no Christian should feel guilty for experiencing the benefits of salvation. Further, the fact that I received something legally is NEVER justification for another to receive the same illegally, just so we will both have the same.
Just as there is only one way to enter God’s kingdom– and no man enters by any other way– there is a process by which aliens can freely and guiltlessly enter this country. It is not “unChristian” to expect sinners to “follow the process”– to the contrary, I would argue that it is the essence of Christianity to expect immigrants to come here via the legal process.
Regarding the Christian’s duty to shape the public debate– I agree completely. However, it should not be to the ignorance of the obvious.
The fact is that the majority of illegal aliens are from Mexico; their portion of illegal Hispanic aliens exceeds 90%, according to census data. It is usually an inconsequential and fact-based statement that “the Mexicans are increasing quickly in this area.”
Your assessment of the “demonization of immigrants” can only be anecdotal, based on your experience. It has been my experience that illegal aliens are no more demonized than are gangs, murderers, rapists and litterbugs. It is a fact that all, as a group, have a deleterious effect on our communities.
But I rarely see two dozen legal residents living in a house with broken windows, a half-dozen vans in the driveway and boarded-up garage windows (to allow more bed space). It is difficult to find the smell of urine and piles of feces in areas where legal, American day workers congregate. You would be hard-pressed to find a U.S.-based gang as ruthless and as violent is the Hispanic “MS-13,” which is composed primarily of illegals. And young Hispanic females (many here illegally) have now far out-paced black females in the number of illegitimate births.
Stereotypes and generalizations are always dangerous and I have no doubt that, as you state, most Hispanic immigrants are good people. But if there is any “demonization” of illegal aliens it is difficult to blame the “demonizers.” Personal responsibility is the key to eliminating the stereotypes. It is not incumbent on me to stick my head in the sand and ignore the obvious; rather, it is the responsibility of the Hispanic immigrant community to clean up its act.
But then… if every man took personal responsibility for his deeds, we wouldn’t have an illegal immigration problem, would we?
Thank you for the thought-provoking article.
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