Today evangelical leaders met on Capitol Hill to urge immigration reform. Their joint statement calls for bipartisan action according to the following six criteria:
- 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
The sixth is the one that distinguishes this statement from most conservative rhetoric on immigration policy (though the “and/or” language regarding citizenship softens the statement quite a bit). Still, the tone–and the list of names that signed the statement–mark a significant shift. The list features a wide range of evangelical perspectives including Jim Daly of Focus on the Family, Sojourners, Max Lucado, Russell Moore, Margaret Feinberg, J.D. Greear, and Timothy George. Organizations included World Relief, Bread for the World, the Southern Baptist Covention’s Ethics & Public Policy Center, Esperanza, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, and the National Association of Evangelicals.
For a complete list and video footage, click here.
David R. Swartz 