Dallas Megachurch Pastors at Odds on 'Christian' Response to Border Crisis (VIDEO)

Christian Post ^ | 07/16/2014 | BY NICOLA MENZIE

[SeekAndFind]

Two influential pastors in Dallas, Texas, are at odds on what they both believe the appropriate Christian response should be to the recently-publicized border crisis involving children entering the United States illegally and unaccompanied.

The unprecedented influx of young children and teens trying to illegally enter the United State along the country's southwestern border has "triggered a political and humanitarian crisis," according to NBC News.

According to Robert Jeffress, pastor of First Baptist Dallas, the most compassionate thing the U.S. government can do to address the border crisis, heightened by the influx of unaccompanied alien children, is to secure the country's border with a fence.

Jeffress made his remarks last week during an appearance on "Fox & Friends," and also spoke to Christians watching the program and possibly wondering "what the right thing to do is."

"Yes, Jesus loved children but he also respected law," said Jeffress. "He said render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's. So we need to do both. Show compassion, but secure the borders." The Southern Baptist pastor emphasized that the U.S. should show compassion to the children that "are already here."

At the start of the interview, a host of the program told Jeffress: "Some have said that you're cold and callous and un-Christian if you think these kids need to go back where they came from."

Frederick Haynes III, senior pastor of Friendship-West Baptist Church, is among Jeffress' critics. In a sermon delivered over the weekend, Haynes reportedly lashed out at his colleague, describing Jeffress' response on "Fox & Friends" as "fear-mongering."

"We can't allow fear-mongering to get in the way of the truth," Haynes told his congregation on Sunday. "'Reverend Downtown' says turn them back. I don't know what Jesus you know. ... I don't know what Jesus you know."

A video excerpt of Haynes' remarks previously published on YouTube by Friendship-West Baptist Church, labeled "Our Stance on the 'Border Crisis,'" has since been removed from the video sharing website.

Local news station WFAA-TV acquired a copy of the YouTube video of Haynes' remarks before the clip was removed, and included it in its video report.

While the WFFA-TV report suggests the pastors' disagreement was centered on Romans 13's call for Christians to be law-abiding, Jeffress in his interview with the TV station noted Acts 17:26.

"[The passage says] God is the one who has established the nation and its borders," said Jeffress.

As for Haynes, he suggested Jeffress was quoting scripture out of context. He added, "There's no way, I think, you can look as a faith leader, in the eyes of children, and your only response is, you know, 'Let's build a fence and let's send you back."

Several faith groups, in the meantime, have been working along the U.S. border to assist unaccompanied immigrant children, with churches and charities located in border states sheltering some of these children while officials wait to reunite them with family members in the U.S. or back home.

Jeffress, a regular Fox News contributor who makes frequent media appearances, pastors 11,000 members at First Baptist Dallas. Haynes, who "(believes) in the urgency of now, marrying theology with a call to impact our sociological issues," leads 12,000 at Friendship-West Baptist Church.

[SeekAndFind]

Watch the WFAA-TV report below, or read the report at the news station’s website:

http://www.wfaa.com/news/special/border/Leaders-of-two-Dallas-churches-differ-on-border-crisis-views-267084821.html

[Dr. Thorne]

Frederick Haynes

Robert Jeffress

Haynes defends Obama's support of homo marriage

Haynes is just one more phony who loves Obama so much that he openly opposes God.

[alloysteel]

It is not exactly true, that the children are “unaccompanied”. There is a large phalanx of older children and adults also in that caravan of people entering with inadequate documentation, and with no formal invitation.

And it is this larger, much larger, number of adults that are slipping in using the children as human shields. Many of the adults “accompanying” the minor children do not have any clear or even real connection with the child, but are using that child for their own purposes. And many of the purposes are, quite frankly, illicit in nature, all the way from bogus assertions of “dependency”, to exploitation of every kind, from drug mules to sexual predation. Other adults are attempting to enter while concealing potential terrorist intentions, or as gang members who shall be reconvening in some distant city within US boundaries.

[aimhigh]

Scripturally, there is a difference between personal responsibillity and government responsibillity. If some jerk murders my family, my responsibility is to forgive the jerk, while the government’s responsibillity is to hang the jerk.

Scripturally, my responsibility is to be kind to aliens, the governnment’s responsibiity is to deport illlegals.

[Nea Wood]

"There's no way, I think, you can look as a faith leader, in the eyes of children, and your only response is, you know, 'Let's build a fence and let's send you back."

So no fence and no sending them back. Got it. Well, we'll soon be swamped. There's what, five or six billion people on the planet? How many would come here if they knew there was no fence and they'd be greeted by bleeding hearts "looking into their eyes" and weeping with compassion? A billion? Three billion? All of them? How many is enough?

When did Jesus say, "Let anybody into your territory and take care of them once they arrive"? He said to be kind to sojourners, but sojourners weren't illegal immigrants. He said "GO, and make disciples of all men." In other words, GO where THEY are. Send missionaries to THEM. Send aid to THEM.

When Moses wanted to pass through Edom, he asked permission first and promised not to cause any trouble or expense to the Edomites. When Edom still refused him entry, he respected their wishes and led the people all the way around Edom, at great inconvenience. If it were okay to just break in and demand to be taken care of, wouldn't God have told Moses to do that?

[CatherineofAragon]

From the church's website:

Bill of Rights for the Poor

Prison is the modern version of slavery, pay equity for women and people of color, a guaranteed income and health care, etc...

[SeekAndFind]

RE: Scripturally, my responsibility is to be kind to aliens, the governnment’s responsibiity is to deport illlegals.

So, Glenn Beck is simply exercising the former responsibility then?

I’m still waiting to hear him call on the government to exercise their responsibility.

[rollo tomasi]

Initially send the donations directly to those still living in their Country of origin and donate to the "root cause".

Forgo the thieves trying to break in unless they agree to return to their Country of origin; this includes a promise by the Obama Administration to return the small children back to their extended families in their Country of origin.

[rollo tomasi]

One more thing, dissolve all *Federal* (Perpetual) welfare programs including food stamps. Those are policies/concerns which should be internally debated among each individual State.

[CatherineofAragon]

"Scripturally, my responsibility is to be kind to aliens"

That Scripture refers to foreigners, not invaders breaking the law.

[mbarker12474]

Both clergy miss it.

The most compassionate thing for these children would be to:

1. abolish all forms of social welfare and transfer payments in the U.S.

2. advocate for free markets and rule of law in the nations where they come from

If the United States upheald the General Welfare clause, we’d have no illegal immigration problem. We would love illegal immigrants (in principle) and want as many as we could get.

[Opinionated Blowhard]

most compassionate thing the U.S. government can do to address the border crisis,

There is the fallacy of the argument. The US government cannot be "compassionate." Only people can be compassionate. The government is a thing, like a rock or a can of beans. Anyone who talks in terms of compassionate government policy is really saying he wants to force everyone to do what he thinks is right.

If he wants to be "compassionate," then take the millions that his "Mega Church" makes and give it to people in Central America, or sell his house and empty his bank account and give it to people in Central America.

[vpintheak]

Send them back! Show compassion to their parents who abandoned them, and compassion to US citizens who are footing the bill. It is disgusting. Care for the kids and send them back ASAP!

[Iscool]

What I haven’t heard a single person mention is a limit on this exodus...Obviously they are being shipped up here by Obama...When does it stop??? Or doesn’t it???

[Jane Long]

How much is ever enough, for leftists? Look how much welfare we dole out to individuals, already.

What’s to keep them from getting EVERYTHING given to them ... In addition to what they already get, why not gourmet meals, designer clothing, new cars, new appliances to go into their new houses, vacations, etc?

When is it enough?

[verga]

I’m still waiting to hear him call on the government to exercise their responsibility.

Apparently you have not been listening. He had a very long conversation with Ted Nugent this morning and that was one of the main topics.

Several times over the last couple of days he has said that straight out: "Send them back to their families."

[cradle of freedom]

I guess these bleeding hearts never saw a a mob break into a store. One person breaks in and within minutes the store is emptied. But Reverent Good Heart believes in the goodness and high moral standards of all God’s children. People like him are full of moral preening, they like to think that they are better than others when they are just posing for holy pictures.

[BlueDragon]

Give Ted the Pope’s phone number.