Southern Baptist Leaders support Amnesty contrary to views of Church Members (2010)

On June 15, a group of liberal Evangelical Christian and Catholic religious leaders met at the Brookings Institution think tank in Washington, D.C., to discuss one thing: how religious activism can achieve an amnesty for illegal aliens.

This conference follows in the wake of a Capitol Hill forum where liberal Evangelical Christian and Catholic leaders met with Congressional leaders, including Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, and urged them to push an amnesty through Congress this year. Unfortunately, leading Southern Baptist Dr. Richard Land was among the participants.

The Rev. Richard Land, head of the Southern Baptists' national public policy commission, described his vision of a moral outcome by insisting that borders first be totally secured and then:

We move forward with a period of grace, where people can come forward and register and begin a pathway . . . (to) earned, legal status.

Rev. Land is vehement that it is not an amnesty to give permanent legal residency and permanent work permits to foreigners who broke immigration laws to illegally reside in this country and to illegally hold a job. Asked if illegal aliens have committed a crime, he responded:

Most of the people in my constituency (Southern Baptists) would say, 'Yes, they've broken the law, and there need to be penalties for that.' The question is: What are the penalties? And we would argue that there needs to be an earned pathway to legal status that would include paying a fine, agreeing to come forward and register and undergo a background check, and to start taking English classes.

Obviously, national Southern Baptist leaders have not understood that the Southern Baptists filling the pews on a weekly basis are opposed to any amnesty for illegal aliens.

This is my personal perspective on the matter, and you can call me cynical if you like, but religion has become big business, even corporate in it's perspective of what is and isn't right. It's obvious in all this that self serving Church Leaders see amnesty as an opportunity, grab some political power for themselves, as well as provide a solution to the historic attendance (and collections) declines being seen across all denominations. Likewise, these religious leaders view this as an opportunity to discharge the Church's missionary and outreach responsibilities (and the attendant costs), onto the back of America's taxpayers.

It's axiomatic that among the impediments to attracting and retaining those called to service in the Church (I guess this says a lot about how faith has changed in recent times) has been the onerous burden (it didn't use to be a burden) for members of the clergy in serving where the need was greatest, in the third world nations where governments have abandoned their own citizens. If Church Leaders can only force the Obama administrations egregious amnesty down our throats, Clergy will no longer face the hard work, the burdens, the adversity of serving in foreign lands, nor will the Church have to bare the costs of ministering where the need is greatest.

Amnesty would transfer the costs for the educational and medical outreach and the social services that were once the traditional responsibility of the Church's mission in other countries, to the backs of America's taxpayers, the local school and hospital districts, and local and state governments. The Church and it's Leaders would benefit from access to millions of additional, deeply religious, profoundly grateful, easily manipulated parishioners, whose religious devotion and the self interested desire to 'live in America' without earning that right might be contended by the casual observer. Doubtless, the Church would benefit financially from a new source of funding not constrained by adverse publicity.

With Amnesty, the Church will see it's flock in other nations move en-mass to our already suffering communities here in the United States (I did mention that Church attendance was down didn't I? I wonder why?). In the wake of such an enormous amnesty, no longer will clergy be expected to minister and teach in insect infested jungles, suffer the heat and drought of the deserts, or fear political and economic unrest in foreign lands.

With Amnesty, the Church's takings through charitable contributions can go toward the corporate expansion and glory of it's Church's here in the United States. No longer will Clergy be required to subsist on faith alone and a meager stipend from the community faithful. Soon, Amnesty will allow Church Leaders to assume their rightful place among the wealthy elite and politically powerful. The clergy will no longer need to exist side by side with those they serve, counsel and teach. Ministers will soon be able to minister in the air conditioned splendor of their mega church houses, have time for a round of golf and still make it home in time for supper.

Somehow, I feel that these so-called Church Leaders, just like our elected officials in Washington, actually believe that we, the people, have willingly abdicated our right to think for ourselves. Certainly the overwhelming majority of Church members I've spoken with regarding this issue all seem to feel that securing our borders and enforcing our immigration laws honors our nation and it's people without disrespecting anyone's religious views. Likewise, we are similarly inclined that the Church and it's Leaders, need to remain neutral in our secular governance.

Please send a fax to the leader of your state's Southern Baptist Convention and urge him to oppose the national Southern Baptist Convention's pro-amnesty stance and ask him to urge the national convention to remain neutral in the amnesty debate.

Dr. Land is the only SBC "leadership" name mentioned.

He also was removed from his position of the "leadership" at SBC though recently returned to his radio gig.

I daresay, the only "conservative evangelicals" are the false group gathered by Soros $$$$$/

I definitely do NOT believe this for one minute.

If SBC "leadership" is working behind the scenes to do this, they will be removed from such posts as fast as possible.

This has happened in the past when SBC went liberal leaning and so far, has been the only Protestant denomination do turn itself around from the leftward direction, thanks to Adrian Rogers and other strong conservatives like him!

Among other things, amnesty means all the money the illegals made and didn’t pay taxes on will be forgiven as well.

Hmmm... maybe ALL individuals in the US who are being charged with failure to pay taxes...can claim this as a prededent and refuse to pay THEIRS!!

If illegals do start filling the pews, the pastors ought to tell them that they are sinning, that they are guilty of theft, covetousness, dishonesty, and not being in submission to the authorities over them. The pastors should counsel those illegals to go back to their home countries and apply to live in the US legally. Isn’t that what churches and pastors are supposed to do? Tell people what’s in the Bible and help the parishioners to obey that Bible? It appears that all these churches care about is getting money in the collection plates, and they will excuse and overlook sinning and lawlessness to get it. Sounds like the kinds of churches where Jesus would overturn their tables.

"There is this myth going around out there that amnesty will fill the pews and collection plates for these church “leaders”."

I don't think they are looking at the money. They are looking at scripture. And trying to come to a reasonable solution. The problem is that some of these Mexicans have been here now for 16 years. They have married Americans and have kids.

It's not wrong to keep them out of our land. Border control is okay. But it is wrong to let them live here and make them a second class citizen or keep them permanently a non-citizen.

Exd 22:21 Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.
Exd 23:9 Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

And while that was written to Israel, it shows the heart of the Lord on the matter.

But we need a plan to close the border first and stop the inflow. Then we need to decide who we will deport and under what conditions we will let them stay here. (Maybe only those who have either married citizens or have lived here at least 5 years.) And we do need a plan for naturalization for anyone we allow to stay here.

The fact that they all might vote Democrat is really beside the issue. The Bushes should have stopped the illegal immigration when they had the chance. They didn't. Now we reap the consequences.

There are many misguided Christians who think amnesty is grace and Christian charity towards strangers. I bet most of those people wouldn’t pick up a hitchhiker, or give a dollar to a bum at Walmart, but they would open up the nation’s coffers, schools and prisons to further our slide into ruin. Can’t they look at California, and see where this is taking this nation?

8 I definitely do NOT believe this for one minute. If SBC "leadership" is working behind the scenes to do this, they will be removed from such posts as fast as possible.

As others have pointed out, Land stepped down recently, but the thrust of his committee is still for amnesty. I heard a retired visiting academic pastor preach at a SBC church I attend last year. He was pushing the amnesty message hard and based it upon the scripture in Exodus 22:21 and Leviticus 19:33-34. Seems wrongheaded to me. The illegals violated federal law by coming here. Of course, our business owners have perpetuated this by wanting cheap labor. Didn't Jesus say to obey civil law? And the whole Exodus story is interesting when you explore it. The Hebrews were accepted in Egypt by the Pharaoh at Joseph's urging. But then they stayed for 400 years and multiplied/ prospered to the point where later generations of Egyptians, who didn't remember Joseph, felt threatened by the large number of Hebrews. Applying 21st century logic, instead of enslaving the Hebrews, the Egyptians should have just told the Hebrews to leave.

Post below your post but relevant:
There are many misguided Christians who think amnesty is grace and Christian charity towards strangers. I bet most of those people wouldn’t pick up a hitchhiker, or give a dollar to a bum at Walmart, but they would open up the nation’s coffers, schools and prisons to further our slide into ruin. Can’t they look at California, and see where this is taking this nation?

Charity towards lawlessness benefits No-one!

While I agree with that post, the problem is that we’ve already allowed them in, and we’ve allowed them to stay for an extended period.

The question now becomes what’s the right action. Are we really going to deport someone who has lived here 16 years and married and has kids? Even though they came here illegally?

If we had an active deportation policy and deported 98% of the illegals. And someone just fell through the cracks and we just now caught them, then they knew the risks and so be it.
But instead we had an active policy of turning a blind eye. And now we are trying to change policy. And it seems to me the right thing to do is to grandfather some of these people.

But to offer a path to citizenship without closing the border and enforcing deportation for new illegals is to invite lawlessness and is to invite more illegals to come here. That would be a huge mistake.

paying a fine, agreeing to come forward and register and undergo a background check, and to start taking English classes. ..Yes this would last about 1 week.. Where is SBC essay on all the money they send to countries such as Mexico to help citizens stay home ?SBC not worried about illegals who have stolen citizens personal information and used it for work,loans,medical insurance,credit cards, tax fraud.What about all the sex offenders,drunk drivers ?SBC is not of any help to the citizens of this country at all.That’s why their pews are empty..

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