Statements
 Dr. Jack W. Hayford, founding pastor of The Church On The Way, Dr. Juan Hernandez, and Pastor Robert Morris, the senior pastor of Gateway Church in Southlake, TX meet in Dallas, TX to discuss the need for Evangelical leaders to speak out on the issue of immigration reform. "It is time for Anglo and African-American religious leaders to be invited to weigh in on immigration reform" says Dr. Hernandez.
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Pastor Jack W. Hayford, The King's Seminary, Los Angeles, CA
"My prayer over the present immigration issue in America is that leaders will find resolution by patiently balancing the tension it places between law and mercy. These are not enemies
a fact God declares as He exercises both and never compromises either. Human habits are to choose sides rather than seek His Spirit and His wisdom. Yes, America needs to vigilantly guard her borders, but equally true is her need to be generous with aliens who have taken haven here. Our dilemma can only be balanced by joining heart and mind
by administering with God's justice an application of law tempered by
generosity, and by exercising His patience and equitability toward foreigners already in our midst. And our greatest defense in an age of terror will be to avoid offending the One who commends compassion and who rules with mercy, knowing He will sustain in safety all who are humble in their exacting of law's just demands."
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Pastor Joel Osteen, Lakewood Church, Houston, TX
"As we formulate and pass our nation's immigration laws, we must keep in the forefront of our minds that these laws will impact a multitude of human beings desperately seeking a better life for themselves and their families."
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Dr. John Perkins, John Perkins Foundation, Jackson, MS
"I have made a commitment to become informed on the issues related to
immigration, and to look to our Latino Christian leaders to help us to maneuver
the steps we can take to make a difference for the 12 million men, women, and
children that are directly affected by our lawmaker's decisions in the coming
days. At the heart of my conviction is God's mandate that we love the stranger
and the foreigner."
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Pastor Robert Morris, Gateway Church, Southlake, TX
"As an Anglo-American Christian pastor, I would like to encourage other Anglo-American religious leaders, and all non-Hispanic brothers and sisters, to take time to pray about the issue of immigration in the United States. In the past, we have often been too quiet on urgent civil and human rights issues. I know that the current state of immigration in this country is complex. Nevertheless, this time history will show we were not quiet. This time we will pray openly for our political leaders; this time we will pray openly for the immigrants in our land; this time we will openly side with justice and compassion."
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Dr. Juan Hernandez, HispanA
Read Dr. Hernandez' Article
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Rev. Andy Bales
"If it comes down to obeying the law of the land, or being obedient to our
Lord's commands, it is a simple decision for me to follow Jesus' teaching; Jesus
said in Matthew 25, "When I was a stranger, sojourner, day laborer, undocumented,
alien, you welcomed me!" And in the context of the story of the Samaritan, an
unwelcome and unwanted person in Israel, Jesus said, "Love your neighbor." When
I asked a friend to join me in a group to call for a stop to the “ugly rhetoric”
going on about undocumented folks he replied, “No, let’s stick with preaching
the gospel!” I don’t know about you, but that to me is as inauthentic as asking
the hotel manager in Hotel Rwanda to stop bringing people to safety within the
hotel and stick to preaching the gospel-THAT IS THE GOSPEL! I am baffled by a
Nation that is in such conflict with its own core values and Biblical teaching,
a Nation that celebrated the taking down of the Berlin Wall, but is now moving
ahead with a very similar wall on our own soil, a symbol against justice and
freedom. Let's pray for change! Our faith needs to reflect our Savior's
attitude towards His people."
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Noel Castellanos, CCDA
"If there was ever a time to pray and work for the
Shalom, or well being of our nation, it is now. As the people of God—His
Church, we are being challenged to examine our hearts and the authenticity
of our own faith by the presence of our undocumented neighbors struggling
for survival in our own backyard. Like the religious leaders and
fear-filled individuals that walked past and around the man who was laying
on the side of road in Jesus’ Good Samaritan story, too many of us in this
country who claim to follow Jesus, are doing the exact thing by ignoring the
plight of our immigrant neighbors.
Regardless of our political persuasion, we as believers
at the very least ought to be loving and merciful and compassionate towards
those who are taking care for our kids, mowing our lawns, dry walling our
new homes, picking our crops, serving our meals, fighting for our country in
Iraq, and even worshipping in our churches. At the very least, we should
understand the agony that many of these parents feel; wiling to do whatever
they can to find a better life for their families and children—even if it
means risking their lives. At the very least our hearts should break when
we hear about children being torn apart from their fathers and mothers by
immigration raids that are at best, a cold-hearted attempt to ‘fix’ broken
immigration laws. At the very least, those of us who really don’t
understand the issues related to immigration reform should take the time to
get informed.
In a perfect world, this immigration problem our nation
faces would be solved quickly. The truth is, every knowledgeable person I
have spoken to about the prospects of seeing Comprehensive Immigration
Reform become a reality any time soon are saying the same thing. It has to
happen in the next four to six months, or it may not happen for years to
come.
What that means for the men, women and children who are
living and working in the shadows of our society, is more fear, more abuse,
and more tragedy. What it will mean for many of us who have been
passionately involved in the struggle to reach out to the stranger, as we
believe Jesus would have us to do, is more disillusionment with the church
and more disappointment at our lack of courage to love ‘the least of these’
as an expression of our deepest faith.
I know it feels overwhelming to get involved (I feel
over my head in this everyday). But, when the Lord nudges your heart, like
He has nudged mine to respond and you do something to get involved out of
obedience to Christ—we will be amazed at what God can do in the next few
months to move hearts and to change laws, because nothing is too difficult
for Him."
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