Thread: Evangelicals for immigration reform considerable force in House

Evangelicals for immigration reform considerable force in House

Evangelical Christians are organizing members and adding their support to the final push for immigration reform by the end of 2013. Some experts believe they could be influential among Southern Republicans.

WASHINGTON -- Evangelical Christians are pulling together to advocate for action on immigration reform by the end of the year -- and their influence could be substantial.The Evangelical Immigration Table's “Pray4Reform: Gathered Together in Jesus' Name” campaign running from Oct. 12 through Oct. 20. includes more than 300 events in 40 states where members of the faith are praying for reform. The Evangelical Immigration Table is a coalition of evangelical Christian groups including World Relief, Bread for the World, and the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.

While many Americans who back changes in the immigration law do so for economic or political reasons, the Evangelical Immigration Table does not support any specific legislation or political party. Rather the group favors a pathway to citizenship for undocumented workers for moral reasons.

“There is overwhelming evidence in scripture for hospitality and for welcoming the stranger,” said the Rev. Gabriel Salguero who leads the National Latino Evangelical Coalition, a moderate-to-progressive evangelical organization. “The word stranger appears 92 times in the Old Testament and states 'Welcome the stranger because you were once a stranger.'”

A Senate-approved immigration bill stalled in House of Representatives passage earlier this year. Unrest in Syria, the roll out of Obamacare and the partial government shutdown have all overshadowed immigration reform efforts.

But in light of the renewed push for reform in 2013 the personal is becoming political for some Christians. Many Evangelical church members and leaders plan to come to Washington for a two-day event on Oct 28-29 to lobby lawmakers and hold a news conference.

Jenny Yang, vice president of World Relief, said Evangelicals have come out of the woodwork because they don't want to miss an opportunity at a time when urgent change is needed.

“We've never advocated to a specific bill, but there are basic principles that we support,” Yang said.

Those principles include offering aid to people in need, keeping families together and welcoming those who are new to the county. But both Yang and Rev. Salguero understand that merging political and personal beliefs is unusual evangelicals.

While not every evangelical in the United States supports immigration reform, a CBS poll conducted in July showed that three out of four evangelicals favor reform efforts.

“We know it's a win-win,” Salguero said. “Ours in the moral argument, but we know there is overwhelmingly evidence that there is an economic need for it”

The Senate-passed bill would overhaul the immigration system, allowing some of the nearly 12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States to eventually achieve citizenship, provided they pay taxes and learn English.

Many economists argue this will boost the U.S. economy and add jobs.
William Galston, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution thinks Evangelical backing for support for immigration reform is important. Galston reasoned that the mainly Republican group in the House -- those most resistant to changes benefiting the undocumented -- might also be the most responsive to the Evangelical movement.

“If Evangelical leaders walked the halls of Congress and knocked on the doors of Southern Republicans, they won't be turned away,” Galston said.
Yang said Evangelicals held over 100 meetings with members of both parties during reform-related events this past summer. October's events in Washington will focus on meeting with even more members of Congress.

“For members who do take their faith very seriously, we are trying to reach out to them, and say have you considered this issue through the lens of your faith?” Yang questioned.

The role of faith in legislative matters is woven into the history of the United States.

“The separation of church and state is one thing, but the separation of religion and politics is another," Galston said. “This is nothing new.”

While the push for immigration reform is intensifying, time is dwindling to get it passed by the end of the calendar year.

“Every day that we don't see legislation, there is a cost to an action,” Yang said.

While the question of when immigration reform will pass lingers, Brookings senior fellow Galston says the Evangelicals are showing a real sign of commitment.

“They are not going to give this up without a fight,” he said. “These are some tough, experienced people, so stay tuned.”

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2013/...#ixzz2i2SFnfjF

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WASHINGTON -- Evangelical Christians are pulling together to advocate for action on immigration reform by the end of the year -- and their influence could be substantial.The Evangelical Immigration Table's “Pray4Reform: Gathered Together in Jesus' Name” campaign running from Oct. 12 through Oct. 20. includes more than 300 events in 40 states where members of the faith are praying for reform. The Evangelical Immigration Table is a coalition of evangelical Christian groups including World Relief, Bread for the World, and the National Latino Evangelical Coalition.

Let's look at these "Evangelicals"

"Representatives of the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT), a group whose recent $250,000 ad campaign was reportedly paid for by the George Soros funded National Immigration Forum, have announced that they will be praying near the steps of the Capitol for the immediate passage of the Gang of Eight immigration bill when the Senate votes on the Corker Amendment on Monday."
http://www.alipac.us/f12/soros-backe...8-bill-281685/



"The National Immigration Forum (NIF), the force behind the so-called “EvangelicalImmigration Table” (EIT), is actually a front group for players on the institutional left including billionaire George Soros and the Ford Foundation, according to reporting by Breitbart News and other outlets."
http://www.alipac.us/f9/national-imm...s-left-280134/



"The National Immigration Forum, which, again made the actual purchase of the ads, has received millions of dollars in grants from George Soros' left-wing Open Society Institute. It has also received considerable funding from the Ford Foundation, another prominent funder of leftist organizations.

Saying an ad is "paid for" by the Evangelical Immigration Table is very different than saying the ads were paid for by an organization with considerable funding from the institutional left. Viewers of the ad might be drawn to different conclusions about the legislation if they knew the actual source of funding. "
http://www.alipac.us/f12/evangelical...2/#post1347598[/QUOTE]

The Evangelical Immigration Table is led by and composed of the following member organizations:
The Christian Community Development Association (CCDA) (www.ccda.org)
CCDA is a national association comprised of individual and organizational members that is committed to the empowerment of indigenous leaders. Their mission is to inspire, train, and connect Christians who seek to bear witness to the Kingdom of God by reclaiming and restoring under-resourced communities. Founded by Dr. John Perkins, the CCDA is led by CEO Noel Castellanos. It is based in Chicago.
Bread for the World (www.bread.org)
Bread for the World is a collective Christian voice urging our nation’s decision makers to end hunger at home and abroad. The organization seeks to change policies, programs and conditions that allow hunger and poverty to persist. Bread for the World is based in Washington, D.C. and led by President David Beckmann.
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention (ERLC) (www.erlc.org)
The Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission is an entity of the Southern Baptist Convention, the largest non-Catholic denomination in the United States with more than 16 million members. The ERLC exists to assist the churches by helping them understand the moral demands of the gospel, apply Christian principles to moral and social problems and questions of public policy, and to promote religious liberty in cooperation with the churches and other Southern Baptist entities. The ERLC has offices in Nashville, Tennessee and Washington, D.C. Upon the retirement of longtime ERLC President Dr. Richard Land, the ERLC has been led since June 2013 by Dr. Russell Moore.
Esperanza (www.esperanza.us)
Esperanza—one of the nation’s largest Hispanic faith-based community development organizations—has been strengthening Hispanic communities since 1986. Led by President and co-founder Reverend Luis Cortes Jr. and headquartered in Philadelphia, Esperanza operates charter schools, a junior college, a HUD-certified housing counseling program, immigration legal services, welfare-to-work job training programs, and various community and economic development initiatives. Esperanza also maintains a national network of over 13,000 clergy, nonprofits, and community leaders, conducting capacity building, resource development, and advocacy efforts within the Hispanic nonprofit and faith communities.
Liberty Counsel (www.lc.org)
Liberty Counsel is an international nonprofit litigation, education, and policy organization dedicated to advancing religious freedom, the sanctity of life, and the family since 1989, by providing pro bono assistance and representation on these and related topics. With offices in Florida, Virginia and Washington, D.C., Liberty Counsel is led by Chairman and Founder Mathew Staver, who also serves as the Dean of the Liberty University School of Law in Lynchburg, Virginia.
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) (www.nae.net)
The National Association of Evangelicals seeks to honor God by connecting and representing evangelical Christians, which they have been doing since 1942. The NAE is a significant voice and convener for evangelicalism, representing 45,000 churches from 40 denominations. The NAE serves to make denominations strong and effective, influence society for justice and righteousness, and gather the many voices of evangelicals together to be more effective for Jesus Christ and his cause. The NAE is based in Washington, D.C. and is led by President Leith Anderson.
The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC) (www.nhclc.org)
The National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference is an association of Hispanic evangelical churches led by Samuel Rodriguez, who also serves as the pastor of an Assemblies of God congregation in Sacramento, California, where NHCLC is based. NHCLC exists to unify, serve and represent the Hispanic evangelical community with the divine (vertical) and human (horizontal) elements of the Christian message all while advancing the Lamb’s agenda. The NHCLC work focuses on its seven directives of Life, Family, Great Commission, Education, Justice, Stewardship and Youth.
The National Latino Evangelical Coalition (NaLEC) (www.nalec.org)
The National Latino Evangelical Coalition is a national faith based network committed to loving people and pursuing justice for the advancement of the common good. NaLEC seeks to respond to a real need for Latina and Latino evangelical voices committed to the common good and justice in the public sphere. NaLEC is led by President Gabriel Salguero, who also co-pastors a Church of the Nazarene-affiliated church in New York City, where NaLEC is based.
Sojourners (www.sojo.net)
Sojourners envisions a future in which Christians put their faith into action in the passionate pursuit of social justice, peace, and environmental stewardship, working in partnership with people of other perspectives, for the common good of communities, families and individuals. They articulate that vision, convene and mobilize constituencies, and build alliances for effective advocacy. Based in Washington, D.C., Sojourners was founded and is led by President Jim Wallis.
World Relief (www.worldrelief.org)
World Relief is the compassionate service arm of the National Association of Evangelicals. Their mission is to empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable. In the U.S., they serve refugees, victims of human trafficking, and other immigrants through more than two dozen local offices and in closer partnership with local churches. World Relief’s home office is in Baltimore, Maryland; it is led by President and CEO Stephan Bauman.
World Vision (www.worldvision.org)
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. They work in nearly 100 countries, including within the United States, providing emergency assistance to children and families affected by natural disasters and civil conflict, working with communities to develop long-term solutions to alleviate poverty, and advocating for justice on behalf of the poor. Based in Federal Way, Washington, World Vision US is led by President Rich Stearns.
http://evangelicalimmigrationtable.com/about-us/