DACA has been revoked with a 6 month hiatus. Congress can address this if they want to. It is their job to address this legislatively. So, here’s the deal:
- Evangelicals can speak on behalf of Immigrant DREAMers (those brought here illegally as children) and ask Congress to pass legislation to allow them to stay legally, or,
- We can do nothing, sit back, say it isn’t our problem, and whatever happens happens. If we do that, then DREAMers will lose their protection, lose their jobs, not be able to go to school, and will be eventually deported.
Those are the choices before us.
Dr. Bruce Ashford, provost of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary and I lay out why Evangelicals should now advocate for Immigrant DREAMers here.
You can join your voice with around 1000 Evangelical pastors and church leaders asking Congress to act on legislatively on behalf of DREAMers by signing on this letter here. This is the letter created by the ERLC and other Evangelical organizations like the National Association of Evangelicals, World Relief, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Coalition, Coalition of Christian Colleges and Universities, and others. I’m glad that the ERLC spoke clearly on this. But, as I’ve heard many times here and elsewhere. Russell Moore and the ERLC can’t speak for every Southern Baptist. Each Southern Baptist pastor and church is responsible to speak on their own.
You can speak and act on behalf of young immigrant DREAMers who were brought here illegally as children. I meet with Congressional and Senate Republican offices regularly. They tell me that if Evangelical pastors and churches would speak, then they would have cover to act on behalf of DREAMers. If they don’t, there isn’t much they can do. Now, we have 6 months to fix this or almost a million young people who grew up here will be deported. Most of the Congressmen who will make this decision are in districts with heavy Evangelical populations, including Southern Baptists, often with massive churches. If we speak and advocate Biblically, they will listen. They want to hear what the Bible says and what the church thinks about these young people. We have a chance to change things. If we don’t speak, they will hear that too and act accordingly. Time to get off the fence. Saying nothing is saying everything. Silence is agreement with deportation. The clock is now ticking. 6 months.
Now this goes to Congress. They would actually like to hear from us. I’ve been told that personally. What will you do? This will all be decided soon. What role will the church play? It’s up to us.
