Immigration in the 2010 campaign
Dante Chinni
Posted: 10.19.2009 / 9:43 AM PDT
The midterm elections are still more than a year away, and any number of things could be “the issue” for 2010. The economy probably won’t be great. Healthcare reform, regardless of the outcome of the current fight, will be on many minds.
But don’t forget the power of the immigration debate.
In at least one of Patchwork Nation’s community types, the “Evangelical Epicenters,” that debate is already producing hard feelings and angry words. You can hear the noise pretty clearly in Nixa, Mo. – an “Epicenter” just outside of Springfield, which is home to the headquarters of the Assemblies of God, the world’s largest Pentecostal church.
In many “Epicenters,” the churches themselves may be split.
The resolution and the noise
The increase in the volume level of the immigration debate stems from a resolution in early October from the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) calling for immigration reform.
“Our churches and communities have been blessed by immigrants, many of whom bring strong faith, entrepreneurial energy and traditional family values that strengthen our future,” Galen Carey, NAE director of government affairs, said in a press release. “At the same time, some of our communities have struggled to cope with the impact of unregulated immigration.”
The resolution focuses heavily on how immigrants should be treated. Among the items it calls for: National borders must be safeguarded with efficiency and respect for human dignity; immigration laws should recognize the central importance of the family; and a clear and workable system should be in place for legally admitting an adequate number of immigrants to meet both workforce and family-reunification needs.
The resulting debate has been particularly vigorous in the Assemblies of God (AG). Patchwork Nation blogger John Schmalzbauer alerted us to the controversy last week.
The AG general superintendent, George O. Wood, has taken to the Internet to speak to followers about the resolution. He promises that the resolution (as well as the AG) does not support amnesty for illegal immigrants, but he also uses Scripture to talk about the need to care for immigrants. “If you look at Scripture carefully, you know that one of the reasons that Pharaoh of Egypt was judged so severely was because of his treatment of the children of Israel who were aliens in his land,” he says.
In a different Web video, Wood also asks people to tone down the anger and rhetoric. “Let’s also keep the conversation civil. When people call and start swearing at our people that are answering the phone, you just have to say this is way overheated.”
Mr. Schmalzbauer wrote in an e-mail about Dr. Wood’s remarks: “This statement is notable because of its call for civility. It’s also interesting to see the head of an evangelical body like the AG address the tone of the national conversation.”
Concerns in the ‘Epicenters’
As Prof. James Gimpel noted in a recent Patchwork Nation post, the “Evangelical Epicenters” are among the most concerned about the impact of immigration. In our analysis of an independent survey, two-thirds of people that live in these places said that the growing number of newcomers from other countries threatens traditional American customs and values.
On our trips to Nixa, we have heard those sentiments expressed in more subtle ways, such as complaints about grocery items featuring labels in Spanish as well as English.
What’s interesting about this current debate, however, is the light it sheds on the fissures within religious conservatives. The leadership of the Assemblies of God sees one direction, and parts of the rank and file see another. Such divisions are probably true of many of the 40-plus churches within the National Association of Evangelicals.
Those differences may lead to larger shake-ups in some of these churches, where disagreements have already come up issues like global warming. And these kinds of shake-ups could alter the politics of the “Epicenters” – in 2010 and beyond.
October 19th, 2009 at 10:41 am PDT
“Our churches and communities have been blessed by immigrants, many of whom bring strong faith, entrepreneurial energy and traditional family values that strengthen our future…”
Yes. So does that mean we should open our arms to a billion such blessed souls? Just how blessed will our future be if our children have to share our country with endless newcomers? Earth to Evangelicals: the U.S. is not infinite.
“Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.” - Adam Smith, economist and ethicist
Everything you need to know about immigration and what to do about it humorously told.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBw1nUlf38I
(Roy Beck and NumbersUSA are the “gumball” heroes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7WJeqxuOfQ
October 19th, 2009 at 11:29 am PDT
[…] Patchwork Nation: American communities in a time of change. > Patchwork Nation Blog | The Christi… patchworknation.csmonitor.com/csmstaff/2009/1019/immigration-in-the-2010-campaign
October 19th, 2009 at 12:57 pm PDT
When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong. Reagan took the easy way out; not the right way. He thought they would be giving Amnesty to 1 Million aliens and the problem of illegal aliens would go away. It turned into 3 Million, and the problem grew and grew as more and more saw how the others got away with it. There was a flood of people coming and saying, “Yeah, I was here too.” The Reagan amnesty gave lip service to enforcement and punishment. In fact, it only encouraged employers to use illegal labor. The Reagan years abounded with greed and the whole culture embraced it.
According to a Pew Study, 85% of Mexicans who illegally crossed into the US, quit a job in Mexico to go to the US. People migrating to the US are usually doing so for economic gain. That is, they want to make more money, have more things like TVs, cell phones, cars, and better secular education opportunities. Yes, they want their children to have what they did not. If money and material are your priorities, you can convince yourself of a great many laws not to follow, including God’s.
I think that the faith leaders by requesting changes to the law instead of submission to the law are encouraging greed and corruption. When someone has to pay a smuggler or bribe an offical to enter the US they are conciously making a decision to do wrong. Buying illegal papers and falsifying document to work and live shouldn’t be condoned nor rewarded.
October 19th, 2009 at 4:04 pm PDT
I see a quote from NumbersUSA and I think ***, Nazi Germany…bunch of angry old white males, blaming their failures in life on “the other”. A comrehensive immigration reform is a matter of when, not if, and it is the just and humane thing to do.
October 19th, 2009 at 10:28 pm PDT
Congress is asking citizens and permanent residents, to sign their own death warrant approving AMNESTY to 20 to 30 million illegal immigrants. Our immigration laws are already a laughable facade. The only people to profit from the outrageous hordes pouring across the undermanned border every day is parasite businesses. Learn the truth not lies about the illegal immigration invasion at NUMBERSUSA, JUDICIAL WATCH & CAPSWEB. BOMBARD YOUR SENATOR AND CONGRESSMAN/WOMAN AT 202-224-3121. TELL THEM NO MORE AMNESTIES. SECURE OUR BORDER AND DEPORT EVERY ILLEGAL ALIEN USING E-VERIFY AS AN EJECTION TOOL. THIS IS NOT ABOUT RACISM THIS IS ABOUT AMERICAN WORKERS SURVIVAL?
October 20th, 2009 at 1:01 pm PDT
I never have understood why Christians fear their fellow man when Christ told us to embrace them. It’s not about jobs, it’s about fear of the unknown.