NAE Members Rebel Against Immigration Resolution

EP News--- The Board of Directors of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), representing 40 denominations, scores of evangelical organizations and millions of American evangelicals, on Oct. 8 approved a resolution calling for action on immigration reform.

However, several of the member denominations have since issued statements saying they do not agree with the resolution. A church official with one member denomination said he had received “hundreds of letters” protesting the NAE immigration resolution.

According to a statement released by the Institute for Religion & Democracy (IRD), the NAE's immigration resolution “continues NAE on a path away from primarily advocating on behalf of moral issues such as the sanctity of life and defense of marriage, and into a more politicized role aligned with the Evangelical Left.” In recent years the NAE has embraced policies on the environment and alleged U.S. torture, now immigration, and appears poised to address nuclear disarmament.

IRD President Mark Tooley commented: “The NAE, which has been a prominent voice for evangelicals to Washington, has shifted direction and is now primarily speaking to, not for, its members. It is interesting to watch some of these members talk back.

“Several NAE members have denied endorsing the immigration resolution. Did the stance actually emerge from NAE's constituency? Or was it simply ‘handed down from on-high’ by NAE elites?

“This controversy is not only about immigration policy, on which Christians can disagree. It is also about NAE's increasing politicization and elitism, a dangerous trajectory veering towards irrelevancy and pioneered by the National Council of Churches.”

Among the NAE members who have publicly distanced themselves from the statement are the Salvation Army, the International Pentecostal Church of Christ, and the Churches of Christ in Christian Union.

The NAE nonetheless stands behind its policy. “Our current immigration system is broken,” said Leith Anderson, NAE President. “Efforts to maintain secure and efficient borders have been ineffective and, too often, inhumane. Our visa system for legal immigration is antiquated, bureaucratic and insufficient to meet both labor force and family reunification needs. Those who want to play by the rules, both employers and employees, often have no realistic options.”

Anderson testified at a hearing held by the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Border Security, and Citizenship on faith-based perspectives on comprehensive immigration reform.

The NAE resolution recommends that immigration reform respect several fundamental principles, including:

--Immigrants should be treated with respect and mercy.
--National borders must be safeguarded with efficiency and respect for human dignity.
--Immigration laws should recognize the central importance of the family and provide for reduction in backlogs for family reunification.
--There should be a clear and workable system for legally admitting an adequate number of immigrants to meet both workforce and family reunification needs.
--There must be a sound, equitable process for currently undocumented immigrants who wish to assume the responsibilities and privileges of citizenship to earn legal status.
--There should be fair labor and civil laws for all who reside in the United States, reflecting the best of our nation’s heritage.
--Immigration enforcement must recognize due process of law, the sanctity of the human person and the incomparable value of family.

The NAE further calls on its members, elected officials and all Americans to participate in the immigration reform debate in a spirit of civility and respect, both for immigrants and for those with whom we may disagree on policy prescriptions.
(10/24/2009)

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