Stop Ceding the Pulpit on Immigration

Many pastors are afraid to speak on immigration, as it is both a biblical and political issue. But the stakes are too high to stay silent.

By Matthew Soerens

Immigration is certainly a biblical issue. The Old Testament often mentions immigrants alongside orphans and widows as uniquely vulnerable people whom God loves and commands His people to love. And from Abraham to Moses to Jesus—who was carried across a border into Egypt as a child refugee at the end of what we think of as the Christmas story—many of the protagonists of the Bible were themselves immigrants. But for many evangelicals, immigration is first and foremost a political issue.

That conflict has left many pastors afraid to speak out on immigration and risk inviting controversy into their sermons. It’s understandable pastors feel addressing the topic is likely to generate angry emails or encourage congregants to withhold tithes or engage in vitriolic social media commentary. But the stakes are too high for them to stay silent. 

Preaching on immigration

It’s no surprise, then, that only 3 in 10 U.S. evangelicals say they have ever heard a message from their church encouraging them to reach out to immigrants. Fuller Theological Seminary’s Alexia Salvatierra, who has been working with evangelical churches to address immigration issues for decades, once told me many pastors come to her “like Nicodemus at night” to discreetly discuss immigration, fearful of backlash from their congregants. 

Some pastors worry encouraging a pro-immigrant worldview could lead to policies that threaten public safety or harm the U.S. economy. Those fears are unfounded as strong evidence that immigrants commit crimes at significantly lower rates than U.S. citizens and broad consensus of economists shows immigration is a net benefit to the U.S. economy.

Even if they do not personally share those concerns, the presumption that many in their congregation do hold those worries fuels many pastors’ reluctance to discuss the topic from a biblical perspective. That lack of discipleship creates a vicious cycle. Just 20% of evangelicals say the Bible is the primary influence on their views on issues of immigration. This is significantly fewer than those who cite “the media” as their main influence.

“Just 20% of evangelicals say the Bible is the primary influence on their views on issues of immigration. This is significantly fewer than those who cite “the media” as their main influence.” — @MatthewSoerens  Share on X

Appreciating a biblical perspective

However, a study from Lifeway Research challenges the idea that most evangelicals oppose immigration. Instead, the majority of evangelicals consider the presence of immigrants in their communities an opportunity to show them love and introduce them to Jesus.

At least 78% of evangelicals agree with each of the Evangelical Immigration Table’s six biblically-guided principles for immigration policy reform in the U.S. And 83% of Americans with evangelical beliefs say they would value hearing a sermon on how biblical principles can be applied to immigration in the United States.

83% of Americans with evangelical beliefs say they would value hearing a sermon on how biblical principles can be applied to immigration in the United States. Share on X

I’ve found in my own experience most evangelicals appreciate this perspective. At one church where I led an adult education class on immigration, 94% of attendees who completed evaluations said they would recommend the course to others.

Filtering the vocal minority

Yet, there’s always a vocal minority whose angry feedback many pastors are fearful of receiving. The problem is that such feedback tends to be a non-representative sample, as the Lifeway Research study shows. And the same sampling error often deceives politicians, of course. 

A bipartisan bid to tackle immigration reform before the end of the previous congressional term fell short. The plan would have created a path to citizenship for most Dreamers while also boosting border security. News stories said the duo ran out of time, citing Congress’ heavy agenda during the last few weeks of the year. But it’s also true that there was little public support from congressional Republicans. Congressional offices undoubtedly experienced an uptick in negative feedback from constituents.

Many such calls are likely coming from a vocal minority who view any legalization process—even for those brought to the U.S. as children decades ago, many of whom have been lawfully present under the DACA program for a decade—as “amnesty.” Others are likely complaining that they find the approach to the border to be inhumane. 

But according to a recent poll, two-thirds of Republican voters wanted bipartisan reforms that combine a path to citizenship for Dreamers, improved border security, and reforms to ensure a legal, reliable agricultural workforce to pass in 2022, as did 83% of Democrats. Yet as with evangelical churchgoers, those who were pleased with the now-dead immigration reform package are likely not calling their congressional offices with encouragement.

Standing for immigrants

Christians are sometimes called to danger, to fear God more than “those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul” (Matthew 10:28, CSB) and do what’s right no matter the cost. While U.S. Christians—whether pastors or politicians—are unlikely to lose their lives in immigration debates they may someday lose their position of leadership for obeying their consciences.

“While U.S. Christians—whether pastors or politicians—are unlikely to lose their lives in immigration debates they may someday lose their position of leadership for obeying their consciences.” — @MatthewSoerens  Share on X

But the wild thing is that leading on immigration right now—whether a pastor preaching a biblical message or a U.S. senator crossing the aisle to forge a bipartisan consensus—isn’t even risking that, even if it feels dangerous. Americans—including more than 70% of evangelicals—want immigration reform. They heed Jesus’ message that by welcoming a stranger, they welcome Him. It’s time for pastors and politicians to show they hear their congregants by taking a bold stand on immigration.

For permission to republish this article, contact Marissa Postell Sullivan.

A version of this article originally appeared on The Dispatch.