NASHVILLE (RNS and NPR) — The Sunday before the Tennessee Legislature voted to pass a sweeping immigration law, Republican State Sen. Brent Taylor, of Memphis, walked out of his home church before the service began.
During the pre-service announcements at Trinity Baptist Church on the last Sunday of January, Pastor Matt Crawford criticized the end of sanctuary policies for churches, which had previously discouraged Immigration and Customs Enforcement from making arrests inside places of worship.
“I hope that we can believe both in the rule of law and feel that we don’t want worship services disrupted by that. I hope that me saying that doesn’t anger you,” Crawford said. “Hopefully, we can talk about things with unity and nuance and even differences of opinion because it’s on the hearts of some of our people.”
Taylor has sponsored a slew of bills ramping up immigration enforcement, including one that would hold churches and non-profits liable if they house someone who goes on to commit a crime. He walked out of Trinity Baptist, he said, because he “didn’t show up to church that morning to hear a political speech.”
“If they’re here illegally, they are a criminal in and of themselves. And I would ask the faith leaders, do you also see it as an act of your faith to aid child pornographers or murderers or rapists?” Taylor said. “They believe that helping somebody who is here illegally that, somehow, they’re going to get some credits to get into heave …