(RNS) — For years, leaders of the Evangelical Immigration Table have summed up the Bible’s view of immigration in three words: Welcome the stranger.
In Bible studies, sermons, videos and other resources, the coalition of denominational and nonprofit leaders has sought to remind churchgoers to see immigrants as their neighbors and people worthy of love and support. They’ve advocated for reforms that ensure America’s borders are secure, keep immigrant families intact and provide a pathway for undocumented immigrants to gain legal status.
Zach Szmara, an Indiana pastor and longtime supporter of EIT, said the Bible, not politics, should shape how evangelicals see the issue of immigration.
“Evangelicals may have room for disagreement, but we have to start with the fact that we are called to love and welcome immigrants, not view immigrants as threats or burdens,” Szmara told RNS in a recent interview at a church conference in Chicago.
When Szmara founded Immigrant Connection, a church-based network of legal clinics that assist immigrants, in 2014, some churches wanted to get involved, others said it was a good idea, and there was little resistance, he said.
Now, he said, critics treat his work as anathema and ask him if he’s lost his faith.
Support for immigration reform has become a flashpoint among evangelicals in recent years. Last fall, the public policy arm of the Sou …