I'm all in favor of legal, and limited, immigration.
Seeking asylum is legal.
We have more people than we need as it is.
No we don't. Tell that to the farmers that have tens of thousands of vacant agricultural jobs and the trucking companies that have thousands of trucks sitting idle. If we had more immigrants to fill the jobs Americans aren't willing to fill our country would benefit greatly from the added productivity.
To your point about 'brothers and sisters'; do you know for sure that they are?
What would make you think that there aren't any? Out of tens of thousands, do you really believe there wouldn't be?
I provided a link to hundreds of testimonies from people fleeing central America in another thread on this subject. Some of them specifically mentioned that their faith is in Jesus Christ. There is also plenty of testimony from Pastors and missionaries that work in Honduras and some who have even embedded themselves in this caravan that talk about the faith of these people that can be found. There is no doubt that many of our brothers and sisters are being hurt by our current government policies.
I believe that the church is a spiritual organism and only God and Christ knows who they are. I cannot 'assume' someone is in the faith unless I know them personally over a period of time.
Personally I don't care if those seeking refuge in our country are Christians or not. God is giving all of us regardless what part of the world we live in an opportunity to live the gospel with the current worldwide refugee crisis. We can allow them into our homes, we can advocate for them when they arrive at our borders, we can support organizations that feed, house, and clothe them, and we can share the gospel with them if they have not yet heard. We can also stop supporting government policies and the politicians who intact policies that hurt people.
I said this in another thread, but I'm going to repeat it here.
As a missionary myself, personally I can't support turning these people away. How can missionaries and churches that support missions in these countries not accept these people when they want to seek refuge in ours?
The message the Church in America is sending to these people is
"We love you when we come to you... but if you come to us, not so much."
It's quite possible that some of those seeking asylum in the US have been influenced in the past by an American missionary that worked in their community and showed them the love and compassion of Jesus Christ. How heartbreaking it must be for them to now be hearing or reading comments from American Christians saying they are not wanted in the home country of the missionary that once served in their community.
If the Church in America supports and raises money in the names of people like those fleeing Central America when they stay within their borders, but demonizes them when they are seeking asylum inside our borders, it's probably time to re-examine the American Church and missions.
