Torch, Spring/Summer 2012

addressing it at public policy level were unsatisfactory and contrary to the teachings of the Bible. Coming to Consensus We have nearly one million Hispanic Southern Baptists in the United States, and about 40 percent of them are undocumented. As they came to America seeking work, we shared the Gospel with them, and they became believers. There are undocumented Southern Baptist brothers and sisters pastoring churches, serving as deacons, and working for and contributing to our convention as well as our nation. Across the country, in towns of every size, you can find an Iglesia Bautista attached to Southern Baptist churches. As we shared this reality with Southern Baptists and other people of faith across the country, we received hundreds of negative emails. People were upset, and the debate was vigorous. We listened, we responded, and we dialogued. As a result, at our 2011 meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, the Southern Baptist Convention passed, with an 80 percent vote, a resolution supporting a compassionate, biblical stance on immigration (See “On Immigration and the Gospel,” page 15). If — through Scripture, reasonable dialogue, listening, and responding to concerns — one of the more conservative denominations in America can support strong, comprehensive immigration reform, surely it is possible to change hearts and minds across the country on this issue. Sending Mixed Messages America’s immigration crisis is tearing apart our nation’s social fabric. The restrictive immigration laws that individual states are passing stem from a broken system, and the federal government is not fulfilling its obligation to deal with this issue in a comprehensive way. And why would they? The federal government profits from illegal immigration. Between 12–14 million people are working in the U.S. and paying into Social Security with false Social Security numbers, helping to sustain a system in peril. As both parties shamelessly play politics with this issue, the two extremes we hear bandied about in Washington are deportation and amnesty. Neither are workable, appropriate solutions. Deportation is a mirage — to force those who are here illegally to leave is neither politically viable nor humanitarian. The United States is not going to deport 12–14 million people. Yet offering blanket amnesty to those who have broken the immigration laws of our country, and their own countries, is disrespectful to the rule of law. If we allow government to ignore the rule of law, we imperil and weaken a precious element of our civil society. For more than 20 years, we have posted two signs at our border: one says, “No Trespassing,” and the other says, “Help Wanted.” Our government, under both Democratic and Republican administrations, has been ignoring and refusing to enforce its own laws. As citizens, we have been complicit because we have not insisted that our government enforce the law. We have been complicit in allowing millions of people to come here to work, invest their labor in our nation, and plant their lives and families here. The experience of those who come to the U.S. illegally is neither good for them or for the nation. They are often exploited by unscrupulous employers, and their presence drives down wages for all at the lower end of the wage scale. Enforcing Laws Equitably As one Republican congressman said to me (with some irritation), “Richard, it’s immoral to break the law.” Yes, it is. It’s also immoral to ignore the law and then try to enforce it retroactively. Suppose you received a letter from the federal government saying, “We have been monitoring your driving habits for the last 20 years by satellite. We’ve never sent Spring-Summer 2012 | TORCH 13