Torch, Spring/Summer 2012

G92 Prepares Young Evangelical Leaders by Galen Carey, D.Min. The first thing I noticed at Cedarville’s G92 Immigration Conference was the music. I could hear the OneVoice Gospel Choir rehearsing in the Jeremiah Chapel as I set up the National Association of Evangelicals display in the Dixon Ministry Center. I knew immediately that G92 was going to be a special weekend, and I was not disappointed. Throughout American history, immigration has been an important and sometimes contentious public policy issue. But for me, it is also personal. While in seminary, I met, and later married, the daughter of a Mexican- American migrant farm worker. Four months after we were married, President Ronald Reagan signed into law the Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986, an important milestone in the quest for a workable national immigration system. Delia and I spent the next decade helping evangelical churches reach out to immigrants from around the world. I had prepared for overseas missionary service, but I discovered that God had quite literally brought the world to my doorstep. I am passionate about immigration reform because I have known so many families that have been torn apart by well-intentioned but deeply flawed laws and policies. I have seen how much immigrants have contributed to making our country strong, prosperous, and globally connected, often finding a deeper walk with Jesus in the process. Over the years I have spoken to many church and student groups about ministry among immigrants as well as the need to fix our broken immigration system. But I have never witnessed anything remotely like what I experienced at Cedarville during G92. Seeing hundreds of students worshipping God and then grappling with the complexities of a just and biblical approach to immigration policy was more than inspiring. It gives me reason to hope that a new movement of young evangelicals will embrace the biblical call to receive immigrants in Jesus’ name and that one day, our national leaders will find the courage to follow in their footsteps. Dr. Galen Carey is the vice president for government relations for the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), where he works to promote the NAE’s immigration resolution (found online at nae.net/immigration2009). He received his M.Div. from Trinity Evangelical Divinity School and his D.Min. from McCormick Theological Seminary. Dr. Carey was a keynote speaker for G92. even more ammunition for this cause. Our friendship and the blending of our churches paint a picture of diverse unity that the world desperately needs to see, especially when many black, brown, and white people are divided over events in the news like the recent death of Trayvon Martin in Florida and the upcoming presidential election. As I read Scriptures like Leviticus 19:33– 34, Matthew 25:31–40, and Romans 12:9–13, I see how God’s heart is constantly bent toward extending grace and hospitality to the strangers and the aliens in the land. While God changes hearts, it’s going to take black, brown, and white believers working together in Jesus’ name to change people’s minds and our nation’s laws. I once heard it said that if the American Church won’t go to the nations, then God will bring the nations to the American Church. How else can we explain the presence of 12 million undocumented people within our borders? If we ever get serious about witnessing in Jerusalem (Acts 1:8), our black and white churches will become more “brown” every day. Regardless of your political persuasion, the body of Christ has a great opportunity before her to make a difference. It will take all of us working and worshipping together in order to see a new day emerge on earth as it is in heaven. Rev. Chris Williamson is the founder and senior pastor of Strong Tower Bible Church in Franklin, Tennessee. He received his B.A. in biblical studies from Liberty University and his M.R.E. from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary. He serves on Cedarville’s board of trustees and is the author of Making Disciples Who Make a Difference and One But Not The Same: God’s Diverse Kingdom Come Through Race, Class, and Gender . 22 TORCH | Spring-Summer 2012