Featured Right or wrong: Church to shield illegals!

There are many "liberals" who just don't like immigration law and the enforcement of it, and I think they have little interest in the Bible other than the few things they think it supports that they believe. Israel living in their land and following the strong admonitions toward treating the stranger fairly came after they drove out the inhabitants of the land who were there before them. Those who use the law to establish their views on illegal immigration are often speaking with "forked tongues". For example, some of these same people unceremoniously wad up and throw away anything the law speaks on homosexuality.

We have a problem of not having a full view and interest in what the Bible might say about this subject. I profess to not knowing the full extent. Too often when I try to read with profit on the subject I find someone is using the scriptures to prove one political point or the other. I recently read a defense of the immigrant which used Exodus 12:49, which in the KJV says, "One law shall be to him that is homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you." Some how this, in the writer's mind, supported his view in favor of illegal immigration and sanctuary -- which text simply shows that strangers must accept the law of circumcision if they would eat of the Passover.

Numerous approaches to immigration and protecting immigrants range from not wishing to dilute a “Christian America” with non-Christian immigrants (including protecting borders and the American way of life) to a missionary approach (“God has sent them here to hear the gospel”) to focusing mostly on humanitarian needs of the immigrants. God’s law to Moses distinguished between Jews and foreigners. While requiring they be treated fairly, it made some differences in how they stood legally (e.g., Exodus 22:21; Exodus 12:43-48; Deuteronomy 15:3; Deuteronomy 23:20). For myself, I have not satisfactorily figured out how all of this should translate to our country, our laws and our situations (I believe it does, but I need more study to be more confident).

A full view must integrate the Bible teachings on life. Immigrants are worthy of human dignity. The Bible also teaches the Christian to obey the law. We must balance the application of Christian obedience to law and the constant expression of love (even to our enemies).

Christ’s teachings favor, when necessary, putting people over strict legal obedience (Luke 14:2-6). So I think there are occasions where obeying God over man might cause us to "trump" the immigration law. I don't think this is what most of the "sanctuary" people are doing. They just don't like the law. Nevertheless, the rule of civil authority is not absolute. Only God’s moral law binds our consciences. Government authority ends when and where it contradicts God’s moral law. Though not an immigration case, German disobedience toward law and Hitler in supporting, protecting, and hiding Jews from deportation and death is a good example of how a higher moral law could require us to disobey a lesser civil law.

 

I would add that deporting immigrants who came to the U.S. illegally is not some inherent form of persecution as some would have it. In many cases folks try to portray those who simply migrated to this country (illegally) to take up permanent residence as if they are refugees -- persons who have been forced to leave their country in order to escape danger, such as religious persecution. This confusion clouds the issue further.

 

I don't believe pulling their tax exempt status is a good idea because it sets a very bad precedent.

But I do believe the leadership of the church should be prosecuted. as it is a crime to harbor illegal aliens.

If it were our church, and we were talking about a member who was here illegally, we would tell them, "We love you, but you need to repent, go home and start pursuing legal citizenship. We will sponsor you and we will support you while you're going through the process to come here legally, but you sinned by coming here illegally and are continuing to sin by being here illegally. We love you and want to help you. In order to help you and to preserve the integrity of the church, you need to go home and come back legally."

 

You should try reading the Palm Beach Post sometime. They make no distinction between legal and illegal immigrants and to hear them tell the story, every immigrant, even the legal ones, are hiding under the bed shaking in fear.

This being South Florida, we have a lot of immigrant neighbors and the ones who are here legally, tend to be very offended by being lumped in with the illegals.

Also, the Cubans here can't stand the Mexicans, which I realize has nothing to do with what we're talking about, but I just find amusing for some reason since we're the ones who are always called "racists" for wanting immigration laws to be followed.

 

It is not possible to pull a churches tax exempt status.

 

God is the author of borders.

You have set all the borders of the earth… —Psa. 74:17​

And He has made from one blood every nation of men…and the boundaries of their dwellings —Acts 17:26​

And He has given authority over those borders to the governments He ordained (Rom. 13).

Christians should never encourage immigrants to cut in line in front of other immigrants. This is not only legally wrong, it’s morally wrong. Instead, Christians should be active in encouraging immigrants to honor (Romans 13:7) the nations they wish to move to by following their immigration laws.

 

Yes, it is possible. It does not happen often, but it is possible.

 

On what grounds did they declare IBT "not a church"?

 

Landmark Church in Bingham, N.Y. is the one I had in mind. Even in that case the court said that even though the church was no longer tax exempt, it did not have to pay taxes on donations.

 

No its not. The church's tax exempt status is not dependent on the 501c3 letter. The church has a special section of the IRS code that makes it automatically exempt. There is nothing in the code that gives room or reason to remove it.

 

The court did not say they were no longer tax exempt. It said they could lose their 501c3 letter. The church's tax exemption is not dependent on that status.