TRAVELERS REST, S.C. — As support for immigration reform continues to grow among Southern Baptists and other evangelical Christians, Frank Page said in a recent speech that the U.S. stands “at a crossroad of opportunity” for dealing justly with the nation’s undocumented immigrants. Page, president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s (SBC) Executive Committee, spoke at a New American Generation Conference at North Greenville University’s Turner Chapel. Alberto Gonzales, who was attorney general under President George W. Bush, was keynote speaker for the event.
Page quoted Micah 6:8: “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”
Said Page, “This should be our platform for immigration reform.”
The SBC must do a better job of reaching ethnic groups, Page added. “I want to see their involvement in all areas of convention life,” he said. “We must do rightly and act justly.”
“Humility calls for kindness,” Page added. “While some didn’t agree with the messenger-approved 2011 SBC resolution on immigration, we must deal with each other with a humble spirit.”
SBC messengers in 2011 approved a resolution on immigration reform that called for the advancement of the gospel of Jesus while pursuing justice and compassion. The measure urged the government to make a priority of border security and holding businesses accountable in their hiring. It also requested that public officials establish, after securing the borders, “a just and compassionate path to legal status, with appropriate restitutionary measures, for those undocumented immigrants already living in our country.” It specified that the resolution was not to be interpreted as supporting amnesty.
Gonzales told the audience he is a “champion for immigration reform because the right policy will help with security and our economy. Diversity is one of the great strengths of the United States.”
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