Confusion Wednesday – What doest Immigration have to do with the Gospel?

Al Mohler tweets this during the 2011 Southern Baptist Convention on June 15^th.

Southern Baptists are at a crucial decision point. The immigration crisis demands a Gospel response before any political response. #SBC2011

When I read this tweet many questions entered my mind.

What is a Gospel Response to Immigration? How does that work out?

Do we replace our Border Agents with Evangelists, and upon a profession of faith: they receive entry, a green card and the Gospel of John?

Isn’t Immigration a function and a duty of the Civil Magistrate?

This is the problem with most evangelicals is their lack of knowledge of the Doctrine of the Spirituality of the Church. The Church has no right to usurp the Civil Magistrate’s authority to set the policy on Immigration.

Southern Baptists wouldn’t want the Civil Magistrate to fax or e-mail their Pastors’ sermon outline to them every week. [Though that might be an improvement in sermon content in some Southern Baptist Churches these days]

Being kind to the stranger or the alien falls under the responsibility of the individual Christian and not the Church. We, as individual Christians, can get involved politically and donate money to help foster change in the Government’s policy on Immigration and other things as well.

This resolution by Southern Baptists seems to be more of a response to the browning of America and their shrinking membership rolls. But, I’ll give them the benefit of the doubt here and perhaps this is a true call for compassion here, but at what cost???

Illegal Aliens are a problem for the Civil Magistrate because they eat up and steal our social services and they pay NO TAXES. When the Federal, State, and Local governments are all facing serious budget short falls, forcing them to cut back on services. Public Schools are laying off teachers and cities aren’t hiring Policeman, Fireman, and Public Utility workers to replace the natural turnover.

Can compassion for criminals come at the cost of stealing from your Neighbor?

Your neighbor, the guy, who lost his job and lost his life savings when his 401k was wiped out during the stock market crash. Your neighbor who now needs these social services. Food for thought Baptists…

FYI – Take a quick study of Church History, see how to the social gospel worked out for the PCUSA and other Main Line Protestant Denominations….. duh, Losing!!!

Al Mohler, Celebrity Preachers, Christ and Culture, Civil Magistrate, Confusion Wednesday, culture wars, Dr. Al Mohler, experimental Calvinism, felt needs, immigration crisis, Pragmatism, SBC, SBC 2011, SBC's resolution on immigration, social gospel, Southern Baptist, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, The Gospel Coalition, The Spirituality of the Church