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Paola Fuentes Gleghorn For 35 years, our immigrant communities have worked for a pathway to citizenship for the now 11 million undocumented and under-documented immigrant people in the United States. In 2013, a diverse group of evangelical leaders and Christian groups — including the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, the National Association of Evangelicals, and Sojourners — worked closely with a bipartisan congressional group to try to pass immigration reform through what became known as the Evangelical Immigration Table. But white evangelical support has since decreased: Today only 47 percent of white evangelicals say they support a pathway to citizenship, according to a 2021 study from the Public Religion Research Institute. This is down from 56 percent in 2013. The gap widens among those who attend religious services weekly or more, from 58 percent in 2013 to 45 percent in 2021. That change in support has real impacts. In 2013, the Senate passed a bipartisan compromise to reform the U.S. immigration system, increasing border security and providing a pathway to citizenship for some undocumented immigrants. Unfortunately, the bill never made it to a vote in the House. Controversy erupted when thousands of children from Central America arrived at the U.S. southern border seeking asylum; political will in the House to pass reform eroded, and the bill expired without being passed. Nine years later, there has been a concerted effort to pass a pathway to citizenship through the federal budget process. But this time, not a single GOP senator has supported the effort, and even some moderate Democrats have stepped back from the bill. But I still have hope for immigration reform. While white evangelical support has decreased, Black Protestant support for a pathway to citizenship increased from 70 percent in 2013 to 75 percent in 2021. Advocates are still working to pass a pathway to citizenship this spring. Immigration justice work is now widely recognized as anti-racism work — work to dismantle the systems of white supremacy that oppress us all. Our theology of the imago dei, of the image of God in every person, fuels both our voter protection advocacy and our work to create a pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrant people. We are working to honor the God-given dignity and full personhood of every person by securing the legal right to vote and a legal status for undocumented immigrant people.
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Our Latest Kanye West Is Not Done Changing the World, for Better or Worse (by Da'Shawn Mosley) Kanye’s story in ‘jeen-yuhs’ can tell us a lot about art, faith, Blackness, maleness, materialism, mental illness, class, and love. Rev. Katey Zeh Is Done With Circular Abortion Debates (by Betsy Shirley) She hopes her new book, ‘A Complicated Choice,’ helps Christians care more fully for people who’ve had abortions. Idolatry Is the Most Seductive Sin in Town (by Kate Bowler) An excerpt from the book ‘Good Enough: 40 Devotionals for a Life of Imperfection’ by Kate Bowler and Jessica Richie. This Valentine's Day, Fair Trade Chocolate Isn't Enough (by Céire Kealty) Perfect love challenges the idea that if we just buy different, better things, the world will be better. |
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From the Magazine Echoes of Colonialism (by Lars Åkerson) On Mexico’s Yucatán peninsula, Maya organizers are still battling the ghosts of history. |
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The Riverside Church, NYC, invites candidates for Senior Minister The Riverside Church in the City of New York is in search of the next SENIOR MINISTER of our interdenominational, interracial, international church, a welcoming and affirming congregation. We seek a full-time Senior Minister whose practices embody pastoral care and progressive theology, grounded in a deep spiritual foundation and a commitment to social justice. With Youth Theology Network, you can be the mentor high school students need in their calling to ministry. You don’t need to feel alone or overwhelmed. We can help you find, plan or grow a vocational discernment program to help students live out their purpose, passion and calling. |
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