National Association of Evangelicals Calls for continued resettlment of refugees

[Douglas Carpenter]

November 17, 2015


The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) calls for the United States to continue distinguishing between terrorists and the victims of terrorism when deciding refugee policy.

“Of course we want to keep terrorists out of our country, but let’s not punish the victims of ISIS for the sins of ISIS,” said Leith Anderson, NAE president.

“We are horrified and heartbroken by the terrorist atrocities in Paris, but must not forget that there are thousands more victims of these same terrorists who are fleeing Syria with their families and desperately need someplace to go,” he said.

The United States has a strong track record for screening refugee applicants, having processed more than three million refugees over the past four decades. It is more thorough and careful than the screening for tourist and student visas to the United States. A tourist with a French passport does not need screening or a visa; a refugee from Syria must pass multiple careful tests for eligibility.

As evangelicals we care about those in need one-person-at-a-time and urge our government to carefully screen individual refugees but not exclude a class of refugees from one or two countries where they have suffered.

Anderson said, “Our system is designed to keep terrorists out and to help desperate families with little children. We want to help the victims of terrorism in the Middle East, not punish them.”

http://nae.net/nae-calls-for-continued-resettlement-of-refugees/

[jberryhill]

1. Good for them

They got this one right.

[LiberalElite]

2. Catholics too

http://www.jsonline.com/news/opinion/walker-is-making-a-moral-decision-b99619129z1-351518041.html


http://www.thetablet.co.uk/news/2838/0/us-catholic-charities-receive-hate-mail-over-white-house-plans-to-welcome-syrian-refugees-


The Rethugs make me so sick. They flap their gums about morality but when push comes to shove they are the most cruel, amoral people in America.

[jwirr]

3. Lutheran World Relief and Lutheran Social Services also.

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. thanks for the input about other organizations taking this stand

[Tanuki]

5. Thanks for this. The organization World Relief has a new initiative, "We welcome refugees,"

to advocate on their behalf. They have links for contacting your governor and members of congress and the senate
http://wewelcomerefugees.com/advocate/
and accurate information about refugees and the extensive vetting process they have undergone
http://wewelcomerefugees.com/faq/

They also lay out the faith basis for this in no uncertain terms:

"The Bible has a lot to say about how God’s people should respond to refugees and other migrants. In fact the Hebrew word ger—translated into English variously as foreigner, sojourner, stranger, or immigrant—appears 92 times just in the Old Testament, often in the context of God commanding his people to love and welcome those who came as foreigners into their land. Many of the heroes of our Christian faith—David, Elijah, even Jesus himself—had to flee persecution from tyrannical governments seeking to do them harm. The New Testament repeatedly commands us to “practice hospitality” (Rom. 12:13), which literally means to practice loving strangers—with the hint that, by doing so, we may be welcoming angels (Heb. 13:2).

Welcoming refugees is a tangible way to love our neighbors, part of Jesus’ Great Commandment (Luke 10:27) and to practice the Golden Rule (Luke 6:31), treating others as each of us would hope to be treated if we were to find ourselves in a desperate situation, forced to flee to a foreign land.

Welcoming refugees also presents an opportunity to stand with our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith—which includes a significant number of refugees from various parts of the world—as well as to witness to the love and welcome of Jesus to those of other religious traditions. Since we believe that each person is made in the Image of God, we seek to serve and welcome all those fleeing persecution, regardless of their religious or cultural background."