I rant and rave about the hypocrisy of Christians and their pastors. It’s what I do. There are too many negative stories on my blog. I need balance. It helps to remember that your adversary can be good too. I think I need to tell some of those stories.
I read a story about Christian activists Matthew Soerens, who is leading an effort to get his fellow evangelicals to show sympathy toward the plight of illegal immigrants.
"I've heard people in churches saying things about immigrants that would make me kind of cringe,"
I cringe often. The hate I see is real. I’ve never understood the dichotomy inherent in the evangelical message. I see it as preach from love, act in hate.
Soerens' presentation is called, "Who is My Neighbour? A Christian Conversation About Immigration." A small crowd of older couples, 20-somethings and young families is scattered around the auditorium, some with pens poised for taking notes.
Soerens barely mentions politics. He almost never talks about advocacy on a first visit to a church. Instead, he reels off Bible verses, from Deuteronomy, Zechariah, Malachi and more, and speaks of the Christian duty to be hospitable toward strangers, even lawbreakers.
Soerens cares about these people. He’s trying to help. I have too many Mexican, and Mexican American friends to count. Not to mention all my friends for other Latin countries. Anybody helping those who are struggling to make it here is somebody I can respect, even if he’s Christian.
