A new religious zealot

The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) recently passed a statement calling for a comprehensive reform of immigration laws. The statement indicates a growing consensus across the theological spectrum among people of faith that reform is necessary as an issue of justice.

Evangelical groups like NAE are aligning themselves with faith communities such as The United Methodist Church to support just, humane reform of immigration laws. Reforms sought include a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants, family reunification and protection of workers’ rights.

Reforms sought include
a pathway to citizenship for all undocumented immigrants, family reunification and protection of workers’ rights.

Groups like the NAE have come to realize what we as United Methodists have known for years: The issue of immigration is fundamentally a human rights issue.

Unjust treatment of immigrants and their families has driven thousands of people of faith to become politically engaged. They are doing so through prayer vigils, Neighbor-to-Neighbor meetings with members of Congress, Breaking-Bread-and-Barrier events and signing Holiday Postcards to Congress.

They are also planning more prayer vigils next February preceding a “Faith Rally” March 22 in Washington, D.C.

Immigration is a human rights issue.

Interesting, emerging partnership

NAE’s support for reform has made it and its members targets of anti-immigrant anger by an interesting, emerging partnership. Two factions have formed a tacit alliance to shut out immigrants from entering the United States. These factions are anti-immigrant groups and “fundamentalist elites.”

These factions oppose just, humane immigration reform.

These factions oppose just, humane immigration reform. Instead, they opt for the enforcement-only strategies that have only fostered confusion and fear within immigrant communities.

Anti-immigrant groups and fundamentalist elites may seem to be an odd couple. Their goals do fit well, though.

The anti-immigrant groups want to pit ethnic groups and low-skilled workers against one another. Their goal is much more to protect the status quo than to guarantee justice for all. In the end, though, anti-immigrant groups do not care about either immigrants or the U.S.-born workers they claim to be supporting.

Fundamentalist elites claim to be biblical literalists. They clearly have not read scripture, however, because they fail to acknowledge the thousands of verses pertaining to God’s passion for the poor and welcoming sojourners.

Anti-immigrant sentiment

Unfortunately, anti-immigrant sentiment has arisen frequently throughout U.S. history. The Know-Nothing Party of the 1800s brought together Americans violently opposed to Irish and German immigrants. The Red Scare of 1919 was directed towards Eastern European groups. These are just a couple of such occurrences, which date to the founding of this nation.

Much of the impetus for these particular movements came from fundamentalist Christians who were anti-Catholic. They viewed the arrival of immigrants as an intrusion, and an attack on their rigid view of America “under God” as a white, Anglo-Saxon, Protestant nation.

They viewed the arrival
of immigrants as an intrusion.

Fundamentalists and evangelicals began to separate in the early 20th century in part because of fundamentalists’ reactions to the arrival of immigrants.

Evangelicals are typically noted for their literal interpretation of scripture, “born-again” experience, and engagement in the practice of evangelism, according to Christian Smith’s description in Christian America?

Fundamentalists hold to these values as well. But they view increased global migration as an attack on the United States and God’s plan to redeem the world. While evangelicals have tended to see such things as increased migration as a missional opportunity, fundamentalists have reacted with fear. This fear has often led to a position of protection and exclusion.

Evangelicals, on the other hand, see their mission to redeem the world through a lens of welcome and incarnation among those being marginalized and oppressed.

Fundamentalist 'elites'

Fundamentalist elites are the latest embodiment of the religious zealots who have embraced a triumphalistic missional approach to political engagement, and who demand that others abide by their rigid, doctrinaire ideologies.

Fundamentalist elites
are the latest embodiment of the religious zealots.

While fundamentalists used to be what George Marsden called a loose “federation of co-belligerents united by their fierce opposition to modernist attempts to bring Christianity into line with modern thought.” I describe this new embodiment as “fundamentalist elites” because they have become highly organized, interconnected, and much more focused on gaining influence.

Fundamentalists used to be more egalitarian in nature, and on the lower end of the socio-economic ladder. These latest iterations are extremely hierarchical, even patriarchal oftentimes, and extremely well-funded. In fact, they have become separated from the people they pretend to represent.

They are elitist in the worst sense of the word. They often target mainline denominations and anyone else, such as the NAE, that refuses to hold their rigid doctrines of exclusion and bigotry.

These elitist organizations are no longer grassroots-oriented. They receive their funding from clandestine sources that have a historical, deep-rooted suspicion towards immigrants in the United States.

Editor’s note: In the next issue of Faith in Action, Mefford will discuss how fundamentalist elites and nativist groups, particularly Numbers USA, have become the newest odd couple. 

The text of the National Assn. of Evangelicals statement is available at immigration reform.

Resources on fundamentalism:

Bill Mefford supervises an “action network” that provides legislative updates, educational resources and identifies opportunities to act on issues involving immigration reform, refugees, criminal justice reform, abolition of torture, religious freedom and racial justice. He issues “Action Alerts” periodically through e-mail.

Joining the Civil & Human Rights Action Network is free: go to umpower.org or click on My GBCS on the General Board of Church & Society website, www.umc-gbcs.org. You can also contact Donna Brandyberry, (202) 488-5641.

Bill Mefford can be reached at (202) 488-5657.