Special Message Concerning the Immigration “Zero Tolerance” Policy
Dr. Timothy M. Hill, General Overseer of the Church of God, has released the following statement:
My heart is broken as I watch and read about the thousands of children that have been separated from their parents along the southern border of the United States. While the Administration is called upon to enforce the laws passed by Congress, it is also important that the enforcement be done with care and concern for the innocent lives that could be forever impacted by such traumatic enforcement.
On two separate occasions – in 1990 and again in 2012 – the Church of God General Assembly passed two broad resolutions on immigration issues. The 2012 resolution, while general in nature, speaks directly to the current issue:
….the Church of God reaffirms its commitment to the following principles of a just process for immigration: “that immigrants be treated with respect and mercy by churches; that governments develop structures that safeguard and monitor national borders with efficiency and respect for human dignity; that governments establish more functional legal mechanisms for the annual entry of a reasonable number of immigrant workers and families; that governments recognize the central importance of the family in society by reconsidering the number and categories of visas available for family reunification; that governments establish a sound, equitable process toward earned legal status for currently undocumented immigrants; that governments legislate fair labor and civil laws for all; and that immigration enforcement be conducted in ways that recognize the importance of due process of law.”
It is important that our Church of God family step into the breach and provide prayerful support for the families – and especially the children – that are impacted by the current enforcement of the law. Further, it is equally important that the church pray for, and work towards, solutions that would resolve this matter, sparing these precious children such trauma and crises. It is time for congressional aisles to be crossed and solutions found that honor the law, secures national borders, and demonstrates respect for human lives.
If our nation and world ever needed a praying church, it is today.
