Well, hell has officially frozen over, because I am about to quote approvingly of City Bible Church. An article in today's Portland Tribune asks What Would Jesus Do About Immigrants? In the article, the reporter interviews several pastors at CBC.
Pastor Ben Trolese’s parents were missionaries, and he spent much of his childhood growing up in Guatemala and Nicaragua. Now he leads the Spanish-language service in Tigard for City Bible Church, a charismatic evangelical congregation generally viewed as socially conservative.
Trolese doesn’t know the legal status of his congregants, but assumes not all of them are here legally.
“Some have been here decades,” he says. “I work with them. I can tell you stories of the separated families.”
It’s almost laughable, he says, when immigration authorities arbitrarily decide to deport a father but not a mother, so their children who are legal citizens can remain with at least one parent.
And further in the article:
Trolese, of City Bible Church, says with millions of illegal immigrants living here in the shadows, it’s clear something has to be done. But those who suggest simplistic approaches, such as mass deportations or building an impregnable wall at the border, aren’t being realistic, he says.
“You’re not going to build a high enough wall, or enough of it,” Trolese says. “I think border control is important, but it’s one sliver. It’s 25 percent of the issue.”
He wonders why the United States can’t be more like Canada, which has managed to welcome immigrants while tightly enforcing laws against illegal immigration.
Ben is one of the good guys over there at City Boobie Church. And it's nice to see CBC taking a more moderate approach to illegal immigration. I understand that the US can't afford to take-in every immigrant in the world. But I never understood the hatred for people who, for the most part, just want to work hard and support their family.
On a related note, read this gripping article about a house in Phoenix where illigal immigrants are kidnapped and tortured.
Good for them. That’s a very Christ-like move, and I support it.
And in related news.. Pastor Ben Trolese is demoted to Dishwasher at City Bible Church for speaking to the media without a signed permission slip from Pastor Frank.
Illegal is illegal and they are breaking the law.
They are not immigrants they are invaders who are costing us billions of dollars and driving us into a 3rd world nation status.
Fall of Rome happened the same way.
Jesus never ministered mercy at the expense of truth.
Ben is wrong.
See what I mean:
[Comment ID #38043 Will Be Quoted Here]
The grace is there, always, should be.
I look at this as no different than a thief entering my house by climbing through a window at night then taking up residence and expecting if not demanding me to take care of him.
Demanding money, food, clothes, and medical care.
They are thieves who have broken the law.
We can minister to thieves or any other law breaker but that does not mean we have to agree with their behavior and overlook their unlawful entry.
and then we get
Thank you for proving my point so eloquently…
Speak the truth in love, Right Joe?
Yeah, the “grace” to minister and the “truth” to call the border patrol to come and pick them up and send them back.
I do the same for any thief.
Joe—I think you missed the whole “Good Samaritan” part of the Bible. Not to mention that Jesus basically gives you the blueprint of how you should treat such people.
It’s okay my friend. You don’t have to believe all the Republican talking points. After all, Reagan granted amnesty to millions of illegals in the 80′s—remember that? Also, it didn’t seem like a top priority to the Republican administration to handle illegal immigration… until the Democrats took over. Therefore, take a load off and don’t allow yourself ot be so easily worked up by obvious political grandstanding by the Conservatives. They really don’t care about illegals coming across the border—they only care that you care.
Businesses have been taking advantage of this population for years. Any union-hating Conservative business owner would love a workforce such as these. They can be paid virtually nothing, they work hard, and they can’t complain (let alone organize). Your buddies in the Republican party love illegals—they just won’t say that to your face. They won’t say that they love cheap, easy, fire your ass for taking a lunch break labor. They also won’t say that they love having their cake and eating too—getting people like you worked up into a frenzy over illegals, only to laugh behind your back while the make some extra cash flow by employing these people. Then on top of it, they get your vote by getting your panties in a twist over it.
For example, George W. Bush was governor of Texas for almost six years, and president for eight years. Give me one example of how he was tough on illegals while he was governor of a border state. Give me one example of how he was tough on illegals while he was president. I already mentioned how Reagan was tough on illegals (2.7 million granted amnesty). So, how tough are your Republicans on illegals, compared to how tough they say they are?
How about this: in Bush’s first year as president, he deported about 180, 000 people (give or take). In Obama’s first year, he deported 388,000 people. Okay, and even in Bush’s last year in office, he only deported 369,000 people. So, from these numbers, in Obama’s first year, he deported five percent more individuals that Bush did in his last. However, Republicans are still the only “serious†party when it comes to illegals.
There are many things that your preferred party will lead you to believe that they are the authority on. It would behoove all of us, regardless of political affiliation, to: 1.) See people as people, and ask why they are in the situation they are in (I can assure you it is more complicated than they hopped the border to steal a job). 2.) Tell the little talking heads on tv and in print to shut up—then proceed to take a deep breath and think about these things that they are bombarding you with. 3.) Rinse and repeat until you begin to believe that I am right—just kidding, that would be in violation of #2.
[Comment ID #38060 Will Be Quoted Here]
Joe, I appreciate your sharing another point of view. But uh, try to chill out a little. I don’t want this to degenerate into a shouting match.
No shouting here, none intended, sorry if it came off that way. The States spend billions on on aliens that sneak in here and we wonder why our schools are going under financially? Our health care is overloaded as well. Without going into the you're a Republican and conservative debate. It's the churches job to take care of these people NOT the government. They are a burden that will break us as a nation to the point that we can't take care of our own. If you want them taken care of then donate your own money
This is really the key to me. The reason we don’t crack down on illegal immigrants is because the business community is addicted to cheap labor.
So, we entice migrants into our country with low paying jobs, and then act horrified that they would actually break the law and enter our country illegally.
I’m fine with securing the border and attempting to limit the flow of illegal immigration. (though I’m skeptical how effective it would be) But there is no practical way we can deport all the illegal immigrants in this country. So, I’m actually cool with the current system we have. We let you come into our country illegally, take our crappy jobs, let us treat you like dirt, and in exchange your children can become US citizens.
And then in 50 years we’ll move onto another ethnic group and repeat the cycle.
I like the Mexicans. They are usually a family oriented group, with a Christian world view, and they suffer under a lot of poverty in their country. There is a racism in Mexico also, mostly against the indian population. I have seen labor camps there with harsh conditions, along with a company store setup that takes all the wages they make in the fields working 12-16 hours a day. I’d head north too if I lived in such conditions.
If $$$ are the issue, how about we quit invading other countries and misplacing billions of $$$….although that would put a dent in the offshore banking industry.
I wonder how many Americans would cross into Mexico if the conditions were reversed.
Imagine *you* lived in poverty and could barely feed your family… and right “next door” there was the land of opportunity where you can make $750,000 /year digging ditches or picking blueberries.
The temptation would be strong indeed.
What a crock. Illegal is CRIMINAL. . You try doing something illegal and see if you are ignored by the authorities.
It saddens me that Ben thinks they should get to continue living here illegally.
Sheesh.. THOUSANDS of these illegals sneak in to “pursue the American dream” … where is the dream fulfilled when they don’t bother to learn English even?? Steal healthcare in the THOUSANDS of dollars …
Round em up, ship em out. . RAWHIDE
And if they are worried about their families being split up, take them with you on your way back out.
You’re so Christ-like. It’s eerie.
“Like” ::thumbs up::