By Celucien L. Joseph, PhD
In recent years, many evangelical denominations in the United States have supported anti-immigrant policies that divide families and criminalize innocent individuals, and it can be observed many of whom are victims of ICE raids. Ironically, among the targeted populations are undocumented families and individuals who themselves identify as evangelical Christians in the United States.
However, due to their ethnic backgrounds and linguistic differences, they are often seen by their white Evangelical counterpars/brothers and sisters as “other,” that is, a different kind of Christian. What makes this more troubling is that many immigrant congregations are affiliated with major evangelical denominations such as the Southern Baptist Convention, the United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church.
Despite these formal affiliations and significant spiritual contributions, immigrant evangelical churches and communities often receive little advocacy or public support from their denominational partners. Instead, evangelical political alignment in the U.S. has frequently leaned toward policies and politicians that disenfranchise, exclude, or target immigrant Christians and immigrant evangelicals.
Furthemore, some evangelical believers may vote in good conscience, unaware of how their political choices contribute to the suffering of fellow Christians within immigrant communities. Others may dismiss the issue as merely political. Nontheless, the implications are deeply theological and moral. As affirmed by christians everywhere, the body of Christ is one and that in Christ, we have become one people with a common divine heritage, mission, and purpose. This unity in christ, which is grounded in deep biblical theology transcends both political affiliation and division. In other words, evangelical Christians must always prioritize this deep spiritual connection with their brothers and sisters in the Global South and the immigrant Christian congregations and communities in the United States.
Scripture clearly affirm that decisions—political, economic , cultural, etc—that affect one part of the body affect the whole (1 Corinthians 12:26). Ignoring this reality is a betrayal of the unity Christ calls his followers to embody.
Mutual Responsibility and Moral Accountability
It is important to note that immigrant and ethnic evangelical congregations contribute significantly—financially, spiritually, and numerically—to the denominations they are affiliated with. In this way, these communities have both the right and the responsibility to hold their denominational partners morally and theologically accountable. When those in positions of influence support policies that bring harm to immigrant communities, the silence (or complicity) of the evangelical Church becomes a form of injustice in itself, as the prominent anti-Nazi German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer and the African American pastor and civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., have affirmed. In their own context, both Bonhoeffer and King have taken political decisions, rooted in biblical theology and biblical ethics, that renounced oppressive political powers and challenged systems of injustice and inequality. Both understood what was at stake and the devastating implications when Christians or followers of Christ support such systems and policies and laws that dehumanize individuals and families.
Moreover, Scripture affirms that all Christians are brothers and sisters in Christ, united as the people of God with a shared spiritual heritage. This Christian unity not only transcends political ethnocentrism and Christian nationalism; it rejects human affiliation and solidarity based on the concept of race, ethnicity, or language. Throughout the Bible, followers of Christ are called to support one another, care for the vulnerable, and stand in solidarity with the marginalized. This divine mandate transcends political affiliation, ethnocentrism, and nationalistic ideologies. In such a time as this, the vulnerable and marginalized are immigrant Christian communities and undocumented families.
The Ethics of Care and Christian Responsibility
At the core of Christian discipleship is the ethic of love and compassion, hospitality and care. The biblical tradition consistently emphasizes care for the weak, the stranger, and the outsider. Who do you consider as outsiders and strangers in your midst? Are they the undocumented Christian immigrants in your community and congregation? The command to love one’s neighbor is not limited by borders, citizenship status, or national origin. Rather, it reflects the boundless mercy of God and the inclusive nature of his kingdom and the message of peace and reconciliation of Christ.
In both the Old and New Testaments, God expresses deep concern for the foreigner and the displaced. The call to justice is not abstract; rather, it is practical and deals with the everyday experience of such individuals and communities. To put it bluntly, this is a clarion message directed to those who who identify themselves as followers and disciples of Christ. The latter are urged to engage in the daily realities of those who suffer under systems of oppression.
Let us consider some key biblical references on this matter:
Leviticus 19:33–34
“When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them… Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt.”
Deuteronomy 10:18–19
“He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner… And you are to love those who are foreigners.”
Matthew 25:35–40
“I was a stranger and you invited me in… Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”
Hebrews 13:1–2
“Let mutual love continue. Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers…”
Romans 12:13
“Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.”
Galatians 3:28
“There is neither Jew nor Gentile… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
These selected passages are not mere suggestions for Christians; rather, they offer a clear mandate from God himself. This is both a theological and ethical imperative to committed followers of Christ. These passages should shape Christian political convictions and Christian engagement with civil and political societies. Also, these imperatives frame a Christian outreach to all individuals fall under these various categories and living conditions.
Christian congregations and individual Christians are called not only to care for strangers and immigrants, but must actively advocate for justice on their behalf. This divine imperative is not conditioned upon a person’s immigration or legal status in the United States nor does it take into account one’s political views or affiliation—whether democratic or republican. According to Scripture, human compassion is not an optional expression of Christian piety and virtue; it is a command rooted in the very character of God and central to the message of liberation, justice, and love Jesus proclaims to the world.
A Prophetic Challenge to the Church
If the evangelical church in the United States is to maintain its moral credibility and biblical faithfulness, it must confront its complicity in systems of injustice. Silence in the face of suffering is not neutrality; it is participation an endorsement. The Gospel demands more. It calls for active participation and solidarity with the victims and the vulnerable in our communities and congregations. We’ve already identified these groups in the previous analysis above.
Christian faith is not merely a personal relationship with God; it is a public witness to God’s love, justice, and mercy. When immigrant believers are persecuted or excluded because of the laws supported by fellow Christians, the church must rise to embody the radical hospitality and solidarity of Christ. Followers of Christ are called not to nationalism but to kingdom living, and this experience incorporates the spiritual, political, and moral spheres. The church should be the place where compassion outweighs fear, justice triumphs over silence, and love is stronger than division.
Let the Church of Jesus Christ remember that the Gospel knows no borders, and neither should our love for the undocumented immigrants and families in our congregations and communities.
About the Author:
Dr. Celucien L. Joseph is a Haitian-American educator, writer, and public theologian. He is the founder of the organization Hope for Today Outreach and a committed advocate for justice, education, and the Haitian diaspora.
Sincerely,
Celucien L. Joseph, PhD
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