Baptist Alliance passes immigration resolution proposed by Phoenix pastor
Jul 17, 2014, 5:00 AM | Updated: 5:00 am
PHOENIX — The situation involving undocumented minors showing up in Arizona is being talked about half a world away.
The Baptist World Alliance passed a resolution on the subject during its meeting in Izmur, Turkey.
The resolution was proposed by the Rev. Warren Stewart, pastor of the First Institutional Baptist Church in Phoenix.
Stewart said the issue involving the immigrant minors should be dealt with in a biblical way.
“The Bible talks about being kind to strangers. Jesus is quoted as saying, ‘Let the little children come to me,'” said Stewart. “Christians all over, especially Baptists, and the community at large, need to address the crisis in a compassionate, caring way.”
The resolution also called for a political solution.
“It does urge the president and Congress to pass comprehensive immigration reform so that these matters can be settled once and for all,” Stewart declared.
With the Alliance representing millions of American Baptists, Stewart said the resolution should carry a lot of weight.
“Many of them are politically engaged, so it certainly should influence them to get their congresspersons to pass legislation to get this matter settled,” he said.
The Handbook of Denominations in the United States says that over 35 million Americans are currently members of a Baptist church.
