c. 2007 Religion News Service

Christian leaders urge compassion in immigrant debate

WASHINGTON (RNS) Several Christian leaders said Wednesday (Nov. 14) that while immigration reform is necessary, the faith community needs to help bridge the gap between immigrants and a society that often rejects them.

“We call on people of faith to stand with immigrants as fellow human beings deserving of God’s love and to advocate for effective immigration policies consistent with our history as a nation,” said James Winkler, who heads the United Methodists’ Board of Church and Society.

As part of the group Christians for Comprehensive Immigration Reform, the four leaders said a new attitude toward the ongoing immigration debate is just as necessary as new legislation.

“How we talk about undocumented people is a matter of … life and dignity,” said the Rev. Jim Wallis, founder and CEO of Sojourners/Call to Renewal.

According to a report released by CCIR, the talk about immigrants has worsened recently, resulting in what Winkler called the “demonization of immigrants.”

The report documents “the increasing prevalence of mistreatment of immigrants” in the United States and says “immigrant families are ripped apart and individual undocumented immigrants are treated as less than human.”

The Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, said that although CCIR does not foresee immigration reform being debated in Congress until early 2009, they are concerned with how immigrants will be treated in the meantime.

CCIR believes U.S. Christians should reach out to immigrants with compassion, an issue at the very heart of the Christian faith, said Catholic Bishop John Wester of Salt Lake City, chairman of the Catholic bishops’ committee on migration.

“When Jesus spoke those words in Matthew’s gospel _ when you welcome the stranger, you welcome me _ I can’t help but think he was thinking of his own beginnings when he became one of us,” he said.

Wallis voiced concern that Christian ministry to immigrants is close to becoming illegal, but he doesn’t doubt that the church will defy civil laws and do what is right.

“I think you’re going to hear from people in churches across the political spectrum that `if you tell us Christian ministry is illegal, we will go ahead and do Christian ministry, whether it’s legal or not,”’ he said.

_ Heather Donckels

Oral Roberts faculty voice `no confidence’ in president

OKLAHOMA CITY (RNS) Tenured faculty at Oral Roberts University approved a motion on Monday (Nov. 12) voicing “no confidence” in Richard Roberts, the embattled president of the charismatic Christian university in Tulsa.

Amid intense scrutiny over allegations of financial, political and other wrongdoing, the son of the university’s namesake founder placed himself on an indefinite leave of absence Oct. 17. Roberts, who has denied wrongdoing, said he expected to return to the post in “God’s timing.”

The allegations were raised in a lawsuit filed Oct. 2 by three former ORU professors who claim they were all fired or forced to resign because of attempts by two of them to act as whistleblowers.

“This vote of `no confidence’ is not to be construed as a judgment of guilt or innocence with regard to the present lawsuit,” said a letter by the tenured faculty obtained Tuesday (Nov. 13) by Oklahoma media.

The letter indicated that the vote by a quorum of the tenured faculty at a 31/2-hour meeting was the result of years of shortcomings by Roberts. The Oklahoman reported the vote wasn’t spurred by the current lawsuit.

Faculty members passed motions calling for “greater faculty governance and transparency of university finances” and requesting faculty involvement in “determining selection criteria for and the actual selection of university leadership,” according to the Tulsa World.

University spokesman Jeremy Burton declined to comment. Gary Richardson, attorney for the professors who filed the lawsuit, told Religion News Service he had not seen a copy of the faculty letter.

_ Bobby Ross Jr.

Tennessee Baptists, Belmont reach $11 million split

(RNS) The Tennessee Baptist Convention and Belmont University have reached an out-of-court settlement that ends their relationship and requires the Nashville school to pay $11 million to the convention over the next four decades.

The university and the convention were involved in a legal fight after the school’s trustees voted to become independent and include members of other denominations. The convention, which previously had elected Belmont trustees, sued to regain funds it had donated over several decades.

“We believe that this resolution honors the many significant contributions that Tennessee Baptists have made to the university and upholds the teachings of Jesus Christ, whom we all seek to serve by ending litigation,” said Marty Dickens, the chair of Belmont’s trustee board.

Under the deal, the school will pay $1 million next year, followed by annual payments of $250,000 to the convention over the next 40 years.

Delegates to the annual meeting of the Tennessee Baptist Convention affirmed the decision Tuesday (Nov. 13), reported the Baptist & Reflector, the newsjournal of the state convention.

“We came to the realization that settlement outside of court was best for the convention,” said James Porch, executive director of the convention.

_ Adelle M. Banks

Iowa bishop named head of Methodist bishops

(RNS) Iowa Bishop Gregory Vaughn Palmer has been elected to lead the United Methodist Church’s worldwide Council of Bishops.

Palmer, bishop of Iowa since 2000, will succeed Bishop Janice Riggle Huie, whose two-year term ends next May, during the churchwide General Conference.

A Philadelphia native, Palmer, 53, was ordained in 1981 and has pastored six churches since then, according to the United Methodist Church. His father, the Rev. Herbert E. Palmer, is a retired United Methodist pastor in Philadelphia.

Sixty-nine active and 98 retired bishops sit on the council, including representatives from the United States, Africa, Europe and the Philippines.

The council meets twice a year to lead the church’s interreligious efforts and provide a forum for leaders to address the world.

The United Methodist Church is the largest mainline denomination in the U.S., with nearly 8 million members. There are 11 million United Methodists around the world, according to the church.

_ Daniel Burke

Quote of the Day: The Rev. Robert Wilson of Ardmore, Okla.

(RNS) “We are not preaching any type of civil disobedience, we’re just simply saying if someone comes to us and they’re in need of food, they’re in need of going to the doctor, we’re not going to take the time to look for a green card, we’re going to minister and show them Christ’s love.”

_ The Rev. Robert Wilson of Ardmore, Okla., explaining a resolution passed by the Baptist General Convention of Oklahoma that vowed to continue working with immigrants despite a new state law that makes it illegal to aid or assist undocumented immigrants. He was quoted by The Oklahoman.

KRE/PH END RNS