For Faith and Nation

Immigration and Nation: a Biblical View, John Vinson, American Immigration Control Foundation, 1997, 22 pp.

Although polls show that Americans who are religious are more likely than the non-religious to oppose immigration, many Christian organizations support massive Third-World immigration. John Vinson, head of the American Immigration Control Foundation, explains that this is not just ironic, it is dangerous: Christians could eventually be outnumbered by newcomers who are hostile to their faith. Immigration and Nation, a Biblical View, convincingly shows that “[t]he Bible does not require American Christians to sacrifice their country and their children’s future on an altar of false generosity.” From the book of Genesis on, it is clear that the division of mankind into nations is part of God’s commandment to “fill the earth” (Genesis 1:28). Mr. Vinson points out that this is completely at odds with the one-world globalism of immigration boosters. According to Scripture, nations are divinely ordered entities and not arbitrary human creations. Nor does God find all nations and cultures equal. The Bible puts Israel above other nations (Deut. 32: 8-10) and forbids Israel to intermarry with surrounding nations.

Though God ordered Israel to “love the stranger,” He also affirmed that the interests of Israel come first. Foreigners were not permitted to rule over Israelites (Deut. 17:15) and they were required to obey religious laws. Moreover, Israel was not a nation of immigrants. Mr. Vinson writes:

[N]aturalizations did occur, as in the case of Ruth. Significant about the story of Ruth, however, is that she identified completely with her new nation (Ruth 1:16), and made no boast about ‘enriching’ it with her previous background.

Christians must remember that the principles of Biblical nationhood apply to America as much as they do to ancient Israel. Just as the Israelites were punished for not obeying God’s commandments, so too will Christians suffer if they continue to let themselves become strangers in their own land. Already there are more Muslims than Episcopalians or Presbyterians in America. Though most Hispanic immigrants are Christians, their faith bears little resemblance to Biblical Christianity. Mr. Vinson writes that “Latin American Christianity quite often is a blend of Christian sentiments and symbols, pre-Colombian Indian or African religions, and various folk superstitions.” Hispanics are unlikely to strengthen traditional Christianity and could change or even destroy it as their numbers increase.

What will be the fate of Christians if they become outnumbered in their own land? Mr. Vinson quotes Deuteronomy (28:32): “Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, while your eyes shall look on and yearn for them continually; but you will have no strength in your arms to save them.” To those who continue to promote destructive and unbiblical immigration policies that are turning the United States into a tower of Babel, Mr. Vinson recommends the words of Paul to Timothy: “. . . if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”