August 12, 2002
EDITORIAL:
Immigration, Hispanic treatment vital issues for Texas
___Cruelty capitalized on desperation, creating a climate of death in the back of a truck.
___You saw the news reports: Two illegal immigrants from Mexico died and scores more barely escaped from the trailer of an 18-wheeler roasting in the Texas summer sun. The drivers, who allegedly sought to profit off the poverty-born despair of others, now face murder charges.
___This horrific immigrant-smuggling incident may seem remote, but it ought to sound a wakeup call to all Texans, especially Texas Baptists.
___Despite dips in the stock market, boom-bust cycles in the oilfield and drought-induced declines in agribusiness, Texans live in a land of plenty. Many of our neighbors to the south face circumstances so severe they willingly risk their lives for a chance to work for us. If they're lucky, they arrive here healthy enough to take jobs we wouldn't do ourselves--tasks so menial, tedious, dangerous or just plain physically demanding we don't want them.
___This flood of humanity, once obvious only along the Texas-Mexico borderland, now manifests itself all across the state. Newly arrived immigrants are changing our complexion--from the oilfields out west, to the chicken business back east, to the farms up in the Panhandle, to the industries down along the coast, to the housing, office and road construction projects in our cities and suburbs.
___The vast majority of these new Texans are young adults, children and teenagers. They are growing while the rest of us are graying, and they are the face of our future. Demographic studies tell us that by about 2006, Texas no longer will have a majority culture. Anglos will decline as a percentage of the population, and for a few years, no group will comprise 50 percent of the state. By about 2025, however, Hispanics are expected grow into that role and will become the majority population of Texas.
___All this presents Texans with tremendous ramifications regarding how we prepare for and handle our future.
___We must do something about immigration and for those who come to Texas seeking either a better life here or the means to provide a better life for families back home. Competing interests are at stake. Many Texans want to turn back the tide of newcomers from the south, while many others welcome them with warm embraces. No matter how anyone feels about the issue, more and more immigrants will arrive here, and we must do all we can to respond responsibly, wisely and in a Christian spirit.
___In surveys conducted by the Baptist Standard among Hispanic Texas Baptist clergy, laity and leadership, immigration continually tops any list of concerns. We must not endure more episodes of death in the back of a smuggling truck. Moreover, we must ensure that Texas Baptists act as the body of Christ to provide a physical manifestation of Jesus' love for all who dwell among us.
___Throughout the Old Testament, God continually reminds the people of their responsibility to protect the alien, to heal the wounded, to care for the homeless, to support the less-fortunate. In the New Testament, Jesus teaches his followers to become the "neighbor" to those who are vulnerable and to minister to "the least of these" of society as if they were ministering to him. The implications of these biblical teachings are clear: We must care for all people among us, particularly the strangers, the weak, the hurting. In this age in Texas, a huge portion of those are the newly arrived immigrants from Mexico and Latin America.
___We can involve ourselves in public affairs. We must help to make certain that our state's laws and regulations will dispense justice but also protect the vital interests of those new Texans who cannot protect themselves.
___We also can support ongoing efforts throughout the Baptist General Convention of Texas to minister to the human, physical needs of Hispanic Texans, no matter how long they have lived within our borders. Innumerable churches and associations already provide ministries to meet these needs. Every day, these ministries are multiplied by the work of BGCT helping institutions, such as childcare ministries, healthcare facilities and other services to families. Our gifts to our churches, as well as to the BGCT's Cooperative Program unified budget and Mary Hill Davis Offering for Texas missions, make these ministries possible. Moreover, many ministries are staffed or critically supported by lay volunteers.
___Most importantly, we must reach these newcomers with the gospel. The BGCT Church Starting Center is working with churches and associations statewide to launch churches specifically geared for reaching Hispanics. In fact, Spanish-speaking congregations are the fastest-growing segment of our new churches. Gifts to the Cooperative Program and the Mary Hill Davis Offering fuel these efforts, and our prayers empower the pastors and young churches.
___These churches, and the churches to follow, desperately need leadership. That's why the Hispanic Baptist Theological School in San Antonio very likely is the most important institution for the future of Texas. Our prayers for President Albert Reyes and the faculty, staff and student body are immensely important. Likewise, our direct gifts and support through the Cooperative Program and Mary Hill Davis Offering are absolutely vital.
___The future of Texas is being shaped today. Each of us must do our part to ensure that future is bright--not just by eliminating tragedies in truck trailers, but also by proclaiming the gospel and spreading the love of Christ among those friends and neighbors who will be Texas' majority one day.
___By about 2025, Hispanics are expected to become the majority population of Texas.
___ --Marv Knox
E-mail the editor at marvknox@baptiststandard.com
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