Evangelicals are split on immigration issues but largely agree on the need for a secure border and want their pastor to address the topic more, according to a new Lifeway Research survey. The survey found that 70 percent of evangelicals believe the United States has a moral responsibility to accept refugees who are fleeing persecution, while 73 percent believe Christians have a responsibility to care for refugees who are forcibly displaced in other countries around the world.
“Evangelicals’ care for refugees and immigrants is as steady as their political preference, but some leaders may not be listening,” said Scott McConnell, executive director of Lifeway Research.
But on other issues, there is less agreement. For example, 55 percent of evangelicals say Christians have a responsibility “to assist immigrants even if they are here illegally.” A little over one-third (37 percent) disagree.
Asked which groups of immigrants who are in the country unlawfully “should be prioritized for deportation,” evangelicals are mostly in agreement that individuals who have been convicted of violent crimes (67 percent) and individuals “reasonably suspected to present a…
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