Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Christian Piatt

Home
Progressive Christian
Our Interview with Jim Wallis on Immigration Reform

Our Interview with Jim Wallis on Immigration Reform

Last updated on: November 9, 2012 at 7:32 pm by Christian Piatt

Our Interview with Jim Wallis on Immigration Reform 2012-11-09T19:32:17+00:00 Christian Piatt

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In our most recent special post-election edition of the HomeBrewed Christianity CultureCast, we sat down with Jim Wallis, head of Sojourners, political activist and change-agent for the common good among the political elite in Washington DC. You can check out the entire episode by CLICKING HERE, but this is a transcription of our discussion particularly about immigration reform and what we might expect in the coming months from Washington on this issue.

*****

Christian: This has been a fairly intense election cycle. More money was spent than ever before, and some would argue a more polarized political environment than ever before, and yet, when you look at the presidency and the electoral map, not a lot has really changed. So what does this say about peoples’ dissatisfaction with politics, Congress and the like?

Jim: The checks have replaced all the balances in our public life. Until we get the money out of politics, we’ll never get values back into politics. There’s a long-term need here now for a social movement focusing on the influence of money in politics.

I’ve got senators who tell me they have to raise $20,000 every day in order to get re-elected. I did a Politico op-ed piece about this…long-term, that’s got to be dealt with.

In terms of the election, Chuck Todd, my favorite analyst on television, put it well when he said the demographic time bomb was finally set off in American politics. What it says, and that the Romney campaign learned, is that getting (just) the votes of white males is not ever going to win an election again in America. That will shape the rest of our politics, and that’s the big story.

I’m sure Obama had a great ground game and voter targeting, but finally, in the end, this election came off the way it did because of demographics. America is changing dramatically. A much more diverse America is not going to be the same politically as it has been for a long time.

Christian: So the plurality of minority voices is now the new majority?

Jim: By 2050 the data shows that the majority of Americans will come from Latin America, Africa and Asia, and Caucasian Americans will be in the minority. It’s already true in Los Angeles and other places around the country, but now that vote is so significant. Obama got ninety or so percent of the Black vote; 73% of the Hispanic vote; he won the women’s vote by ten percent. So there are demographic issues now that really have to be dealt with.

Jordan: It seems there was such a massive miscalculation. When (George W.) Bush ran, they really targeted Hispanics. George Bush spoke Spanish and they made a really big deal about that. Why did the Republicans completely drop that in the last eight years?

Jim: Partly because their mindset is not inclusive of Hispanic voters. Just targeting Hispanic voters and speaking Spanish…I mean, you can give a Spanish version of ‘I’m against comprehensive immigration reform.’ Well, saying that in Spanish won’t help you with Hispanic voters.

The problem here was policy. We have two invisible signs at our borders. One says ‘No Trespassing,’ and the other says ‘Help Wanted,’ and twelve million vulnerable people are caught between those signs in a broken system. The faith community has found a unity around this issue which we’ve never seen before on any issue. We’ve been Biblically converted. Jesus says, ‘As you treat the stranger, that’s how you treat me.’

And now we have new relationships with our brothers and sisters who are undocumented in our churches, and the biggest growth that us happening in our churches is immigrant people, and many of them are undocumented. That is changing our churches and it will change our politics here in Washington.

We (faith leaders) are already in conversation before and since the election about how to make comprehensive immigration reform a successful campaign in the first three months of this new Congressional term.

Christian: It seems to me that there’s a real opportunity for the GOP that they’re missing here, because at least in my experience in mainline churches, the influx of African, Latino and Asian voices have been more theologically conservative than the Anglo voices that have been there historically. There would be a lot of synergy between them and the traditional Republican values, I think, except for the fact that they can’t seem to get past this immigration reform issue.

Jim: You’ve got a situation unfolding in this country which is very provocative, which is: how does a post-Christian American church deal with a non-Western immigrant Christian faith? That’s the conversation we’re having all over the country now. Immigrants are coming with a more non-Western Christian faith to a country that is no longer a Judeo-Christian country. It’s post-religious, particularly in Portland. You’re like France out there…

Jordan: That’s true.

Christian: I’m wearing a beret right now.

Jim: What’s interesting is that now the Republicans quickly have to reverse their hostility toward Hispanic voters because that’s the future electorally. And that’s why, now, Republicans are much more likely to support comprehensive immigration reform than before the election.

But it doesn’t mean Hispanics, therefore, are a solid, long-term Democratic constituency. I hope Democrats don’t make the mistake of thinking that way, because it’s not going to be the case.

Listen to the entire interview on the Homebrewed Christianity CultureCast HERE.

homebrewed Christianity

Previous Post

November 9, 2012

Homebrewed CultureCast Post-Election Special with Jim Wallis

Next Post

November 10, 2012 It's Not All Going to Be Okay, and That's Okay

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category atonement belief bible Bill O'Reilly Buddhism CCM children christian piatt christianity Contemporary Christian Music current events derek flood Easter education Everyday Sunday faith faith and culture Frank Schaeffer great commission Haaz Sleiman Hobby Lobby Homebrewed Culture humor ISIS Jesus John Paul Lederach Killing Jesus LGBTQ marc driscoll Mission Year Music My Jesus Project Nat Geo parenting politics popular culture postChristian prison reform Ray rice religion republicans sacrifice sexuality theology Uncategorized video violence wild goose festival World Vision young adults

Select a Month December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007 July 2007 June 2007 May 2007 April 2007 March 2007 February 2007 January 2007 December 2006 November 2006 October 2006 September 2006 August 2006

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did God use to guide the Israelites by night in the wilderness?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A torch A pillar of fire A cloud The moon