There are differences within the evangelical community over the issue of Syrian refugees in light of terrorist attacks in Europe.
In response to the terrorist attacks in Paris last week, 27 American governors announced that they are closing their states to refugees attempting to relocate from Syria.
Matthew Soerens, US director of church mobilization for World Relief, said he was disappointed by the decisions. He told Christianity today that “Jesus was a refugee himself.” Suggesting that “The journey Jesus took when fleeing to Egypt as a boy looks a lot like what little Syrian boys and girls have done in the past five years.”
Leith Anderson, president of the National Association of Evangelicals was also critical of the governor’s decisions. He said “Of course we want to keep terrorists out of our country, but let’s not punish the victims of ISIS for the sins of ISIS,”
But one prominent voice of concern comes from Franklin Graham, head of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association and Samaritan’s Purse . He said “We must reform our immigration policies in the United States. We cannot allow Muslim immigrants to come across our borders unchecked while we are fighting this war on terror.
In July, Graham advocated for an end to Muslim immigration in America.
Meanwhile in a recent Pew Research poll 65 percent white evangelical Protestants disapprove of allowing hundreds of thousands of Syrian refugees into the country.