The Southern Baptist Convention and other evangelicals are urging American Christians to welcome Iraqi and Syrian refugees
Over 100 leaders from the SBC and other Evangelical organizations are calling on Christians to establish programs at their churches to help resettled refugees get acclimated to their new communities and cultures.
The group gathered at the Billy Graham Center for Evangelism at Wheaton College in Illinois last week to sign onto a declaration calling on Christians to be more compassionate toward Syrian and Iraqi refugees as they seek asylum from the persecution and violence caused by the Syrian civil war and the rise of the Islamic State terrorist group.
The leaders, who represent various denominations and humanitarian groups, said in a statement “moments like these are when Christians cannot remain silent and still.”
It is estimated that more than 60 million people across the globe and as many as 4.4 million Syrians have fled from their hometowns.
The statement continued, “In light of this crisis, we commit ourselves and our churches to actively care for and minister to global refugees with mercy and compassion, both here and abroad, based on God’s compelling concern for all people in need and especially refugees.”
The resettlement of refugees from Syria has become a hotly debated topic in the United States following the terror attacks in Paris and San Bernardino.
A recent Pew Research poll found that only 31 percent of White Evangelicals supported a decision to allow more refugees into the U.S.