Much as the Establishment GOP has betrayed its base time and again over the National Question, some American evangelical leaders have betrayed their congregations by shilling for the Amnesty/ Immigration Surge bill. Recently, VDARE.com’s Allan Wall has noted that the so-called Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT), a conglomeration of denomination preachers (a few) bureaucrats (a lot), activists, university officials and authors, is literally a front for the George Soros-funded National Immigration Forum.
Most of the coverage of this entertaining sideshow of the immigration war has come from a few guerilla bloggers and journalists, particularly Matt Boyle of Breitbart News, who originally broke the story, [National Immigration Forum Funded by Soros and the Left, June 2, 2013] Michael Patrick Leahy, who did follow-up coverage at Breitbart, and Marjorie Jeffrey at The Institute on Religion & Democracy's Blog Juicy Ecumenism.
Ms. Jeffrey explains:
“Politics makes for strange bedfellows goes the old saying. The marriage between a group of Evangelical Christian organizers and George Soros has birthed a new organization called the Evangelical Immigration Table (EIT).
EIT reportedly does not legally exist and is an arm of the George Soros funded National Immigration Forum, which as a “neutral third-party institution” facilitated EIT’s $250,000 radio ad campaign urging Evangelicals to back mass legalization of illegal immigrants.
So if the EIT is just a front, then what exactly is the National Immigration Forum? NIF received over three million dollars from Soros’ Open Society Institute (OSI) in 2009-2010 alone, as well as one million dollars from the left-wing Ford Foundation. Furthermore, Sojourners is also a recipient of Soros’ money, and their President and CEO, Jim Wallis, is prominent within EIT.
All roads seem to lead to Soros, as a cursory glance into the funding of many religious organizations that have publicly advocated for the recent amnesty legislation find their way back to the Hungarian-American’s bountiful leftist check book. Take, for example, the so-called Nuns on the Bus…
The Evangelical Immigration Table Exposed As Another Soros Front, June 5, 2013
Jeffrey goes on:
“What are Soros, the open borders lobby, and the progressive left really trying to accomplish? The Left sees a prime opportunity to exploit Evangelical leaders by crafting a media campaign designed to convince the GOP leadership that one of their main constituencies, Bible Belt Christians, favors comprehensive reform.
Some may argue legitimately that some Evangelical elites genuinely see passing amnesty as their Christian duty. Mega funding by leftist philanthropies and high level, publicized political partnerships are added inducements.
But there remains the nauseating fact that some Evangelicals are peddling a new sort of liberation theology to American Christians, aided by a man [George Soros] who has actively supported and financed organizations that directly go against Evangelical beliefs about marriage, abortion, euthanasia and embryonic stem cell research.”
Because of this coverage, some evangelicals involved with EIT have been forced to either deny or defend receiving money from Soros—ignoring, as much as possible, EIT’s indefensible relationship with Treason Lobby Central: the National Immigration Forum.
For Reverend Sammy “Latinos have a more complete vision of the Gospel” Rodriguez, [Message him on Twitter] the choice was denial. Rodriguez claimed that no Soros money was used:
The money for the ads came from Paul Singer, a Republican hedge fund billionaire, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Wal-Mart, and other leading Christian business owners.
Evangelical Immigration Table Says No George Soros Money Was Used for its Ads, By Napp Nazworth, Christian Post, June 20, 2013
For a supposed Evangelical, Rodriguez’ rationale is disturbingly Jesuitical. Remember that EIT is literally part of the National Immigration Forum, which is heavily funded by Soros. That it acted as a conduit for other monies raised by NIF would be irrelevant.
But that doesn’t seem to be true anyway. After National Immigration Forum president Ali Noorani echoed Rodriguez’s claims that the Chamber of Commerce paid for the ads—by “earmarking” money it gave to the NIF—the Chamber quickly denied it. [Chamber Denies Latest Claim by Soros-Funded Organization It Paid for Evangelical Immigration Ads, June 25, 2013] Chamber spokesthing Blair Latoff Holmes said that the Chamber has provided general financial support to NIF and suggested that NIF support of EIT—apparently amounting to $600,000 over two years—came out of its general funds, which of course are largely derived from Soros. Money is fungible, so Rodriguez is still on the hook.
Perhaps wisely, Dr. Richard Land, [email him] president of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission chose defiance. He told the Christian Post that “even if Soros had contributed to the EIT, he would welcome it because he supports immigration reform.”
Dr. Land also happens to be the Executive Editor of the Christian Post.
Typically, Rodriguez’s response to charges of manipulating evangelicals into supporting amnesty was to further manipulate his audience by comparing anyone who opposes “comprehensive immigration reform” to those evil old racists who opposed St. Martin Luther King:
"Accordingly, let me remind my Christian brothers and sisters not to be manipulated by groups that advocate a population control, anti-life agenda such as the very leading groups opposing immigration reform. Evangelicals were on the wrong side of history when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. marched against segregation. This generation will not make the same mistake."
But as Juicy Ecumenism.Com’s Jeffrey pointed out, Rodriguez’ crack at “the very leading groups opposing immigration reform” is ironic: it’s a buried reference to the smear campaign against immigration patriot groups by the villain of this piece—the one-and-only National Immigration Forum. [Left Tries To Divide Conservatives To Secure Immigration Amnesty, by Matthew Vadum, PJMedia, March 1, 2013 ]
What has come of all of this? There are small signs of life. Religious author Eric Metaxas has quit the Evangelical Immigration Table over the Soros funding allegations, tweeting: “Did you know George Soros was behind the Immigration thing I signed but then had my name taken off? Yikes.” And later, “Anything Soros is behind is worth quitting. So glad I've had my name removed from this.”
Furthermore, Kelly Munroe Kullberg, founder of The Veritas Forum, launched something called Evangelicals for Biblical Immigration (EBI) a kind of “conservative” response to the EIT, which opposes the Schumer-Rubio Amnesty. The open letter to Congress written by Ms. Kullberg has over 900 signatures and counting, including that of Eric Metaxas and some notable evangelical leaders.
Excerpts:
The majority of American citizens (70% on average of polls) do not desire an influx of foreign labor. We feel, once again, that we are being overlooked by our elected officials. More than eight hundred (800) evangelicals have signed our EBI Letter to Congress opposing S. 744 for its lack of wise, biblical balance. The whole counsel of Scripture calls for both justice to citizens as well as kindness to guests. S. 744 does not do justice to American citizens but rather jeopardizes our nation with greater debt and danger. The bill is unwise, imbalanced and unkind.
Ironically, an “evangelical” group in favor of S. 744 is quietly subsidized by wealthy, anti-Christian globalists who have used similar strategies of rhetoric manipulation, border weakness and debt-escalation in Europe to profit from ensuing chaos. Those globalists and their allies have dishonored and weakened indigenous democratic and Christian cultures. We will not stand for this quietly, in America. Nor should you. This type of behavior both grieves and awakens us.
You can sign the letter here.
There’s not much hope of getting professional evangelical immigration enthusiasts to admit to anything at this point: they’re too well-paid and they really believe they’re close to victory.
But we know the truth and the truth shall set us free. The little platoons are pushing back against the Establishment. So should all American patriots.
Cecilia Davenport [Email her]is a Southern academic living in exile. She despises fellow intellectuals, and goes as her Whimsy takes her.
