January 25, 2006

NEW YORK – The General Secretary of the National Council of Churches USA, the Rev. Dr. Bob Edgar, will be a guest this evening on CNN's Lou Dobbs Tonight from 6-7 p.m. EST. (See http://www.cnn.com/CNN/Programs/lou.dobbs.tonight/.)

The show's producers have asked Edgar to discuss U.S. immigration policies, including the treatment of undocumented aliens, and the church's efforts to influence these policies.

Edgar said the NCC supports the McCain-Kennedy bill in Congress that would allow 11-million illegal immigrants to work toward legalization or citizenship by paying a fine and passing background checks.

Like Church World Service and scores of religious and secular relief agencies, the NCC would like to see U.S. immigrations laws reformed to deal fairly with undocumented immigrants, provide them with a path to citizenship, protect workers' rights and provide for the reunion of families.

The NCC's position is not based on partisan viewpoints, Edgar said, but on the biblical mandate to protect and care for the stranger (Matthew 25) and to love our neighbors (Mark 12:29-30).

Lou Dobbs Tonight Web page has billed tonight's show as a discussion of "the church's role in attempting to influence government." Edgar said he plans to remind Lou Dobbs' viewers that all missions, programs and activities of the church are based on the Biblical mandate.

The National Council of Churches USA is composed of 35 Protestant, Anglican, Orthodox, historic African American and peace communions representing 45 million Christians in 100,000 local congregations in the United States.

National Council of Churches USA