via Yahoo
- A group of Florida evangelicals on Thursday criticized a bill that criminalizes the transport of migrants.
- The bill makes it a felony to knowingly assist an undocumented immigrant.
- Church leaders warned it could hinder their ability to preach the gospel.
A group of evangelicals on Thursday spoke against an effort by Gov. Ron DeSantis and Florida Republicans to make it a felony to knowingly transport an undocumented immigrant, calling it a potentially dangerous infringement on religious liberty.
DeSantis, who is weighing a run for the presidency, has styled himself as a warrior for the Christian faith and a hardline opponent of illegal immigration. But on a conference call, Florida pastors said his support of a measure making its way through the Florida legislature threatens their ability to preach the gospel.
“As followers of Christ, we are living out our faith most clearly when we answer the call to care for those in need: widows, orphans, immigrants and the poor,” Jody Ray, a pastor at Chets Creek Church in Jacksonville, said on the call. “Any law that would hinder our ability to carry out our calling to care for anyone in need would be a violation of our religious freedom.”