Church State Council News
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Religious Liberty and Social Justice in the News
On this day in history. Equal Justice Initiative writes about Operation Wetback: “On July 15, 1954…the U.S. Border Patrol began the second phase of an immigration law enforcement initiative…officially known as “Operation Wetback,” employed the pejorative term “wetback” often used to refer to Mexican citizens who entered the U.S. by swimming across the Rio Grande River… Border agents' tactics included descending on Mexican American neighborhoods, demanding identification from “Mexican-looking” citizens on the street, invading private homes in the middle of the night, and raiding Mexican businesses. Without a hearing or oversight, agents often seized and deported people who were lawfully in the country. By the end of these crusades in California, Arizona, and Texas, as many as 200,000 Mexican immigrants had returned to Mexico—including many who were not undocumented and some who were U.S. citizens.”
Esau McCauley writes about the recent IRS regulation change that allows churches to endorse political candidates, arguing that this will sow more division in society. He continues: “Bearing witness against unjust laws is essential. Endorsing candidates, however, is likely to be destructive. Over the past two decades, I have served in churches on three continents and weighed in on political issues in print and from the pulpit. But I have never felt that making direct affirmations of political candidates was necessary to serve my congregations well. I don’t want my members to believe that being faithful to God entails voting in exactly the same way as their pastor.”
ReligiousLiberty.TV reports that “John MacArthur, pastor of Grace Community Church for 55 years, died on July 14, 2025, at the age of 86 following complications from pneumonia…” Back in 2021, MacArthur made national headlines with controversial comments denouncing religious liberty, noting “I don’t even support religious freedom. Religious freedom is what sends people to hell… To say I support religious freedom is to say I support idolatry, lies, hell, and the kingdom of darkness.” At the same time, MacArthur also said he opposed Christian nationalism.
Upcoming Events
July 19, 2025 - Steve Allred speaks at San Marcos Seventh-Day Adventist Church
July 22-26, 2025 - William Davis and Steve Allred at Soquel Campmeeting - say hello to us at the Church State Council booth!
August 1-2, 2025 - Steve Allred speaks at the Anaheim Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church
August 2, 2025 - William Davis speaks at the Provo Utah Seventh-day Adventist Church
August 6, 2025 - William Davis speaks at the Hollywood Spanish Seventh-day Adventist Church
Resources
Attorney Webinar: Stay tuned for our upcoming webinar training for non-immigration attorneys who wish to help asylum seekers — “Introduction to Representation of Asylum Seekers in Immigration Matters”. Email Steve Allred at sallred@churchstate.org to sign up.
Listen to Just Liberty as Alan and Bettina interview Michael Campbell, discussing the history of the Adventist Church and religious freedom advocacy.