PC(USA) Pastor Writes Open Letter to Trump about Refugee Comments

Veronica Neffinger | iBelieve Contributor | Updated: Oct 07, 2015

PC(USA) Pastor Writes Open Letter to Trump about Refugee Comments

A Presbyterian Church (USA) clerk has written an open letter to presidential hopeful, Donald Trump, urging him, as a fellow Presbyterian, to rethink his views on immigration and the refugee crisis.

The Christian Post reports that Rev. Gradye Parsons, clerk of the PC(USA) Office of the General Assembly, in the letter to Trump, wrote, “Presbyterians through decades of policy have demanded humane treatment of people of all nationalities and faiths who find themselves within our borders.”

Parsons wrote the letter in response to Trump’s comments in an interview with Sean Hannity on the influx of refugees, stating, “It could be one of the greatest coups of all time. They could be ISIS. It could be a plot. I mean, I don’t want to think in terms of conspiracy, but it could be a plot.”

When asked about his religious affiliation, Trump has said he is a Presbyterian and attends Marble Collegiate Church in Manhattan, although the church has released a statement saying he is not an active member, though his parents were.

“Knowing our Lord was once a refugee, faithful Presbyterians have been writing Church policy urging the welcome of refugees and demanding higher annual admissions into the United States since the refugee crisis of World War II,” Parsons’s letter to Trump continued.

"Our relationship with people of faith and communities in these countries gives us knowledge of the root causes of the flight of refugees and further cements a commitment to welcome."

Parsons’s letter comes after the White House has announced that the U.S. will take in at least 10,000 refugees from Syria.

Photo courtesy: Wikimedia Commons

Publication date: October 7, 2015



PC(USA) Pastor Writes Open Letter to Trump about Refugee Comments