President Obama may get a shot at ushering in a new era of bipartisanship in Washington as he had promised with the largest evangelical body in the country having recently stated its support for immigration reform, including a pathway for 12 million illegal U.S. immigrants to become citizens.

When President George W. Bush was trying to pass immigration reform in 2007, the National Association of Evangelicals – which claims to represent 30 million U.S. evangelicals – abstained from taking an official position on the issue.

Now, two years later, the NAE has taken a firm and very public stance in support of comprehensive immigration reform. Top NAE leaders earlier this month even testified before the U.S. Senate in support of an earned pathway to citizenship for undocumented immigrants. more >>

Leaders of the National Association of Evangelicals have issued several clarifications on the group’s stance on immigration reform in the days since it released its resolution on the issue.

Over the past week, various groups – Christians as well as secular – have criticized the NAE’s decision to take a strong stance in favor of undocumented immigrants already in the country. Among the criticisms are that the evangelical body is supporting amnesty for those that break the law and that the group is becoming more liberal.

“NAE is adopting the sad trajectory of the National Council of Churches, speaking to detailed political issues beyond its traditional moral purview and the consensus of its constituency,” decried Mark Tooley, president of the conservative Institute on Religion and Democracy. more >>

The president of the National Association of Evangelicals, Leith Anderson, spoke to The Christian Post last week during the Evangelical Leaders Forum.

The following are excerpts from the interview:

CP: You keep a pretty low-profile considering you’re the head of an organization that represents 30-million members. What is your philosophy on leadership, especially Christian leadership? more >>

WASHINGTON – Though the National Association of Evangelicals recently voiced its strong support for immigration reform, it does not call for undocumented aliens to be covered in health care reform legislation, says the group's president.

NAE president Leith Anderson told The Christian Post at a press conference on immigration reform last week that his group supports the current health care system in place for undocumented immigrants.

“[W]e are not specifically espousing that undocumented immigrants be included in any health care reform,” said Anderson, noting that the NAE has not issued an official position on the issue. “However, we obviously would stand for provision of health care as it now is, in emergency rooms and elsewhere.” more >>

WASHINGTON – The National Association of Evangelicals released its most comprehensive resolution on immigration in its history on Thursday during a press conference on Capitol Hill.

In revealing the resolution, four NAE leaders, all members of the Board of Directors, criticized the current system as broken and emphasized that an immigrant, just like any other person, is made in the image of God and thus deserves to be treated with respect.

“Our core faith convictions are such that all persons are created equal. This means that every individual possesses fundamental rights to live and be respected as a human person of intrinsic value and dignity regardless of race, class, nationality or legal status,” said Berten Waggoner, national director of Vineyard USA, a denomination of over 1,500 churches worldwide. more >>

The National Association of Evangelicals has named Galen Carey as director of Government Affairs. He replaces Richard Cizik who was forced to resign after making controversial remarks on same-sex unions.

Carey is a longtime employee of World Relief – the relief and development arm of the NAE – and is expected to bring "a fresh approach to evangelical advocacy in Washington," said NAE president Leith Anderson in an announcement Wednesday.

In his new role, which he will take up on August 1, Carey will represent the NAE – a body of about 45,000 churches and organizations – before Congress, the White House and the Courts. more >>