Immigration, Integration, and National Identity: Making the Case for a Hispanic Evangelical Contribution
Gabriel Salguero Wednesday, 16 February 2011
The United States, like many countries in what some have called the "Global North," is engaged in a national dialogue around issues of immigration, integration, and national identity. But recently, this "dialogue" has descended into an uncivil debate that often takes the form of demonizing rhetoric or hostile diatribes. The Hispanic evangelical church is a key demographic in this national debate and should not be ignored. According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, Latino/a evangelicals make up approximately 15 percent of the rapidly expanding Hispanic population in the US. These numbers put the US Hispanic evangelical population between seven and nine million; many of these individuals are US citizens or parents of citizens. This means that Hispanic evangelicals will be a major part of the electorate for years to come. In short, Latino/a evangelicals will be part of the national topography for a long time. The Latino evangelical church ought to be a major contributor in shaping national opinion on the issues of immigration and integration.
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