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According to data published last month by the US Census Bureau, the foreign-born US population hit an all-time high last year of 43.7 million people (present US population).
If you count the 16.6 million US-born children, with at least 1 immigrant parent, immigrant families now account for nearly 1 in 5 US residents---60.4 million people.
What is the implication to America? And what does it mean to the Christian Church?
Laura Ingram's "Lifezette" publication quotes Steven Camarota, director of research for the Center for Immigration Studies, who says that the nation is rapidly approaching a tipping point---without a serious examination of the implications.
He says, "The enormous number of immigrants already in the country coupled with the settlement of well over a million newcomers each year has a profound impact on American society, including on workers, schools, infrastructure, hospitals and the environment."
Camarota says, "The nation needs a serious debate about whether continuing this level of immigration makes sense."
I would recommend you read the entire article linked above.
The report highlights the "changing face" of America. While Mexico continued to be the top country of origin---with 1.1 million immigrants arriving from there between 2010 and 2016--the Mexican born population in the US has stabilized because of immigrants returning home, along with natural mortality.
The data and studies show that over that time period, the United States experienced a surge of immigration from East Asia (up 892,209), South Asia (up 889,878), the Caribbean (up 554,903) and the Middle East (up 471,029).
On a percentage basis, majority-Muslim nations dominated the list of countries that experienced the biggest increases in immigrants to the United States between 2010 and 2016.
They make up 5 of the 12 countries with the biggest increases in US-bound emigrants.
California's 10.68 million immigrants were the most in the country, followed by New York, 23%; New Jersey, 22.5%; Florida, 20.6%; and Nevada, 20%.
Consider the impact on our culture.
A while back, Lifezette reported that last year's census release shows that a record high 64.7 million residents speak a language other than English at home.
Consider that there are forces at work within our country that are committed to destroying it by destroying our institutions.
Leaders like Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton and thousands of lesser lights within the secular progressive community have publicly stated their intention to totally remake America, change the religious beliefs of conservative biblical Christians, and expunge and revise our national history, remaking it in the image of themselves and their secular progressive socialist worldview.
As you know, there is a move underway to remove and replace the monuments of our founding beliefs and the statues of leaders who preceded us in establishing this country on those Judeo-Christian beliefs and principles.
This includes George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and most all of our Founding Fathers---even Abraham Lincoln has been denounced by some of these misinformed anarchists.
American history is no longer taught with any integrity to facts in public school, instead, a revised and socialized narrative is presented to the kids as fact---one that undermines America's exceptionalism and subverts the Christian nature of our founding under the guise of "separation of church and state."
Among the millions of foreign-born emigrants coming to America, there are those who already hate us and wish to do harm to our country and the population.
President Trump has repeatedly tried to control and manage the flow of immigrants from terror-sponsoring countries. Only to be set back by some state attorney general and some activist judge---most lately the judge in Hawaii. Again.
When our Founders structured our government and the "separation of powers," I'm certain they never envisioned an activist judge having more power than the duly elected President of these United States.
Among those millions, without question, there are many who simply want to come for a better life. However, under the reign of secular progressivism and their embrace of socialism, there has been little motivation for the emigrant to assimilate. So they haven't.
This sets the stage for what Abraham Lincoln warned us about: “America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”
And the revisionists even deny that Lincoln made that statement.
Some thoughts on how this surge of foreign-born people impacts the church.
First, it is much easier for far-Left progressive politicians to get elected. They promise the immigrant the world---free everything.
Secondly, once elected, it's much easier to pass anti-Christian laws and policies---like anti-proselytizing laws. Most of these legal immigrants, according to the data, are coming from predominately Muslim countries. While some may be Christians fleeing persecution, it has been well documented that the immigration camps in Muslim areas of the world are fields of intense persecution for Christians wishing to immigrate. The Christians are often driven away from the refugee camps, fleeing for their lives.
And finally, the condition of the American Christian Church suggests it is not poised to share the life-changing, culture-changing gospel of Jesus Christ.
Eric Metaxas with the Colson Center for Christian Worldview published an article yesterday titled, "Where is your Bible? Is The Church Ignoring 'The Oracles of God'?"
In the article Metaxes recounts the story of Gavin Ashenden who was caught smuggling Bibles into the old Soviet Union during the eighties.
The KGB officers threatened him, telling him if he didn't disclose his contacts, he would be convicted of smuggling gold bullion into the country---because he was wearing a gold wedding ring.
No joke---20 years in a Siberian labor camp.
He resisted, and in time was released---it's a fascinating story.
Tragically, Gallup and others who conduct surveys in our country, consistently find that American Christians have easily given up their Bibles without a whimper.
In fact, these surveys have shown that up to 60% of some church members "never" read their Bible. That's right, "never."
Biblical illiteracy is rampant.
While the churches ignore it, public education punishes those who quote or carry it.
I referred to a survey by George Barna recently both in this column and on our live daily radio program that revealed that American Christians are confused---many do not even know what they believe---much less why they believe it.
The prophet Amos, in writing of his day, also wrote of our own times. Centuries ago he said, "The time is surely coming when I will send a famine on the land---not a famine of bread or water but of hearing the words of the Lord."
Metaxas says, "In this, the 500th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation---which gave the Word of God back to the people, proclaimed it as the final authority in the Christian life, and unleashed its liberating power in society---it is a scandal that so few Christians read it."
How can we save our nation without a proper understanding of how it was born and upon what foundation it has grown to be the most free, prosperous and exceptional nation in the history of the world?
And how can the Christian Church reach these people who are arriving in our communities, when we don't even know what the Bible says?
Be Informed. Be Vigilant. Be Bold. Be Prayerful. Be Faithful.