During these hard times, we Americans are tempted to think only of our own economic interests and to lay aside concerns for people in the Third World. But we are all well aware that the troubles our people are enduring are not to be compared with the sufferings of people in the poorest countries of the world. We Americans must remember that ours is still the richest country on the face of the earth, and that the Bible declares that from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded (Luke 12:48).
Only four-tenths of 1 percent of our federal budget is presently allotted to address the poverty needs of the poorest nations, and you know that America should be doing better than that. As part of the ONE Campaign, designed to make poverty history, there has been a plea for our country to double its fiscal commitment to this end. We ought to be following the examples set by Australia and the United Kingdom by doubling what we give to the poor of the world. A spiritually generated sense of obligation to the poor lies in the hearts and minds of all Americans, whether they are religious or secular humanists. In responding to the cries for help from those whom Jesus called "the least of these," you will be challenging all Americans to give expression to their noblest qualities.
Helping the poorer nations of the world is not only a spiritual calling; it is also in our own self-interest. As an expression of the pragmatism that you have said will be a hallmark of your administration, you can help all of us to realize that our security as a nation is more dependent on the friends we make than on the armies we deploy.
Another concern that warrants your attention is what to do about illegal immigrants. There are legitimate concerns voiced by those who want to prevent criminals, drug pushers, and terrorists from sneaking into the United States, and who are calling for a "high wall" to keep them out of our country. But I believe that a high wall should have a wide gate. Ours should be a nation that more readily receives those who want to share in the American dream. When it takes up to two years for immigrants to secure the green card so essential for gaining legal employment, poor people, who lack the means to sustain themselves and their families that long, give up on waiting. It's no wonder that they come across our borders illegally. We should make it possible to secure green cards as soon as background checks have been made on those who want to be good neighbors and fellow workers.
As for the 12 million illegal immigrants who are already here, you should consider requiring them to immediately register. Because they are lawbreakers, they should be required to pay a significant fine. They should also pay back taxes with interest, if any are due on their past earnings (many people don't know that two-thirds of undocumented immigrants already pay their Medicare, Social Security, and personal income taxes). However, instead of paying all at once, arrangements should be made for them to have an additional 8 percent of their annual income deducted as they pay their federal income tax. For the majority of them, this would not prove to be an additional hardship since so many of them presently are working below the minimum wage: being legal would likely lead to a significant increase in their incomes because minimum wage standards would then apply to them.
As a Christian man yourself, surely you remember that Jesus taught us to treat aliens as sacred (Matthew 25:34-40) and that when celebrating the Passover as part of His Jewish heritage, He was regularly reminded to be kind to aliens. His people had once been aliens in a strange and distant land.
Finally, I want to remind you that our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters regularly suffer from the denial of basic rights that the rest of us enjoy. Do not be intimidated by the Religious Right, and do not go along with those in your own African American community who would deny gays and lesbians equality under the law that they have fought so hard to gain for themselves.
The expectations for your presidency are very high and it will be nearly impossible for you to meet all of them, but remember that Jesus taught, "with God all things are possible" (Mark 10:27). You can count on people of various faith commitments to pray for you as you press to live out your high calling (Philippians 3:13-14). Each day seek God's leading by reading scripture and yielding to God in prayer.
Anthony Campolo, Ph.D., professor emeritus at Eastern University, founded the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education. His most recent books are The God of Intimacy and Action and Red Letter Christians.
