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Jim Pfaff’s Podcast: Are 10 million Christians being deported?

Published: April 11, 2025
Network: The Conservative Caucus
Analysis: Conservative Caucus President Jim Pfaff

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In a striking critique of mainstream religious media, Jim Pfaff questions whether Christianity Today has abandoned its biblical moorings after the publication released estimates claiming 10 million Christians would face deportation under Trump administration policies. The Conservative Caucus president dissects not only the questionable mathematics behind the Christianity Today deportation claims, but more fundamentally, what he describes as a complete disregard for the rule of law masquerading as Christian compassion. Drawing from his own experience working with Hispanic pastors during Colorado’s 2006 marriage amendment campaign, Pfaff argues that the publication’s stance represents a dangerous form of antinomianism—a rejection of law itself—that undermines both civil order and authentic Christian witness.

Topics Covered

• The Christianity Today Report: Questionable Numbers
• What the Numbers Reveal About the Biden Administration
• A Hispanic Pastor’s Perspective on Law and Grace
• The Antinomianism Problem in Modern Christianity
• Key Takeaways

The Christianity Today Report: Questionable Numbers

Christianity Today, once considered a flagship publication of evangelical thought, has waded into the immigration debate with a report claiming that approximately 10 million Christians could face deportation under current enforcement policies. Jim Pfaff opens his analysis by questioning the very premise of the Christianity Today deportation estimate, suggesting the figures are “way out of line” with realistic assessments. The claim itself appears designed to create an emotional response—pitting immigration enforcement against Christian identity. By framing potential deportees primarily through their religious affiliation rather than their legal status, the publication attempts to place critics of illegal immigration in the uncomfortable position of appearing anti-Christian.

“So I ask myself these days, is Christianity Today even Christian anymore?”
— Jim Pfaff, President, The Conservative Caucus

Pfaff’s opening question cuts to the heart of his concern: that a publication bearing the name “Christianity Today” has strayed from biblical principles in favor of political advocacy disguised as compassion.

What the Numbers Reveal About the Biden Administration

Rather than simply dismissing the 10 million figure, Pfaff turns the Christianity Today deportation claim into an indictment of the previous administration. If these numbers are accurate, he argues, they validate the highest estimates of illegal immigration that occurred during the Biden years—figures that the administration and its media allies consistently disputed or downplayed. The logical implication is clear: Christianity Today’s attempt to generate sympathy for those facing deportation inadvertently confirms the scale of the border crisis that conservatives have been highlighting for years. The publication has essentially provided ammunition for the very position it opposes.

A Hispanic Pastor’s Perspective on Law and Grace

The most powerful element of Pfaff’s commentary comes from his personal experience working on Colorado’s marriage amendment in 2006 while employed at Focus on the Family. During outreach to Hispanic pastors, one pastor—himself a native of Mexico—shared a perspective that directly contradicts the Christianity Today deportation article’s underlying assumptions. This pastor ministered to undocumented immigrants in his congregation, providing spiritual care and community support. However, when congregants would thank God for “blessing” them by enabling their illegal entry into the United States, the pastor offered a starkly different interpretation.

“Why are you saying God blessed you with this? You broke the law.”
— Hispanic Pastor, as recounted by Jim Pfaff

This pastor’s response reveals a theological sophistication often missing from mainstream religious media’s treatment of immigration. He distinguished between showing Christian compassion to people in difficult circumstances and spiritually validating lawbreaking. One can minister to someone without affirming their illegal actions as divinely ordained. The pastor’s immigrant background makes his perspective particularly significant. He wasn’t speaking from a position of cultural ignorance or lack of empathy—he understood the circumstances that drive immigration firsthand. Yet he refused to conflate mercy with the erasure of moral and legal categories.

The Antinomianism Problem in Modern Christianity

Pfaff identifies the core theological error in Christianity Today’s approach as antinomianism—literally “against law.” This ancient heresy, which the Apostle Paul confronted in his letters, suggests that grace eliminates the relevance of law and moral standards. In the context of the Christianity Today deportation article, antinomianism manifests as a complete dismissal of immigration law as a legitimate concern. The publication’s framing suggests that enforcing legal immigration standards is inherently un-Christian, regardless of how those laws were established or what purposes they serve. “There’s no respect for law with Christianity Today,” Pfaff declares. “And this particular article proves it.” This represents a fundamental confusion about the relationship between justice and mercy in Christian theology. Biblical Christianity has always maintained that civil government has a legitimate role in establishing and enforcing laws (Romans 13:1-7), while simultaneously calling individual Christians to show compassion and mercy. These principles exist in tension but not contradiction. Christianity Today’s approach collapses this distinction, suggesting that any enforcement of immigration law is incompatible with Christian compassion. This leaves no room for legitimate national sovereignty, border security, or the rule of law—all concepts with strong biblical precedent. The irony, as Pfaff notes, is that an organization calling itself “Christianity Today” has adopted a position that previous generations of Christians would have recognized as heretical. By framing lawlessness as compassion and enforcement as cruelty, the publication has inverted biblical categories in service of a political agenda.

Key Takeaways

1. Questionable Statistics – Christianity Today’s claim that 10 million Christians face deportation appears inflated and, if true, would actually confirm the severity of the border crisis under the Biden administration.
2. A Pastor’s Wisdom – A Hispanic pastor’s response to his undocumented congregants—”You broke the law”—demonstrates that Christian ministry and respect for legal order are not mutually exclusive.
3. Antinomianism Identified – The Christianity Today deportation article represents a form of antinomianism, rejecting the legitimacy of law itself rather than engaging with how justice and mercy can coexist.
4. False Compassion – Framing immigration enforcement as inherently anti-Christian creates a false dichotomy that undermines both civil order and authentic biblical teaching about government authority.
5. Institutional Drift – Christianity Today’s stance on this issue raises broader questions about whether mainstream religious publications have abandoned biblical orthodoxy in favor of political progressivism.

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About The Conservative Caucus:
The Conservative Caucus is a grassroots public policy action organization, formed in 1974. Headed by President Jim Pfaff, the Caucus is committed to advancing free enterprise, limited government, and traditional values.

Originally broadcast April 11, 2025 on The Conservative Caucus.