(CNN) -- If you think all conservatives support a deportation-only approach to immigration, think again. Last week, hundreds of conservative evangelicals gathered in Alabama to engage in a reasonable, respectful discourse on immigration. You read that right. Less than a year after Alabama enacted the strictest immigration law in the land, evangelical students, pastors and national faith leaders gathered at Samford University in Birmingham for "a Christ-centered conversation on immigration" called the G92 South Immigration Conference. Following the example of Cedarville University's inaugural G92 gathering last fall in Ohio, evangelical Christians gathered in Birmingham to discuss immigration through the prism of the Bible. Instead of listening to partisan sound bites, participants looked to the word of God -- specifically the 92 references to "ger," the word for "stranger," in the Old Testament alone.Evangelical students, pastors, faith leaders gathered for conference on immigrationAli Noorani says discourse was reasonable and respectfulLeaders saw responsibility to feed the hungry without regard to immigration status, he saysNoorani: Americans want reasonable, humane solutions to immigration problems
And, if done correctly, it can be a land of opportunity for all of _'s children." The conference in _ was a quest for spiritual guidance to forge a path forward on immigration reform. They're missing an opportunity, as the events in _ and Alabama make clear.