Evangelicals acting as Good Samaritans to refugees are asked: Are you helping to care or to convert?

Evangelicals who act as the Good Samaritans to their refugee brethren are questioned whether they're helping out of care or just motivated to convert.

Sociologist Peggy Levitt believes evangelical groups who involve themselves in outreach missions are being wise. She cites several motivations for doing so which include doing the right thing, conversion, and survival.

"If religious institutions want to remain vital, the people inside their doors need to look more like the people outside them," Levitt told Religion News Service.

Rob Boston, spokesman for Americans United for Separation of Church and State, warns that some of these religious groups are only taking advantage of the "vulnerable population" and calls out to the federal government's responsibility to protect them.

"It can best do that by limiting grants to groups that want to help, not preach," said Boston.

Religious groups that receive government funding are not allowed to use the fund for preaching and conversion. However, some of these groups' leaders say talking to others about their faith is something even government grants can't forbid them from doing.

"If a person says, 'Why are you here and care?' our staff can say, 'We're here because we are Christians. This is what we believe. We're called to love our neighbors as ourselves.' We can do that," said president of World Vision U.S., Rich Stearns.

J.D. Greear, pastor of The Summit Church in Durham, N.C., claims they would still grab the opportunity to help even when they see no chance of sharing the gospel. He said that's exactly the case when he accommodated a non-English speaking Buddhist couple at his home for a couple of weeks.

On the other hand, president of Friends of Refugees Providing Education and Empowerment (F.R.E.E), Kelli Czaykowsky, believes that "doors will open automatically" as long as the motive is right.

"I think when you really are doing it for the right reason, out of love, people see that and they're drawn to you," shared Czaykowsky.

On June 15, the messengers of the Southern Baptist Congregation voted during their annual meeting to accept Muslim refugees amid the rise of Islamophobia. The congregation's resolution upheld that refugees are just as deserving of God's love and mercy. They also acknowledged their long history of ministering to the refugees from 1975 to 1985 that led to 281 ethnic churches.