WASHINGTON—Earlier this month, two radicalized Muslims killed 14 and wounded 22 in a shooting attack in San Bernardino, Calif. Three days later, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump called for an indefinite ban on all Muslim immigration to the United States, “until our country’s representatives can figure out what is going on.”

Trump’s proposal drew sharp criticism from around the world, but polling conducted after the San Bernardino attack showed a significant minority of American voters—between 36 percent and 46 percent—may actually share Trump’s views. Although most of the other Republican candidates for president denounced Trump’s plan, during Tuesday night’s debate, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas called for a three-year moratorium on Muslim immigration from countries where ISIS controls territory.

We asked the 84 participants in this month’s WORLD evangelical insiders survey what they thought about a ban (for any length of time) on Muslim immigration. More than 77 percent opposed the idea, but several participants expressed nuanced perspectives on the issue, saying it’s not a simple yes or no question. (Note: The results in WORLD’s survey are not scientific, nor are they representative of all evangelicals.)

While some survey participants, such as Russell Moore of the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, have written and spoken publicly on this issue, many others have not. Below is a sampling of what they had to say.

Kassie Dulin, communications director, Liberty Institute

“One of the clearest responsibilities of the government is to provide strong national defense. However, we can keep our nation safe without issuing a blanket ban against people of a particular faith. Entry to the country could be limited by age, gender, nation of origin, or ideology. Then denial of entry is based on more than just religion.

“But we cannot allow fear of the unknown to drive us into forfeiting our religious freedom. It is unwise to support a policy that allows the government to restrict people based solely on their faith, because if the government can ban Muslims from entering the country, what is to stop them from closing the border to Christians? If they can shut down a mosque, why not a church?

“As Christians, we must stand up for religious rights of people of all faiths. Because if the government can take away our religious freedom, what is to stop it from taking away all of our freedoms?”

Richard Land, president, Southern Evangelical Seminary

“In order for the government to fulfill its role of protecting the innocent from harm (Romans 13), I support a temporary pause in all immigration of all Muslims until the government can figure out a reliable way to ascertain with a high degree of certainty that the people attempting to enter the United States are not likely to become radical Islamic terrorists and do lethal harm to our fellow citizens.”

Elijah Brown, executive vice president, 21st Century Wilberforce Initiative

“While not denying legitimate and reasonable security protocols, refugee resettlement to the United States is already one of the most stringent processes in the world and takes on average around two years. The majority of the world’s 1.5 billion Muslims are not of Arabic descent nor are they from the Middle East. Each is made in the image of God and the vast majority are peaceful citizens disassociated from the Islamic State, al-Qaeda, and other forms of violent extremism. These Muslims are essential if multi-national coalitions are going to be built and if their hearts and minds are going to be engaged. Some of the proposals put forward by American politicians are not only unenforceable, the heated rhetoric is inciting fear and damaging the United States’ long-term strategic interests.

“While in Lebanon last week with Syrian refugees, I asked a young female Muslim student what she best liked about attending one of the educational centers, and she responded without hesitation, ‘Religion and Bible class.’ When pressed why this was the case, this young 11-year-old continued that she had learned from the Bible that she was ‘to love everybody and not to discriminate just because a person is darker or lighter. But to love everybody because everybody is created equally.’”

Wayne Grudem, professor of theology and biblical studies, Phoenix Seminary

“I don’t have a clearly defined response on the specific question of Muslim immigration, but I was appalled by Trump’s reckless claim in Tuesday’s debate that he would kill the families of terrorists who attack the United States, which would mean the intentional assassination of innocent civilians in other countries. This is a level of brutality and unjust warfare that the United States has never stooped to.

“What ever happened to the principle of justice found in Deuteronomy 24: ‘Fathers shall not be put to death because of their children, nor shall children be put to death because of their fathers’ (Deuteronomy 24:16, ESV)?”

Sam Rohrer, president, American Pastors Network

“How should Christian leaders and churches approach this matter of 10,000 Syrian refugees? We must differentiate the primary jurisdictions of the individual, the Church, and civil government. While the individual is to ‘turn the other cheek,’ ‘go the extra mile,’ and show compassion, the Church is to care for the poor, the orphan, and the widow, and all are to show deference to the ‘alien and stranger.’ The obligation of civil government, on the other hand, is to ‘carry the sword of justice,’ to uphold the law, and to protect the citizen (Romans 13:1-6).

“These are not competing duties but complementary obligations. Nowhere in Scripture does God ever command to ‘bring in any and all foreigners.’ Nowhere did God command Israel to open its arms to its enemies—an ‘embedded jihadist’—or the worshippers of Baal or Ashtoreth, in fact to the contrary.

“God’s problem with Israel and the immigrant was when a ‘stranger’ who feared God wished to come and be identified with the One True God, and the people refused them or led them into idolatry (2 Chronicles 6: 32-33). In fact, God judged Israel for that sin, and I believe that He is judging America for the ‘abuse of the immigrant.’”