NEW YORK-I’ve seen my wife teach English as a second language in North Carolina and New York, and I know her classes offer three gifts: improved fluency in a difficult language; cross-cultural fellowship in the “melting pot” ideal of America, and giving America a friendly and welcoming face. It is mutual respect, not ethnic cleansing and midnight roundups, that will make us a strong nation.

(Tom Ehrich is a writer, church consultant and Episcopal priest based in New York. He is the author of “Just Wondering, Jesus,” and the founder of the Church Wellness Project, http://www.churchwellness.com. His Web site is http://www.morningwalkmedia.com.)