While extending hospitality as an individual or even as a church can seem complex at times, the issues surrounding hospitality on a national level are all the more difficult and nuanced as we face questions of legality and ‘rights’. Often the debate surrounding immigration starts from a position of defence: how can I counter the argument put forth that ‘our’ society is threatened by an influx of people from another country? It can be helpful to know statistics and the latest research to assist in developing counter-arguments to challenge unhelpful stereotypes and myths, but is that really the best place to begin?
As a Christian, it seems as if there is another place we might begin the conversation on immigration and the complexity of issues surrounding it. What would happen if our starting point was the Bible? What might we find in the text that could help us explore this issue further?
These questions, among others, are explored in the publication “Immigration and the Bible” published by Mennonite Mission Network (USA). While it’s written from the perspective of a North American, the Biblical commentary and challenges are universal in scope and have something to offer us all, especially the reminders that all people are created in the image of God, migration is a part of the Biblical story, the Old Testament laws helped the vulnerable in concrete ways and that the epistles called the church to have an hospitable spirit towards the ‘outsider.’
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