Immigration + Theology
I've never posted an academic paper before, but I think this is worthy of LJ.
Matthew 25:31-40 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
After reviewing articles, attending a summit, and engaging in conversation with all kinds of people regarding the issue of immigration in the United States, I find myself always returning to this verse when I talk to people of faith. While In his public radio interview “The New Evangelical Leaders,” Jim Wallis says that the Bible presents a paradigm for understanding life that turns social power structures upside down: “the truth about a society is much better known from the bottom of that society then from the top.” He makes the case that we as Christians do not accurately represent the Bible when we ignore the downtrodden in our country and around the world. Christ's call in Matthew 25 to show compassion toward those who have little power and resources instructs us on how to respond to the Gospel. John Wesley emphasized that when we respond to God's saving grace we are responsible to our fellow humans. Just as God works in us to make us holy, we are to work toward social holiness; through us and through the Holy Spirit, God restores each person to the Imagio Dei and heals our human community of its brokenness. As one who follows in his theological footsteps, I believe immigration falls at the intersection of these calls from Wesley and from Christ.
In the time of Christ, helping those less fortunate was no less danger than it is today. Just as we middle-class Americans are afraid of being invaded or taken advantage of, Jesus' disciples feared being robbed or physically harmed by poor people and those from foreign lands. After all, their people had been invaded and subjugated several times, including the present moment! We fear immigrants, the poor, and the hungry, because when we are confronted by weakness our own sense of power is threatened. Some Christian groups believe that the proper response to God's merciful salvation is to tell others of this gift. Too often, these groups do not address the physical needs of those they evangelize, or treat them as second-class citizens of the world. I believe that Wesley's suggested response addresses both the spiritual and immediate physical needs of those we tell about Christ. For him, Jesus' directive to help all those who are disenfranchised― the poor, mentally ill, widows, homeless, strangers, and even the sinners― was about spreading the Gospel in tangible ways. Wesley's understanding of the Good News is not just “good news for my soul,” it is good news to a broken and hurting world.
Immigrants have an important role in the story of our faith: Abraham and Sarah, Israel in Egypt and Canaan, Ruth and Naomi, Esther, Daniel, the Holy Family, Paul, Timothy, and the apostles. Many immigrants carry on our faith whether or not we welcome them into our communities. Immigrants are the poor, the strangers, the sick, and those in prison. They are sick and injured because they do not have access to health care equal to those Americans who allow them to work long hours in dangerous jobs. They are in prison because America's fear of the stranger has prompted us to criminalize anyone we perceive to be different from us― we arrest, detain, and deport them. They are hungry because they send the money they earn back to their countries of origin to support their families. As disciples of Christ, we cannot claim the name of Jesus and merely sit on our couches in our warm homes. We cannot be content with feeling safe in our homes and churches when our sisters and brothers fear deportation and the rending apart of their families. If we truly believe the Good News of salvation, we have a responsibility to show hospitality to immigrants by providing for their needs as we can, and by advocating for them, since they cannot advocate for themselves.
Matthew 25:31-40 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.' Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?' And the king will answer them, 'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.'
After reviewing articles, attending a summit, and engaging in conversation with all kinds of people regarding the issue of immigration in the United States, I find myself always returning to this verse when I talk to people of faith. While In his public radio interview “The New Evangelical Leaders,” Jim Wallis says that the Bible presents a paradigm for understanding life that turns social power structures upside down: “the truth about a society is much better known from the bottom of that society then from the top.” He makes the case that we as Christians do not accurately represent the Bible when we ignore the downtrodden in our country and around the world. Christ's call in Matthew 25 to show compassion toward those who have little power and resources instructs us on how to respond to the Gospel. John Wesley emphasized that when we respond to God's saving grace we are responsible to our fellow humans. Just as God works in us to make us holy, we are to work toward social holiness; through us and through the Holy Spirit, God restores each person to the Imagio Dei and heals our human community of its brokenness. As one who follows in his theological footsteps, I believe immigration falls at the intersection of these calls from Wesley and from Christ.
In the time of Christ, helping those less fortunate was no less danger than it is today. Just as we middle-class Americans are afraid of being invaded or taken advantage of, Jesus' disciples feared being robbed or physically harmed by poor people and those from foreign lands. After all, their people had been invaded and subjugated several times, including the present moment! We fear immigrants, the poor, and the hungry, because when we are confronted by weakness our own sense of power is threatened. Some Christian groups believe that the proper response to God's merciful salvation is to tell others of this gift. Too often, these groups do not address the physical needs of those they evangelize, or treat them as second-class citizens of the world. I believe that Wesley's suggested response addresses both the spiritual and immediate physical needs of those we tell about Christ. For him, Jesus' directive to help all those who are disenfranchised― the poor, mentally ill, widows, homeless, strangers, and even the sinners― was about spreading the Gospel in tangible ways. Wesley's understanding of the Good News is not just “good news for my soul,” it is good news to a broken and hurting world.
Immigrants have an important role in the story of our faith: Abraham and Sarah, Israel in Egypt and Canaan, Ruth and Naomi, Esther, Daniel, the Holy Family, Paul, Timothy, and the apostles. Many immigrants carry on our faith whether or not we welcome them into our communities. Immigrants are the poor, the strangers, the sick, and those in prison. They are sick and injured because they do not have access to health care equal to those Americans who allow them to work long hours in dangerous jobs. They are in prison because America's fear of the stranger has prompted us to criminalize anyone we perceive to be different from us― we arrest, detain, and deport them. They are hungry because they send the money they earn back to their countries of origin to support their families. As disciples of Christ, we cannot claim the name of Jesus and merely sit on our couches in our warm homes. We cannot be content with feeling safe in our homes and churches when our sisters and brothers fear deportation and the rending apart of their families. If we truly believe the Good News of salvation, we have a responsibility to show hospitality to immigrants by providing for their needs as we can, and by advocating for them, since they cannot advocate for themselves.