A Biblical Response to Immigration

Guest Blog by Jenny Yang   Registration for the G92 Immigration Conference is now open!  “G92: Equipping the Next Generation for Effective Biblical Responses to Immigration” is an unprecedented 3 day forum that will be held on October 20-22, 2011 at Cedarville University in Cedarville, Ohio.  The nation’s most influential thinkers on immigration will gather together with students and others to equip, inspire, and challenge attendees to respond to the immigration issue in a Biblical manner.  If you are a student, parachurch leader, pastor or lay person who has an interest in serving and caring for the needs of both legal immigrants and the 12 million undocumented immigrants who live around us, you should be at this conference!   G⁹² is a reference to the 92 times that the Hebrew word ger occurs in scripture. This word is translated as stranger, sojourner, foreigner, or alien in most of our English translations of the Bible. It refers to people who have come from one land to reside in another.  Scripture says a lot about God’s love for them, and about how we as God’s people are to treat them.   “The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.” Psalm 146:9 “Do not oppress the widow, the fatherless, the sojourner, or the poor and let none devise evil against another in his heart.” Zech. 7:10 “‘I will come near you for judgment; I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against perjurers, against those who exploit wage earners and widows and orphans, and against those who turn away an alien—because they do not fear Me,’ Says the LORD of hosts. ” Malachi 3:5     The goal of this event is to promote a high level conversation about immigration in a way that honors the example of Jesus Christ and the written Word of God. Keeping Jesus and his Word at the center of this discussion is critical. The conference offers an opportunity to transcend partisan and media sound-bytes and to model an exceptionally high level of civility as attendees think carefully about an issue that is both complicated and important. In the end, the conference would like to equip a new generation of leaders to respond to this issue in a way that exalts Jesus Christ and draws people to Him.   The conference will approach the topic of immigration in a way that will bring a wide range of evangelical leaders together. The attendees will get exposed to the concerns of both conservative evangelicals, like Richard Land of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, and more progressive evangelicals like Jim Wallis, founder and President of Sojourners (both of whom will be keynote speakers). Other speakers include some of the church’s greatest voices on justice, including Shane Claiborne, author and founder of The Simple Way, and Lisa Sharon Harper, cofounder and executive director of NY Faith & Justice.   The sponsors of the conference include the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, the National Association of Evangelicals, Esperanza USA, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, World Relief, and many others.   Many times when we see a need or are challenged by injustice, we feel ill-equipped to help. College students especially are passionate and ready but often need the knowledge and resources to be effective advocates.   This conference can be a critical learning step for students and community leaders across the country to help move this nation forward in a positive discussion on immigration.  Those attending should expect to be challenged by thought-provoking debates, workshops, and keynote addresses that will discuss God’s Word, the life of Christ, and a Christian response to the immigration debate.   To register (and for more info), click here.   The G92 blog is here and Facebook page here.   We hope to see you there!

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Jenny Yang is the Director of Advocacy and Policy at World Relief, based in Baltimore, Maryland.  She will be one of the featured speakers at G92.  She is the co-author of Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate (InterVarsity Press, 2009).   Please note that the views expressed do not necessarily represent those of everyone associated with G92 or any institutions with which the blogger may be affiliated.    If you’re interested in writing a guest blog, contact blog@g92.org.