One of the stock arguments used by those against comprehensive immigration reform is that undocumented immigrants are a burden on national resources. Undocumented immigrants take “American” jobs, leach off the social welfare system, and drain tax dollars, they say. In other words, undocumented immigrants lower the national standard of living. First of all, […]Continue Reading →
At the annual Christian Community Development Association conference in Minneapolis last week, Chris Rice told the story of a meeting he helped to facilitate between African American and Latino pastors. As they sought racial reconciliation, they kept hitting a stumbling block: the pastors represented groups who simply had different interests. Many of […]Continue Reading →
“Many church members are too afraid to come to church anymore.” I was attending a meeting of ministry leaders when the well-respected Hispanic pastor stood to share. He told us how the police had begun parking near their church building on Sunday mornings, watching as church members came to the service. “Some of our […]Continue Reading →
Last week, I had the privileged and honor of attending Immigrant Pathways Institute in Chicago. Basically, I spent about 9-10 hours a day learning, studying, and researching our current immigration laws. Additionally, I was able to engage in some challenging theological discussion with seminary students, Biblical theologians, professors, pastors, and lawyers. After only a week of […]Continue Reading →
Last week, Nigerian-American writer Teju Cole wrote a compelling, provocative article in The Atlantic critiquing what he calls the “white savior industrial complex.” Specifically mentioning the viral KONY 2012 video from Invisible Children, the New York Times’ Nicholas Kristof and the popular TED talks (each of which, I should note, I’ve […]Continue Reading →
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 […]Continue Reading →
One of the most important themes in the New Testament for me over the past few years has been the idea that our identity, if we profess to follow Christ, is that of “aliens and strangers in the world” (1 Peter 2:11). While much of my life and work has been focused on how […]Continue Reading →
“Three Florida fruit-pickers, held captive and brutalized [sic] by their employer for more than a year, finally broke free of their bonds by punching their way through the ventilator hatch of the van in which they were imprisoned. Once outside, they dashed for freedom” (The Independent, 2007).Continue Reading →
Dear Immigrant Community,
I’m sorry.
I know it’s not every day you hear those words from me.
But I wanted to start there.
I’m sorry.
I have forgotten so much. I’ve forgotten that Scripture is full of stories of immigrants.
I’ve forgotten the repeated commands to extend hospitality to the stranger, show mercy to the foreigner, and ensure justice for the alien.Continue Reading →
