September 17, 2024 • 27 mins
How does immigration intersect with divine hospitality?" This episode of Words for Change podcast invites you to explore immigration through a biblical lens. We kick off with an empowering quote from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., setting the tone for our discussion on closed borders versus divine hospitality. We address the sobering headlines: an assassination attempt on former President Trump, the arrest of Sean Diddy Combs on sex trafficking charges, and the tragic implosion of the Titan submersible. These events frame our deeper dive into Acts chapter 2, showing how scripture calls Christians to welcome strangers, even in the face of modern complexities like building walls.
Our conversation then shifts to the daunting challenges migrants endure, such as life-threatening journeys, unstable incomes, and lack of healthcare. We dismantle the myth of migrants as criminals, presenting migration as a quest for better lives and basic human rights. Drawing from biblical narratives like the Exodus and teachings from Acts and Leviticus, we illustrate that Christian hospitality means sharing resources and embracing those who cross borders.
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:02):
We're here on this wonderful Taco Tuesday day.
We're now in the month ofSeptember, my birthday month,
and boy do we have a lot toshare with you today.
It's going to be a wonderfulday.
(00:22):
I'm hopefully here on thisSeptember 17th yeah, it's
September 17th.
What a beautiful day we have instore and a wonderful episode
we're going to share with you bystarting out with our quote for
today.
Now, our quote for today it'scoming from Dr Martin Luther
King Jr, and he says thisinjustice anywhere is a threat
(00:47):
to justice everywhere.
Injustice anywhere is a threatto justice everywhere.
So that is going to help usspringboard into our
conversation around the topic ofclosed borders, closed walls
(01:09):
Versus divine hospitality.
Good morning Vietnam.
Well, we have a lot going on inthe news.
This is not good news.
It's kind of sad news, itreally is.
This is not good news.
It's kind of sad news, itreally is.
(01:31):
President Trump was had anapparent assassination attempt
for a second time Lawenforcement officials and
civilians who spotted thesuspect Down toward the bushes
(01:53):
where the the individual whoperpetrated the assassination
attempt was seen hiding out, andwe're happy that this
individual was caught and thatthere was no loss of life.
Trump blames Biden and theHarris administration for the
apparent assassination attempt.
Jd Vance says Democrats need totone down the rhetoric after
Trump's second assassinationattempt.
(02:15):
So lucky Luckily, the formerpresident was not hurt.
It was not harmed in thisassassination attempt, so please
keep him in your prayers, jesussaid.
You know violence accomplishesnothing.
When they came in the gospelsto capture Jesus by night, peter
(02:39):
pulled out his sword.
Jesus told Peter to put awayyour sword.
Why?
Because my kingdom does notcome through violence, and
violence doesn't solve anything.
It just creates a vicious cycle.
So let's continue to pray forthe president's former
president's safety and all whoare involved in running for
(03:02):
office, that this will bewhoever wins a peaceful transfer
of power and that we don't uhlean toward violence that costs
their life.
Sean diddy combs was arrested innew york city uh last evening
and his uh attorneys tell cnnthat combs, who had been in New
(03:24):
York City since last week, wasarrested Monday in the Park
Hyatt Hotel at 57th Street inManhattan.
He was taken into custody byHomeland Security investigators
around 8.15 pm.
Made with the with thenegotiation taste with the
(03:47):
negotiations, excuse me, tellsnews officials.
The charges are unclear.
What has happened at this time?
At this time, colin's attorney,mark uh officio, I think, is
his name, I think I got thatcorrect says that we are
disappointed with the decisionto pursue what we believe is an
unjust persecution.
This is what his attorney says.
(04:09):
Combs attorney said that themusician has been cooperating
with investigation and relocatedto you not to new york city
last week to anticipate or inanticipation of being charged,
and so he and his team was sortof preparing for this.
If you don't know, sean a musicSean Diddy Combs, music icon,
(04:32):
self-made entrepreneur, a familyman, a philanthropist and spent
over 30 years building anempire in the music industry was
arrested on sex trafficking, atleast allegedly sex trafficking
activity, and so HomelandSecurity is probing and still in
(04:56):
the investigation stage of thissituation, which includes
dramatic searches of his LosAngeles, in Miami home, and so
hopefully and prayerfully thatthese allegations are not true,
but at least for the apparent,immediate, what we see now is
(05:20):
that they feel there is perhapssome some legitimacy to what is
going on with the music mogulSean Diddy Combs, and so those
who were his victims our prayersgo out to them and their
families as well, as we don'twant anyone to get hurt in these
(05:45):
situations.
Also, the first images of thefatal Titanic I'm sorry Titan
submersion wreckage revealed ina hearing, a tragic hearing here
recently.
The first images of the Titansubmersible sitting on the
bottom of the ocean followingits catastrophic implosion last
(06:08):
year was shared by the us coastguard on monday as investigators
opened hearing into the tragedy.
All five people on board of thevessel were killed, were killed
(06:30):
last june, and it is uh in itsfinal, uh ill-fated dive into
the titanic ship, uh titanshipwreck after a desperate
search mission that uh grippedthe world.
So in photos monday, thesubmersibles broken tail cone is
seen on in a hazy blue four orthe of the atlantic, north
atlantic ocean.
The tail of the cone wassevered from the rest of the
(06:53):
vessel man can you imagine that?
And its uh edges was rippedapart.
The wreckage was found severalhundred yards from the location
of of the titan after days ofsearching, according to
investigators.
So, um, man, we definitely willbe praying for for that
(07:15):
situation.
We know family members died andpeople lost their lives here,
and they claimed the lives ofStockton Rush, the founder and
CEO of the Vessels.
Operator businessman and his19-year-old son, darwood.
Darwood were part of theadventurers on this submersible
(07:40):
experience that fatally ended intheir death.
So our prayers go out to themand their family as well.
(08:00):
Our scripture for today iscoming from Acts, chapter 2, and
it says this about welcomingstrangers, elamites, residents
(08:22):
of Mesopotamia, judea,cappadocia, pointus, asia,
pamphylia, egypt and thedistricts of Libya and Cyrene,
visitors from Rome, both Jewsand proselytes.
So now the question you have ishow does this have to do with
(08:51):
anything we're talking abouttoday, starting off with that
quote that injustice anywhere isa threat to justice everywhere.
And now, as we look at thisscripture verse, how does this
speak to the issue ofimmigration in the Bible?
Now there's something that weneed to talk about.
So buckle your seatbelts.
It's going to be a bumpy, yetfruitful ride.
We're going to build the wall.
We have no choice.
(09:11):
We have no choice Build thatwall, build that wall, build
that wall, build that wall,build that wall, build that wall
(09:35):
, build that wall, build thatwall, build that wall.
So I want to deal with thisissue of immigration in the
Bible not so much from asociopolitical perspective, but
(10:01):
from the perspective of ahistorical concept or
conversation around the topic ofimmigration in the Bible.
I want to give you aperspective as a dedicated
listener, an honest perspective,because I believe you deserve
(10:21):
an honest perspective from me,and the truth of the matter is,
I hope that this issue reallybrings to light some of the
deeper questions that we havearound the topic of the Bible
and immigration.
And the only way to really getat this issue is to really dive
(10:46):
deep into what's reallyhappening, instead of just
listening to the clips that youjust heard from at a rally, from
our former president, thatwe've heard since many, many
years back now, this wholeconcept of building a wall, and
although I am a believer in theAmerican way of life, as a
(11:09):
Christian I have a differentperspective, that my allegiance
should not be to a politicalparty, not necessarily, but more
so to the kingdom of God andwhat that really looks like
ethically when it's lived out inour world.
So my interest lay inunderstanding, you know, a given
(11:30):
, an engaging and thoughtfulpraxis to this topic.
So the question I want to getat is how should we respond to
the claims of immigrants wantingto migrate and what kind of
community and what kind ofChristian do we want to be?
What kind of Christian do youwant to be, right?
(11:55):
So, as we discuss this issue, Iwant to address the factors of
migration and how these, what welike to call a push and pull
theory of migration, reallycontributes to what causes a
person to desire to migrate fromone country to the next and
(12:17):
what are some of the humanfactors naming the human reasons
why people migrate in the firstplace.
And so we also need tounderstand that there is a
compelling New and Old Testamentargument that gives the notions
that all throughout the Bible,both Old and New Testament, hear
(12:38):
me clearly.
There are people, human,migrating from place to place on
a regular basis, and I want toframe what we're talking about
in the biblical text, so it'snot to get off on my own theory,
but what does the Bible say andwhat can we learn from the
(13:00):
stories we read about migration?
So there are many reasons whywe like to call there different
factors of why people go fromone country to the next, factors
that contribute to why peoplemove as people is, you know,
(13:24):
even from the early Puritans inthe 1800s migrating West right
to avoid religious persecution,and the Scandinavian immigrants
in the 1800s were religiousdescendants who actually became
the first Mormon settlers in1846.
Right, some of the other pushfactors that contribute to this
(13:48):
is remember that early Americansettlers migrated to the West.
Many were English PuritansRight, Leaving persecution Right
.
The same is true when we lookat germany right.
Germany lutherans were giventhe right to migrate to satisfy
(14:09):
uh to, because they were notsatisfied with the religious
confession of the state andresiding under a ruler
professing the same religionthemselves.
Not to mention during the greatmigration that took place in
Norway in 1825 by Quakerdissenters.
(14:31):
Other Jews around the world havebeen subject to political
persecution by governingauthorities.
For instance we are allfamiliar with, jews in Nazi
Germany were relegated to besecond-class citizens under what
Hitler's National SocialistParty and their well-crafted
plan right was being initiatedagainst those individuals by the
(14:55):
Germans' political party.
National Socialist Party.
Germans created, or Germanysocialist party.
Germany Germans created, orGermany under Hitler's Germany
created hostility by which Jewswanted to escape Right In the
19th century.
In Poland, in 1881 and 1914,over one, over half a million
(15:18):
Jews left Russia for the UnitedStates.
Again, during 1968 and 1992,hundreds of thousands of Soviet
Jews migrated to the UnitedStates and Israel due to the
aggression and that ofanti-Semitism.
So some other factors areeconomic factors, some other
(15:38):
factors are economic factors.
This is important for us toconsider the economic stability,
right In labor markets, supplyand demand explains why many
people migrate.
People migrate because of thedemand for labor units right,
units, right.
Migrant families often see seeit as an investment in their
(16:03):
future to migrate when they haveno other options or when their
options are limited.
Social scientists contend thatmigration often represents an
(16:27):
investment in individualstrategies by people looking to
secure a more stable futureright.
So think about some of the risksthat people take when they
migrate.
Risk factors include death,crossing borders, right, not
knowing what kind of wages theywill receive, health benefits,
economic stability they believehappily will increase if they
can cross borders.
(16:48):
But there are a lot of riskspsychological risks,
physiological risks.
These are things that familiesgo through when they decide to
migrate To migrate Right.
So in these cases, when youhave a In the United States, a
direct result of the demand forlabor Like being really honest
here, let's have an honestconversation.
(17:09):
When there's a direct resultthat demands For labor, guess
what happens?
People migrate Right.
And so we got to be reallycareful about how we blame
people for deciding to have abetter wages and better way of
life and I'm talking about thisfrom a Christian perspective
(17:32):
Right, some of the pullingfactors of migration.
People run the risk of of, youknow, being treated unfairly,
right?
Not having a proper licensingagreement.
As a result, people who migratewill help, you know, create
(17:55):
more complicated issues forthemselves, but they take the
risk anyway, right?
So these are the kind ofeconomic factors that lead to
people wanting to migrate.
Now, that's not an exhaustivelist, but we still have to look
(18:16):
at the reasons why people willdecide to migrate in the first
place.
Now, if I was to take thisbiblical, because I think this
is where this is the body ofwhat I really want to share when
I want us to think about that,there are many factors that
contribute to people wanting toleave from one station to the
(18:40):
next, right, contribute topeople wanting to leave from one
station to the next right, andI've given you a few examples
that are evident from history,right, why people migrated from
one area to the next.
And so we hear people talkabout building walls, and
although I understand thesentiment, but what we got to
understand is that people whomigrate, they're not all
(19:04):
criminals and these is just nottrue but people.
Many of them desire to live asustained and a flourishing life
and to have their basic humanrights.
Now, both in the old and in theNew Testament, provide stories
about faith communities usingresources Watch this to welcome
(19:28):
strangers.
You will remember, right In theBible and in our history.
In the Bible and in our history, an example.
For instance, john Woolman, aQuaker, abolitionist in 1700,
became the voice that brought tothe surface the contradiction
(19:51):
between colonial slavery andChristianity.
And what is more profound isthat he believed that the gospel
is to be read and experiencedand, as a result, woolman became
the maker of American theology,a theology and a hermeneutic
(20:12):
presentation with theimagination that demands an
ethical response to the socialissues that we face, ie American
slavery.
But when we look at thebiblical text right, there are
many examples of peoplemigrating Right.
(20:34):
So did you know that there aremany examples of people
migrating in the scripture?
Reading the biblical text withthis kind of ethical imagination
, we can look at a few examples.
God is giving us these examplesthat I want to share with you.
(20:55):
In Exodus right, the Exodusnarrative, he tells Moses and
the Israelites watch thiswandering in the wilderness is
integral to providing what Iconsider an ethical response to
this question of migration.
If we, as a reader, look behindthe text with imagination.
(21:18):
What do we see In the Exodusnarrative?
There are reasons why peoplemigrated.
The children of God wandered inthe wilderness after leaving
Exodus.
It gives a vivid impression ofa community seeking a place to
(21:41):
be free from oppression andsuffering slavery and
victimization.
Psalm 47, the Israelitesexperienced political oppression
.
Right, they were set, and thisis in the scripture.
Right the Israelites had.
(22:03):
Their male children weretargeted, newborn babies were
targeted, thrown into the NileExodus 1.22, and their workload
became intolerable.
When the men could not keep upwith the supply, they were
beaten, as the narrativedescribes in Exodus 1.22, as
(22:23):
well as in Exodus 5.14.
So, consequently, what happened?
The Israelites migrated.
They resettled and moved.
And so, when we think about thisissue of migration from a
biblical perspective, there arepeople moving across borders and
boundaries all throughout theBible.
(22:43):
Right, right.
And even what did God tell theIsraelites?
That, as they move back andforth, that God would do what?
Give them a promised land oneday.
Right, christian scripturesdemand, the Bible demands that
we welcome strangers.
So not only do God's peoplemigrate, the scripture says this
(23:07):
.
In Acts 2, the scripture, ourmain scripture we started with,
gives a narrative of believersgathering in house churches from
all over the country and joinfellowship and sharing meals and
helping each other financially.
Country enjoying fellowship andsharing meals and helping each
other financially demonstratedhow sharing resources for those
who are migrating as a vitalpart of communal creation and
(23:31):
that of hospitality in theancient world right.
Acts 2 says this what, how isit that we hear each other in
our own language?
Medes, parisians, elamite,mesopotamia, judea, cappadocia,
pontus, asia, pamphylia andEgypt, libya and Cyrene, and
from Rome, jews and proselytes?
(23:51):
This is in Acts 2, 8 through 10.
What are we saying?
There are people coming fromall across borders, migrating
right borders, migrating right.
And what a Christian responds todo is not say build a wall, but
(24:17):
God commands that we showbiblical hospitality, and
biblical hospitality basicallysays that we welcome strangers.
Right.
Not only did God's children whomigrated from Egypt.
God said when strangers comeinto your land this is in
Leviticus you are to welcome thestranger people who are
crossing borders in the ancientworld.
So house fatality in theancient world welcomes outsiders
(24:42):
and religious pilgrimage shareresources, as we see in Acts,
sharing the common good.
So if we look at it from this,if we look at the issue of
migration or immigration fromthis perspective, we are hard
pressed to see a biblical viewpoint that says, build a wall
(25:03):
and don't allow people come in,but rather we see the scripture
encouraging us to do whatWelcome the stranger and open
our borders.
Okay, I'm not telling you thisis what I'm saying.
I'm telling you.
This is what the biblical textis saying.
So, in today's terms, if we viewhospitality this way, an
(25:25):
argument can be made for morejust and biblically just
immigrant policy that supportsmigration and gives biblical
examples that provide theframework for that.
And I would even go as far asto say that the onus is upon the
Christian, is upon the believer, to talk about this kind of
(25:47):
framework and to provide it as away for us to not look at only
a political way, but what is thebiblical way?
What is the scriptureencouraging us to do?
Are we taking our cues fromscripture or are we taking our
cues from political party?
(26:07):
So I can talk a lot more aboutit, but I want us to think about
this as persons of faith.
It's important for us to to lookat the scripture before we
gather an ethical stance.
Right that we have a obligationto let our faith weigh in on
(26:30):
these kinds of issues from abiblical perspective.
Right, if we use biblicalimagination and we are honest
enough to see how the scriptureshows people migrating, to see
how the scripture shows peoplemigrating seeking a better life,
moving because they want tosecure a future of freedom for
(26:50):
themselves and their loved ones,right, the Bible shows that,
that it is the same thinghappening in many of the cases
in immigration today.
So it would be hard pressed tosay just build walls.
And I would even go as far asto say, as I've demonstrated,
that there's biblical evidencethat suggests in the Christian
scriptures that demandcommunities of faith, welcome
(27:13):
strangers and open up theirresources for them, that we
understand that there are pushand pull factors that people are
seeking to get away frompersecution or get away from not
being able to take care ofthemselves.
I remember years ago, when I wasin seminary, there was a church
(27:34):
that had a ministry and theirmain goal was, as people came
across the border and this is inTexas as people came across the
border, the churches were there, right, helping to assist
people by providing them foodand clothing and even helping
them to try to apply forcitizenship.
(27:55):
See, that's a differentperspective and that was their
ministry, because theyunderstood that they not only
had a political.
They may have their politicalallegiances, I'm sure, but they
also had a biblical mandate aswell.
So, when we read the biblicalscripture with this kind of
imagination and we understandthat even Jesus himself watch
(28:18):
this and father crossed theborder to Egypt to avoid
persecution from Herod whowanted to, who was seeking to
get rid of the promised king ofIsrael, and so if you take this
(28:39):
information and you understandit from this biblical
perspective, maybe this willgive you another way to think
about the issue of immigration.
We're not just talking aboutbuilding walls, but we're
(29:00):
talking about what our biblicalstance is on these very, very
social issues.
Ok, and so I want to thank youguys for listening and hopefully
you got something out of this.
My prayer is that you wouldplease subscribe, share this
with someone who could benefitfrom this.
If you know a church or pastorwho is caught up on their
(29:22):
political stance only, withoutlooking at the biblical examples
of people migrating, this maybe beneficial to them.
So share with them, subscribe.
Please write us a review If youhave questions or comments.
There's a little link at thetop of this description in the
bio that says hey, fan mail andyou can send an email that goes
(29:45):
directly to me and I willrespond to that email.
Ok, you can also check us outon YouTube Words for Change
podcast, if you want to see someof these recordings live, even
some interviews that we're goingto have coming up here in a
very, very, very, very nearfuture, and so I really, really
appreciate your continuedsupport and thank you guys for
(30:08):
listening.
Let this be beneficial to youand I pray God's blessings be
with you and we'll see you soon,in a couple of weeks, on
Tuesday.
Have a great day.
We're here on this wonderful Taco Tuesday day.
We're now in the month ofSeptember, my birthday month,
and boy do we have a lot toshare with you today.
It's going to be a wonderfulday.
(00:22):
I'm hopefully here on thisSeptember 17th yeah, it's
September 17th.
What a beautiful day we have instore and a wonderful episode
we're going to share with you bystarting out with our quote for
today.
Now, our quote for today it'scoming from Dr Martin Luther
King Jr, and he says thisinjustice anywhere is a threat
(00:47):
to justice everywhere.
Injustice anywhere is a threatto justice everywhere.
So that is going to help usspringboard into our
conversation around the topic ofclosed borders, closed walls
(01:09):
Versus divine hospitality.
Good morning Vietnam.
Well, we have a lot going on inthe news.
This is not good news.
It's kind of sad news, itreally is.
This is not good news.
It's kind of sad news, itreally is.
(01:31):
President Trump was had anapparent assassination attempt
for a second time Lawenforcement officials and
civilians who spotted thesuspect Down toward the bushes
(01:53):
where the the individual whoperpetrated the assassination
attempt was seen hiding out, andwe're happy that this
individual was caught and thatthere was no loss of life.
Trump blames Biden and theHarris administration for the
apparent assassination attempt.
Jd Vance says Democrats need totone down the rhetoric after
Trump's second assassinationattempt.
(02:15):
So lucky Luckily, the formerpresident was not hurt.
It was not harmed in thisassassination attempt, so please
keep him in your prayers, jesussaid.
You know violence accomplishesnothing.
When they came in the gospelsto capture Jesus by night, peter
(02:39):
pulled out his sword.
Jesus told Peter to put awayyour sword.
Why?
Because my kingdom does notcome through violence, and
violence doesn't solve anything.
It just creates a vicious cycle.
So let's continue to pray forthe president's former
president's safety and all whoare involved in running for
(03:02):
office, that this will bewhoever wins a peaceful transfer
of power and that we don't uhlean toward violence that costs
their life.
Sean diddy combs was arrested innew york city uh last evening
and his uh attorneys tell cnnthat combs, who had been in New
(03:24):
York City since last week, wasarrested Monday in the Park
Hyatt Hotel at 57th Street inManhattan.
He was taken into custody byHomeland Security investigators
around 8.15 pm.
Made with the with thenegotiation taste with the
(03:47):
negotiations, excuse me, tellsnews officials.
The charges are unclear.
What has happened at this time?
At this time, colin's attorney,mark uh officio, I think, is
his name, I think I got thatcorrect says that we are
disappointed with the decisionto pursue what we believe is an
unjust persecution.
This is what his attorney says.
(04:09):
Combs attorney said that themusician has been cooperating
with investigation and relocatedto you not to new york city
last week to anticipate or inanticipation of being charged,
and so he and his team was sortof preparing for this.
If you don't know, sean a musicSean Diddy Combs, music icon,
(04:32):
self-made entrepreneur, a familyman, a philanthropist and spent
over 30 years building anempire in the music industry was
arrested on sex trafficking, atleast allegedly sex trafficking
activity, and so HomelandSecurity is probing and still in
(04:56):
the investigation stage of thissituation, which includes
dramatic searches of his LosAngeles, in Miami home, and so
hopefully and prayerfully thatthese allegations are not true,
but at least for the apparent,immediate, what we see now is
(05:20):
that they feel there is perhapssome some legitimacy to what is
going on with the music mogulSean Diddy Combs, and so those
who were his victims our prayersgo out to them and their
families as well, as we don'twant anyone to get hurt in these
(05:45):
situations.
Also, the first images of thefatal Titanic I'm sorry Titan
submersion wreckage revealed ina hearing, a tragic hearing here
recently.
The first images of the Titansubmersible sitting on the
bottom of the ocean followingits catastrophic implosion last
(06:08):
year was shared by the us coastguard on monday as investigators
opened hearing into the tragedy.
All five people on board of thevessel were killed, were killed
(06:30):
last june, and it is uh in itsfinal, uh ill-fated dive into
the titanic ship, uh titanshipwreck after a desperate
search mission that uh grippedthe world.
So in photos monday, thesubmersibles broken tail cone is
seen on in a hazy blue four orthe of the atlantic, north
atlantic ocean.
The tail of the cone wassevered from the rest of the
(06:53):
vessel man can you imagine that?
And its uh edges was rippedapart.
The wreckage was found severalhundred yards from the location
of of the titan after days ofsearching, according to
investigators.
So, um, man, we definitely willbe praying for for that
(07:15):
situation.
We know family members died andpeople lost their lives here,
and they claimed the lives ofStockton Rush, the founder and
CEO of the Vessels.
Operator businessman and his19-year-old son, darwood.
Darwood were part of theadventurers on this submersible
(07:40):
experience that fatally ended intheir death.
So our prayers go out to themand their family as well.
(08:00):
Our scripture for today iscoming from Acts, chapter 2, and
it says this about welcomingstrangers, elamites, residents
(08:22):
of Mesopotamia, judea,cappadocia, pointus, asia,
pamphylia, egypt and thedistricts of Libya and Cyrene,
visitors from Rome, both Jewsand proselytes.
So now the question you have ishow does this have to do with
(08:51):
anything we're talking abouttoday, starting off with that
quote that injustice anywhere isa threat to justice everywhere.
And now, as we look at thisscripture verse, how does this
speak to the issue ofimmigration in the Bible?
Now there's something that weneed to talk about.
So buckle your seatbelts.
It's going to be a bumpy, yetfruitful ride.
We're going to build the wall.
We have no choice.
(09:11):
We have no choice Build thatwall, build that wall, build
that wall, build that wall,build that wall, build that wall
(09:35):
, build that wall, build thatwall, build that wall.
So I want to deal with thisissue of immigration in the
Bible not so much from asociopolitical perspective, but
(10:01):
from the perspective of ahistorical concept or
conversation around the topic ofimmigration in the Bible.
I want to give you aperspective as a dedicated
listener, an honest perspective,because I believe you deserve
(10:21):
an honest perspective from me,and the truth of the matter is,
I hope that this issue reallybrings to light some of the
deeper questions that we havearound the topic of the Bible
and immigration.
And the only way to really getat this issue is to really dive
(10:46):
deep into what's reallyhappening, instead of just
listening to the clips that youjust heard from at a rally, from
our former president, thatwe've heard since many, many
years back now, this wholeconcept of building a wall, and
although I am a believer in theAmerican way of life, as a
(11:09):
Christian I have a differentperspective, that my allegiance
should not be to a politicalparty, not necessarily, but more
so to the kingdom of God andwhat that really looks like
ethically when it's lived out inour world.
So my interest lay inunderstanding, you know, a given
(11:30):
, an engaging and thoughtfulpraxis to this topic.
So the question I want to getat is how should we respond to
the claims of immigrants wantingto migrate and what kind of
community and what kind ofChristian do we want to be?
What kind of Christian do youwant to be, right?
(11:55):
So, as we discuss this issue, Iwant to address the factors of
migration and how these, what welike to call a push and pull
theory of migration, reallycontributes to what causes a
person to desire to migrate fromone country to the next and
(12:17):
what are some of the humanfactors naming the human reasons
why people migrate in the firstplace.
And so we also need tounderstand that there is a
compelling New and Old Testamentargument that gives the notions
that all throughout the Bible,both Old and New Testament, hear
(12:38):
me clearly.
There are people, human,migrating from place to place on
a regular basis, and I want toframe what we're talking about
in the biblical text, so it'snot to get off on my own theory,
but what does the Bible say andwhat can we learn from the
(13:00):
stories we read about migration?
So there are many reasons whywe like to call there different
factors of why people go fromone country to the next, factors
that contribute to why peoplemove as people is, you know,
(13:24):
even from the early Puritans inthe 1800s migrating West right
to avoid religious persecution,and the Scandinavian immigrants
in the 1800s were religiousdescendants who actually became
the first Mormon settlers in1846.
Right, some of the other pushfactors that contribute to this
(13:48):
is remember that early Americansettlers migrated to the West.
Many were English PuritansRight, Leaving persecution Right
.
The same is true when we lookat germany right.
Germany lutherans were giventhe right to migrate to satisfy
(14:09):
uh to, because they were notsatisfied with the religious
confession of the state andresiding under a ruler
professing the same religionthemselves.
Not to mention during the greatmigration that took place in
Norway in 1825 by Quakerdissenters.
(14:31):
Other Jews around the world havebeen subject to political
persecution by governingauthorities.
For instance we are allfamiliar with, jews in Nazi
Germany were relegated to besecond-class citizens under what
Hitler's National SocialistParty and their well-crafted
plan right was being initiatedagainst those individuals by the
(14:55):
Germans' political party.
National Socialist Party.
Germans created, or Germanysocialist party.
Germany Germans created, orGermany under Hitler's Germany
created hostility by which Jewswanted to escape Right In the
19th century.
In Poland, in 1881 and 1914,over one, over half a million
(15:18):
Jews left Russia for the UnitedStates.
Again, during 1968 and 1992,hundreds of thousands of Soviet
Jews migrated to the UnitedStates and Israel due to the
aggression and that ofanti-Semitism.
So some other factors areeconomic factors, some other
(15:38):
factors are economic factors.
This is important for us toconsider the economic stability,
right In labor markets, supplyand demand explains why many
people migrate.
People migrate because of thedemand for labor units right,
units, right.
Migrant families often see seeit as an investment in their
(16:03):
future to migrate when they haveno other options or when their
options are limited.
Social scientists contend thatmigration often represents an
(16:27):
investment in individualstrategies by people looking to
secure a more stable futureright.
So think about some of the risksthat people take when they
migrate.
Risk factors include death,crossing borders, right, not
knowing what kind of wages theywill receive, health benefits,
economic stability they believehappily will increase if they
can cross borders.
(16:48):
But there are a lot of riskspsychological risks,
physiological risks.
These are things that familiesgo through when they decide to
migrate To migrate Right.
So in these cases, when youhave a In the United States, a
direct result of the demand forlabor Like being really honest
here, let's have an honestconversation.
(17:09):
When there's a direct resultthat demands For labor, guess
what happens?
People migrate Right.
And so we got to be reallycareful about how we blame
people for deciding to have abetter wages and better way of
life and I'm talking about thisfrom a Christian perspective
(17:32):
Right, some of the pullingfactors of migration.
People run the risk of of, youknow, being treated unfairly,
right?
Not having a proper licensingagreement.
As a result, people who migratewill help, you know, create
(17:55):
more complicated issues forthemselves, but they take the
risk anyway, right?
So these are the kind ofeconomic factors that lead to
people wanting to migrate.
Now, that's not an exhaustivelist, but we still have to look
(18:16):
at the reasons why people willdecide to migrate in the first
place.
Now, if I was to take thisbiblical, because I think this
is where this is the body ofwhat I really want to share when
I want us to think about that,there are many factors that
contribute to people wanting toleave from one station to the
(18:40):
next, right, contribute topeople wanting to leave from one
station to the next right, andI've given you a few examples
that are evident from history,right, why people migrated from
one area to the next.
And so we hear people talkabout building walls, and
although I understand thesentiment, but what we got to
understand is that people whomigrate, they're not all
(19:04):
criminals and these is just nottrue but people.
Many of them desire to live asustained and a flourishing life
and to have their basic humanrights.
Now, both in the old and in theNew Testament, provide stories
about faith communities usingresources Watch this to welcome
(19:28):
strangers.
You will remember, right In theBible and in our history.
In the Bible and in our history, an example.
For instance, john Woolman, aQuaker, abolitionist in 1700,
became the voice that brought tothe surface the contradiction
(19:51):
between colonial slavery andChristianity.
And what is more profound isthat he believed that the gospel
is to be read and experiencedand, as a result, woolman became
the maker of American theology,a theology and a hermeneutic
(20:12):
presentation with theimagination that demands an
ethical response to the socialissues that we face, ie American
slavery.
But when we look at thebiblical text right, there are
many examples of peoplemigrating Right.
(20:34):
So did you know that there aremany examples of people
migrating in the scripture?
Reading the biblical text withthis kind of ethical imagination
, we can look at a few examples.
God is giving us these examplesthat I want to share with you.
(20:55):
In Exodus right, the Exodusnarrative, he tells Moses and
the Israelites watch thiswandering in the wilderness is
integral to providing what Iconsider an ethical response to
this question of migration.
If we, as a reader, look behindthe text with imagination.
(21:18):
What do we see In the Exodusnarrative?
There are reasons why peoplemigrated.
The children of God wandered inthe wilderness after leaving
Exodus.
It gives a vivid impression ofa community seeking a place to
(21:41):
be free from oppression andsuffering slavery and
victimization.
Psalm 47, the Israelitesexperienced political oppression
.
Right, they were set, and thisis in the scripture.
Right the Israelites had.
(22:03):
Their male children weretargeted, newborn babies were
targeted, thrown into the NileExodus 1.22, and their workload
became intolerable.
When the men could not keep upwith the supply, they were
beaten, as the narrativedescribes in Exodus 1.22, as
(22:23):
well as in Exodus 5.14.
So, consequently, what happened?
The Israelites migrated.
They resettled and moved.
And so, when we think about thisissue of migration from a
biblical perspective, there arepeople moving across borders and
boundaries all throughout theBible.
(22:43):
Right, right.
And even what did God tell theIsraelites?
That, as they move back andforth, that God would do what?
Give them a promised land oneday.
Right, christian scripturesdemand, the Bible demands that
we welcome strangers.
So not only do God's peoplemigrate, the scripture says this
(23:07):
.
In Acts 2, the scripture, ourmain scripture we started with,
gives a narrative of believersgathering in house churches from
all over the country and joinfellowship and sharing meals and
helping each other financially.
Country enjoying fellowship andsharing meals and helping each
other financially demonstratedhow sharing resources for those
who are migrating as a vitalpart of communal creation and
(23:31):
that of hospitality in theancient world right.
Acts 2 says this what, how isit that we hear each other in
our own language?
Medes, parisians, elamite,mesopotamia, judea, cappadocia,
pontus, asia, pamphylia andEgypt, libya and Cyrene, and
from Rome, jews and proselytes?
(23:51):
This is in Acts 2, 8 through 10.
What are we saying?
There are people coming fromall across borders, migrating
right borders, migrating right.
And what a Christian responds todo is not say build a wall, but
(24:17):
God commands that we showbiblical hospitality, and
biblical hospitality basicallysays that we welcome strangers.
Right.
Not only did God's children whomigrated from Egypt.
God said when strangers comeinto your land this is in
Leviticus you are to welcome thestranger people who are
crossing borders in the ancientworld.
So house fatality in theancient world welcomes outsiders
(24:42):
and religious pilgrimage shareresources, as we see in Acts,
sharing the common good.
So if we look at it from this,if we look at the issue of
migration or immigration fromthis perspective, we are hard
pressed to see a biblical viewpoint that says, build a wall
(25:03):
and don't allow people come in,but rather we see the scripture
encouraging us to do whatWelcome the stranger and open
our borders.
Okay, I'm not telling you thisis what I'm saying.
I'm telling you.
This is what the biblical textis saying.
So, in today's terms, if we viewhospitality this way, an
(25:25):
argument can be made for morejust and biblically just
immigrant policy that supportsmigration and gives biblical
examples that provide theframework for that.
And I would even go as far asto say that the onus is upon the
Christian, is upon the believer, to talk about this kind of
(25:47):
framework and to provide it as away for us to not look at only
a political way, but what is thebiblical way?
What is the scriptureencouraging us to do?
Are we taking our cues fromscripture or are we taking our
cues from political party?
(26:07):
So I can talk a lot more aboutit, but I want us to think about
this as persons of faith.
It's important for us to to lookat the scripture before we
gather an ethical stance.
Right that we have a obligationto let our faith weigh in on
(26:30):
these kinds of issues from abiblical perspective.
Right, if we use biblicalimagination and we are honest
enough to see how the scriptureshows people migrating, to see
how the scripture shows peoplemigrating seeking a better life,
moving because they want tosecure a future of freedom for
(26:50):
themselves and their loved ones,right, the Bible shows that,
that it is the same thinghappening in many of the cases
in immigration today.
So it would be hard pressed tosay just build walls.
And I would even go as far asto say, as I've demonstrated,
that there's biblical evidencethat suggests in the Christian
scriptures that demandcommunities of faith, welcome
(27:13):
strangers and open up theirresources for them, that we
understand that there are pushand pull factors that people are
seeking to get away frompersecution or get away from not
being able to take care ofthemselves.
I remember years ago, when I wasin seminary, there was a church
(27:34):
that had a ministry and theirmain goal was, as people came
across the border and this is inTexas as people came across the
border, the churches were there, right, helping to assist
people by providing them foodand clothing and even helping
them to try to apply forcitizenship.
(27:55):
See, that's a differentperspective and that was their
ministry, because theyunderstood that they not only
had a political.
They may have their politicalallegiances, I'm sure, but they
also had a biblical mandate aswell.
So, when we read the biblicalscripture with this kind of
imagination and we understandthat even Jesus himself watch
(28:18):
this and father crossed theborder to Egypt to avoid
persecution from Herod whowanted to, who was seeking to
get rid of the promised king ofIsrael, and so if you take this
(28:39):
information and you understandit from this biblical
perspective, maybe this willgive you another way to think
about the issue of immigration.
We're not just talking aboutbuilding walls, but we're
(29:00):
talking about what our biblicalstance is on these very, very
social issues.
Ok, and so I want to thank youguys for listening and hopefully
you got something out of this.
My prayer is that you wouldplease subscribe, share this
with someone who could benefitfrom this.
If you know a church or pastorwho is caught up on their
(29:22):
political stance only, withoutlooking at the biblical examples
of people migrating, this maybe beneficial to them.
So share with them, subscribe.
Please write us a review If youhave questions or comments.
There's a little link at thetop of this description in the
bio that says hey, fan mail andyou can send an email that goes
(29:45):
directly to me and I willrespond to that email.
Ok, you can also check us outon YouTube Words for Change
podcast, if you want to see someof these recordings live, even
some interviews that we're goingto have coming up here in a
very, very, very, very nearfuture, and so I really, really
appreciate your continuedsupport and thank you guys for
(30:08):
listening.
Let this be beneficial to youand I pray God's blessings be
with you and we'll see you soon,in a couple of weeks, on
Tuesday.
Have a great day.
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