Immigration - Welcoming the Stranger 2006
In Scripture, the ethical responsibility of extending hospitality to the stranger is a key requirement of faithfulness. At the center of Christian ethics is the challenge and the opportunity to love the stranger as ourselves and to love the stranger as one with whom Jesus explicitly identifies.
In the national context of the current debate on immigration it is imperative for Christian churches to be bearers of the biblical and historical tradition of hospitality in our own local contexts. This means that the people of God must practice mercy to the stranger. In Scripture, the stranger is often characterized by the condition of vulnerability. Their vulnerability reminds us of our own dependence on the kindness of God and instructs us to act towards the stranger as God has acted towards us.
The stranger, by definition, is an outsider, and may be excluded from the networks which insiders rely on for the satisfaction of their daily needs. Therefore, Christian teaching about hospitality insists that strangers be treated the same as insiders and so, the outsider becomes our neighbor.
The stranger is created in the image of God and shares the same rights as the rest of us simply because of their humanness.
In welcoming the stranger the people of God are required to establish justice on their behalf. Given the vulnerability of undocumented migrants in the United States, the role of churches advocating for the stranger is a crucial matter of justice and a corporate expression of our faith. Political advocacy is a legitimate aspect of the mission of the church for it affirms the human dignity of migrants and seeks to ensure their equal access to economic, social, and political resources. Justice for the stranger means that those who contribute to our communities should be given opportunities for full membership in these communities.
Lastly, in welcoming the stranger the people of God must seek transforming relationships with the stranger. In Scripture, the stranger often appears as a "herald," or one who brings news. In the book of Hebrews, the writer says in giving hospitality to the stranger you may be welcoming an angel without knowing it. Therefore, we as God's people welcome the stranger not only because we are commanded to do so, but because through their lives and their stories we hear the good news of God's love and faithfulness to all of humanity. In the presence of the stranger God is calling us to new horizons of opportunity and responsibility, in which, hospitality to the stranger is necessary for the church's faithfulness to God.
In the history of the U.S. there is no question that immigration changes both residents and immigrants. We are mutually transformed. In responding directly to the challenges of immigration, the biblical ethic of hospitality leads Christian churches to emphasize, not the threats, but rather the gifts and the possibilities for a creative multicultural community which immigrants bring to us.
Dr. Mark Lau Branson
Associate Professor of Practical Theology
Fuller Theological Seminary
Pasadena, CA
Dr. James T. Butler
Associate Professor of Old Testament
Fuller Theological Seminary
Pasadena, CA
Dr. Phil Campbell
Director of Ministry Studies &
Lecturer in Leadership and Congregational Studies
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Dr. Nick Carter
President
Andover Newton Theological School
Newton Centre, MA
Dr. David Cortes-Fuentes
Associate Professor of New Testament
San Francisco Theological Seminary, Southern California Campus
Pasadena, CA
Dr. Ron Crandall
Dean of the E. Stanley Jones of World Mission and Evangelism
Sundo Kim Professor of Evangelism and Practical Theology
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY
Dr. Deborah Creamer
Assistant Professor of Theological Studies
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Dr. Miguel A. De La Torre
Associate Professor of Social Ethics
Director of the Justice and Peace Institute
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Mary Katherine Doyle, RSM
Archivist, Sisters of Mercy
Auburn Regional Community
Auburn, California
Dr. Al Dueck
Professor of Psychology
Fuller Graduate School of Psychology
Pasadena, CA
Dr. Maxie D. Dunnam
Chancellor
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY
Dr. Brian Grant
Lois and Dale Bright Professor of Christian Ministries
Christian Theological Seminary
Indianapolis, IN
Dr. Bryan Feille
Harold Glen Brown Minister-in-Residence
Associate Dean of Student Affairs
Brite Divinity School
Fort Worth, TX
Dr. Juan Francisco Martinez Guerra
Hispanic Church Studies Department
Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Pastoral Leadership
Fuller Theological Seminary
Pasadena, CA
Dr. Chuck Gutenson
Associate Professor of Philosophical Theology
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY
Dr. Holly E. Hearon
Associate Professor of New Testament
Christian Theological Seminary
Indianapolis, IN
Dr. William R. Herzog II
Professor of New Testament Interpretation and
Dean of the Faculty
Andover Newton Theological School
Newton Centre, MA
Rev. Anne S. Howard
Executive Director
The Beatitudes Society
Palo Alto, CA
Dr. Fisher Humphreys
Professor of Divinity
Samford University
Birmingham, AL
Dr. Robert Hunt
Director of Global Theological Education
Perkins School of Theology
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
Dr. Noel Keller
Director, Institute on Sacred Scripture
College Misericordia
Dallas, PA
Rev. Dr. Diedra Kriewald
Professor of Teaching and Formation
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, DC
Dr. Gregory P. Leffel
President
One Horizon Foundation
Lexington, KY
Dr. Robin Lovin
University Professor of Ethics
Southern Methodist University
Dallas, TX
Dr. Jeffrey H. Mahan
Academic Vice President & Dean of the Faculty
Professor of Ministry, Media, & Culture
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Dr. Stephen Charles Mott
Professor of Christian Social Ethics, retired
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
South Hamilton, MA
Dr. Amy G. Oden
Professor of History of Christianity
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, DC
Dr. Carolyn Osiek
Professor of New Testament
Brite Divinity School
Fort Worth, TX
Dr. Lewis A. Parks
Associate Professor of Theology, Ministry, and Congregational
Development
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, DC
Dr. Christine Pohl
Professor of Social Ethics
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY
Dr. Harold J. Recinos
Professor of Church and Society
Southern Methodist University
Perkins School of Theology
Dallas, TX
Dr. Albert Reyes
President
Baptist University of the Americas
San Antonio, TX
Dr. Elaine A. Robinson
Associate Professor of Theology and Methodist Studies
Brite Divinity School
Fort Worth, TX
Dr. Michael A. Rynkiewich
Director of Post-Graduate Studies
Professor of Anthropology
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY
Dr. Tex Sample
Robert B. and Kathleen Rogers Professor Emeritus of Church and Society
Saint Paul School of Theology
Kansas City, MO
Dr. Arlene Sanchez Walsh
Associate Professor & Chair of Ministry Department
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, CA
Dr. Paulette Skiba
Clark College
Dr. Fred Smith Jr.
Associate Professor of Urban Ministry
Associate Director of the Practice of Ministry and Mission
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, DC
Dr. Glen Stassen
Smedes Professor of Christian Ethics
Fuller Theological Seminary
Pasadena, CA
Dr. Douglas M. Strong
Professor of History of Christianity
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, DC
Dr. Tink Tinker (Osage Nation)
Professor of American Indian Cultures and Religious Traditions
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Dr. Mark G. Toulouse
Professor of American Religious History
Brite Divinity School
Fort Worth, TX
Dr. Joseph S. Tortorici
Associate Director of Practice in Ministry and Mission
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, DC
Dr. Katherine Turpin
Assistant Professor of Religious Education
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Dr. Robert G. Tuttle Jr.
Professor of World Christianity
Asbury Theological Seminary
Orlando, FL
Dr. Ted Vial
Associate Professor of Theology
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Dr. Sondra Wheeler
Martha Ashby Carr Professor of Christian Ethics
Wesley Theological Seminary
Washington, DC
Dr. Dana Wilbanks
Professor Emeritus of Christian Ethics
Iliff School of Theology
Denver, CO
Bishop William Willimon
North Alabama Conference
United Methodist Church
Dr. Steven J. Ybarrola
Professor of Cultural Anthropology
Asbury Theological Seminary
Wilmore, KY
Dr. Nancy Nienhuis
Dean of Students and Community Life
Faculty of Theology
Andover Newton Theological School
Newton Centre, MA
