Evangelicals and the Bible supports welcome for refugees and immigrants
"I'm a Christian who works with refugees." Echo opinion published in the Houston Chronicle:
HOUSON, Texas "....people start arriving at the church parking lot in Southwest Houston. Volunteers are already pulling bikes out of the garage. A dozen Afghan women — many of whom were evacuated after the Taliban took control in August 2021 — strap on their helmets and ride off, practicing their newfound skill. The 12 women number among the thousands of refugees from all over the world who call Houston their home.
For years, Houston has been a top destination for displaced Afghans. Since the fall of Kabul and subsequent arrival of Afghans in the city, our community has risen to the challenge of welcoming them.
I know this firsthand. As a mobilizer and organizer, I have connected volunteers to refugee welcome for over a decade. In 2022, I founded Ride with Refugees, a community bike ride and refugee women’s empowerment program, through which I partner with community organizations, non-profits, churches, bike shops, public servants, the Houston Police and advocacy groups. All of them enthusiastically support our efforts to raise awareness about resettlement and promote mobility for refugees and others who have resettled, such as the Afghan Women’s Bike Team.
However, while our communities respond with welcome, our state and federal authorities have not. In the case of our Afghan friends, Congress has not done its part to pass legislation such as the Afghan Adjustment Act. The bill would provide legal certainty to the more than 76,000 Afghans in the country by allowing them to apply for permanent resident status after additional vetting.
In recent years, some evangelicals made a reputation for themselves by supporting an anti-refugee president and, in Texas, a governor who went so far as to remove the state from the federal refugee resettlement program. But that’s not all of us.
As coordinator of a Houston-based refugee ministry network and as a leader on the North American team of a global network of refugee ministry practitioners, I witness the support for refugees that evangelical organizations and churches are offering.
A recent survey of American evangelical Christians indicated that 71% believe our country has a moral responsibility to receive refugees, and 77% say it is important for Congress to pass significant immigration reforms this year. And 75% of those surveyed support the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act.
HOUSON, Texas "....people start arriving at the church parking lot in Southwest Houston. Volunteers are already pulling bikes out of the garage. A dozen Afghan women — many of whom were evacuated after the Taliban took control in August 2021 — strap on their helmets and ride off, practicing their newfound skill. The 12 women number among the thousands of refugees from all over the world who call Houston their home.
(This essay reminds me about the wonderful book "The Secret Gate- A True Story of Courage", by Mitchell Zuckoff. Describes the frenzied final hours of the U.S. evacuation of Afghanistan--and how a brave Afghan mother and a compassionate American officer engineered a daring escape.)
For years, Houston has been a top destination for displaced Afghans. Since the fall of Kabul and subsequent arrival of Afghans in the city, our community has risen to the challenge of welcoming them.
I know this firsthand. As a mobilizer and organizer, I have connected volunteers to refugee welcome for over a decade. In 2022, I founded Ride with Refugees, a community bike ride and refugee women’s empowerment program, through which I partner with community organizations, non-profits, churches, bike shops, public servants, the Houston Police and advocacy groups. All of them enthusiastically support our efforts to raise awareness about resettlement and promote mobility for refugees and others who have resettled, such as the Afghan Women’s Bike Team.
However, while our communities respond with welcome, our state and federal authorities have not. In the case of our Afghan friends, Congress has not done its part to pass legislation such as the Afghan Adjustment Act. The bill would provide legal certainty to the more than 76,000 Afghans in the country by allowing them to apply for permanent resident status after additional vetting.
In recent years, some evangelicals made a reputation for themselves by supporting an anti-refugee president and, in Texas, a governor who went so far as to remove the state from the federal refugee resettlement program. But that’s not all of us.
As coordinator of a Houston-based refugee ministry network and as a leader on the North American team of a global network of refugee ministry practitioners, I witness the support for refugees that evangelical organizations and churches are offering.
A recent survey of American evangelical Christians indicated that 71% believe our country has a moral responsibility to receive refugees, and 77% say it is important for Congress to pass significant immigration reforms this year. And 75% of those surveyed support the passage of the Afghan Adjustment Act.
What does the Bible say about "immigration"?
- Matthew 25:31-40 Jesus says, "I was a stranger and you welcomed me". Scholars say that in the New Testament, "stranger" and "neighbor" are synonymous.
- Leviticus 19:34 "The stranger who resides with you shall be to you as one of your citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt".
- Hebrews 13:2 "Be sure to welcome strangers into your home. By doing this, some people have welcomed angels as guests, without even knowing it".
Wu recently had the privilege of preaching on immigration in her local congregation.
"Although we have been involved with refugee ministry for two years now, someone said to me afterward, 'Immigration had been on my heart, but I have always approached it politically. Today I realized I need to think about immigration from a biblical perspective. I now have a better way to speak on immigration'”
A biblical perspective on immigration and refugee welcome recognizes the commands to love and seek justice for vulnerable foreigners. Refugees are some of the world’s most persecuted people, and besides their net positive economic contribution to our nation, they deserve compassion and care.
Our nation has prided itself on being a “city on a hill,” a beacon-of-light nation built by the immigrants we welcomed. That narrative has soured as the sheer number of people seeking refuge here has increased. But a great nation can respond humanely.
With 117 million forcibly displaced persons globally and the U.S. continuing to be a leader in resettling refugees, our welcoming attitude locally is not enough. Our state and federal governments need to offer solutions rooted not in political calculations but in true, lasting security, order, and compassion.
Congress, especially, needs to act now to provide immigration reforms that restore the United States’ leadership and moral high ground as a nation of hope and refuge — a legacy currently at risk.
Cindy M. Wu is an ordained clergywoman and native Houstonian. She co-directs Mosaic Formation and is the author of “A Better Country: Embracing the Refugees in Our Midst.”
A biblical perspective on immigration and refugee welcome recognizes the commands to love and seek justice for vulnerable foreigners. Refugees are some of the world’s most persecuted people, and besides their net positive economic contribution to our nation, they deserve compassion and care.
Our nation has prided itself on being a “city on a hill,” a beacon-of-light nation built by the immigrants we welcomed. That narrative has soured as the sheer number of people seeking refuge here has increased. But a great nation can respond humanely.
With 117 million forcibly displaced persons globally and the U.S. continuing to be a leader in resettling refugees, our welcoming attitude locally is not enough. Our state and federal governments need to offer solutions rooted not in political calculations but in true, lasting security, order, and compassion.
Congress, especially, needs to act now to provide immigration reforms that restore the United States’ leadership and moral high ground as a nation of hope and refuge — a legacy currently at risk.
Cindy M. Wu is an ordained clergywoman and native Houstonian. She co-directs Mosaic Formation and is the author of “A Better Country: Embracing the Refugees in Our Midst.”
Labels: Afghan women, Christians, Cindy Wu, Houston Chronicle, Kabul, Ride with Refugees, Taliban, The Secret Gate
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