DownloadOct. 5, 2009 issue
‘Stranger’ or neighbor?
Consultation looks at immigration biblically
By Hannah Heinzekehr Mennonite Mission NetworkWAXAHACHIE, Texas — The question was originally posed to Jesus by a teacher of a law. Mennonite pastors and lay leaders revisited it: Who is my neighbor?
From left, Alexis Gomez, Gilbert Valdez, Britney Trevino and Paul Olivo of House of Healing Mennonite Church perform a dramatic reading of Eph. 2:13-22 during the immigration consultation. — Photo by James Krabill/MMN
About 70 people gathered Sept. 18- 20 at Lakeview Conference Center for “And You Welcomed Me: A Consultation of the People of God on Immigration.”
They reclaimed a common humanity and recommitted themselves to welcoming and walking with one another, as the Good Samaritan did with the wounded man.
“This parable teaches us how to deal with ‘outsiders,’ and it shows us that those who come from ‘the outside’ are the ones who teach us,” said keynote speaker M. Daniel Carroll Rodas. “When we talk about our neighbor, we are talking about millions of Christian brothers and sisters.”
Participants took an in-depth look at immigration through keynote addresses, workshops, panel discussions and informal conversations. The gathering was co-sponsored by Mennonite Church USA’s Mennonite Mission Network, Executive Leadership and Western District Conference.
Carroll, professor of Old Testament at Denver Seminary, provided three keynote addresses. Raised in a bicultural home, Carroll first began to think about issues of immigration when he returned to the United States after teaching for 15 years at SETECA, a seminary in Guatemala City.
Carroll realized conversations he was having with Christians on immigration weren’t different from secular conversations. Since then, he has been working with Christian groups to put the conversation in a Christian framework. Carroll Rodas also authored the 2008 book Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church and the Bible.
“I believe the Bible responds to human reality right now,” he said. “It can orient the national, it orients the immigrant, and it can orient us all as we engage each other and the government.”
Carroll outlined a biblical framework for looking at and talking about immigration. He highlighted biblical stories and laws that speak directly to the modern immigration debate.
“In Genesis we learn that humans are the culmination of creation, so when we talk about immigration, we can’t begin the conversation with law and politics,” he said. “That is where the culture wants to start. We need to begin our conversation with the understanding that all people are made in the image of God.”
Comment on the article ‘Stranger’ or neighbor?
The purpose of comments is to engage in dialogue. We expect commenters to treat authors and each other as each would want to be treated. Respectful criticism is welcomed; offensive comments or parts of comments will be removed by the site administrator. Name and comment will be posted; email address is for follow-up only and will not be made public.
Download a free PDF showing the populations of
Mennonite groups and other Anabaptists.
