Shaping Perspectives on Immigration: Can the Bible Help Us?

Posted on December 26, 2015 by PLT Staff

Recording of Session II by M. Daniel Carroll at the Spring Institute for Lived Theology 2010  in San Diego, California. The son of immigrants, Carroll seeks to construct a Christian perspective on immigration and evaluate how to address the suspicious, the scared, and the agreeing audiences on issues of immigration. By walking through Scripture to read about figures like Joseph and Ruth, Carroll shows that we are all of one people and one God, whose calling to Christians includes taking care of others regardless of ethnicity. The lecture begins at the 1:45 minute mark.

Excerpt: “Here’s a border and all this over here is what I’ve been describing about the Bible: all the stories of people on the move, all the legislation in the Old Testament on behalf of the vulnerable, of the heart of God, the fact that we are all sojourners in this world, the fact that Jesus begins his life as a refugee, the fact that we are to be his people even to our enemies, if that’s how you want to perceive them. The question I ask them is, ‘Are you willing to cross that border?’ And some people aren’t. This is the border as a Christian, and you’ve got to be willing to cross. There’s two borders, not only your political decision, but your faith decision. And I think the key to that is trying to bring those two together.”

  • Audio Information
  • Date Recorded:April 26, 2010
  • Location Recorded:San Diego, California
  • Speaker: M. Daniel Carroll
  • Audio File:Download File »
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