Chris Warner is our bishop. His wife is (hopefully I get the term correct) a deacon serving at our parish, and much beloved by my own wife (who it's worth noting is a naturalized immigrant). I say this to show that I've got some idea of where he's coming from.
Having read his piece twice, I don't think there's anything really wrong with it as a pastoral statement. We could spend all day quibbling over whether or not Egypt and Judea were different countries within the Roman Empire, and "marginalized" is maybe not a great word to use, but other than that...
If I had to write a few bullet points to our ACNA leadership for their consideration, it'd be these:
- The overwhelming majority of foreigners* present in the United States don't fit into the Biblical categories of refugee (person fleeing to the nearest safe country) or sojourner (person temporarily present in a foreign nation). What do our Christian duties toward them entail, beyond the commandment to love them as thy neighbor?
- If genuine refugees are rare in the United States, what work should ACNA members do to care for them in other places?
- I've heard many Christians say some variant of "God's bringing the nations to us to evangelize", which if true would conveniently allow them to get the satisfaction of "mission work" while sleeping comfortably in their own American bed at night. What should we do to guard against this lazy way of thinking?
*It's worth digressing to note that US immigration laws align to some extent with the Biblical categories of refugee (also asylee) and sojourner (temporary worker / tourist / student) - and also to note the degree to which those provisions are abused.
"Asylum" seekers are coached (much like "trans" teenagers) to recite unverifiable stories of the situation that they're fleeing, and "tourist" visas are frequently overstayed.
There are certainly cases of Mexicans fleeing to the United States to escape drug cartel violence, or Cubans fleeing Communism, and there might even be some Canadians escaping religious persecution. But the overwhelming majority of those who've entered or stayed in the United States are from other countries that don't border ours, and calling them "refugees" waters down the term as to make it meaningless.
Chris Warner is our bishop. His wife is (hopefully I get the term correct) a deacon serving at our parish, and much beloved by my own wife (who it's worth noting is a naturalized immigrant). I say this to show that I've got some idea of where he's coming from.
Having read his piece twice, I don't think there's anything really wrong with it as a pastoral statement. We could spend all day quibbling over whether or not Egypt and Judea were different countries within the Roman Empire, and "marginalized" is maybe not a great word to use, but other than that...
If I had to write a few bullet points to our ACNA leadership for their consideration, it'd be these:
- The overwhelming majority of foreigners* present in the United States don't fit into the Biblical categories of refugee (person fleeing to the nearest safe country) or sojourner (person temporarily present in a foreign nation). What do our Christian duties toward them entail, beyond the commandment to love them as thy neighbor?
- If genuine refugees are rare in the United States, what work should ACNA members do to care for them in other places?
- I've heard many Christians say some variant of "God's bringing the nations to us to evangelize", which if true would conveniently allow them to get the satisfaction of "mission work" while sleeping comfortably in their own American bed at night. What should we do to guard against this lazy way of thinking?
*It's worth digressing to note that US immigration laws align to some extent with the Biblical categories of refugee (also asylee) and sojourner (temporary worker / tourist / student) - and also to note the degree to which those provisions are abused.
"Asylum" seekers are coached (much like "trans" teenagers) to recite unverifiable stories of the situation that they're fleeing, and "tourist" visas are frequently overstayed.
There are certainly cases of Mexicans fleeing to the United States to escape drug cartel violence, or Cubans fleeing Communism, and there might even be some Canadians escaping religious persecution. But the overwhelming majority of those who've entered or stayed in the United States are from other countries that don't border ours, and calling them "refugees" waters down the term as to make it meaningless.