“If one attitude can be said to characterize America’s regard for immigration over the past two hundred years it is the belief that while immigration was unquestionably a wise and prescient thing in the case of one’s parents or grandparents, it really ought to stop now. For two hundred years succeeding generations of Americans have persuaded themselves that the country faced imminent social dislocation, and eventual ruin, at the hands of the grasping foreign hordes pouring through her ports.”[1]
The quote above, which comes from Bill Bryson’s
book Made in America, highlights the mentality borne by natives of various
countries and nationalities toward newcomers, foreigners, and all manner of
strangers who arrive as immigrants to their land. Whether it be Protestant immigrants fleeing
to Switzerland in the 1600s to escape religious persecution, Calvinist
Separatists fleeing England to begin life anew in the “New World,” or Catholic
and Pentecostal immigrants fleeing harsh socio-economic environments south of
the U.S. border, the native populations accepting these foreigners have always
responded with xenophobia and hostility.
Meanwhile, those immigrating have often undertaken their journeys as
though they were embarking on a religious “exodus” to a new land “flowing with
milk and honey.” In fact, for many
undocumented immigrants the trek across America’s southern border is equitable
to a Christian pilgrimage ordained by God, who offers aid to his devout
followers attempting to sojourn from the south to a better life in the
north.
Are these immigrants right? Does God help them to cross America’s
southern border illegally? Are they
truly on a “pilgrimage” that God has ordained and set in motion?
According to Ben Daniel in his book Neighbor, we
certainly cannot disregard the very real possibility that “God is walking
alongside those who immigrate to the United States.”[2] At the very least, we must recognize that
such is the perception of those crossing the Rio Grande in search of better
lives and opportunities in America. As
Daniel notes regarding the perspective of many immigrants:
“There is an overwhelming and growing sense among undocumented immigrants that their journeys are blessed by God…and the knowledge that they have arrived in the United States by the grace of God has helped to instill a particularly strong faith among many of America’s undocumented Christians.”[3]
These immigrants’ belief regarding their identity
as sojourners and pilgrims who travel with God’s blessing can be further
highlighted by some of the Scripture passages cited in common by numerous
undocumented immigrants to offer them comfort and hope for their journey and
the journeys of many others. For
example, Genesis 12:1-2:
“Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.’”
And also 1 Peter 2:11-12:
“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh that wage war against the soul. Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles, so that, though they malign you as evildoers, they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge.”
I think it hard to ignore how undocumented
immigrants read themselves into these scripture passages. Few native-born American Christians can
readily assume an alien/exile mentality because, as citizens of one of the most
prosperous empires in world history, the travails that accompany the experience
of aliens and exiles are so far removed from our daily lives. Yet, in the experience of immigrants who are
making/have made their way to the U.S., the Christian walk (which is literally
for them a walk) is intrinsic to their identity in Christ. As states Daniel, “This distinctly immigrant
spirituality is strongly dependent upon the Bible’s witness to a God with an
affinity for those who live as sojourners in foreign lands.”[4]
I also find it particularly eye opening that in
the 1 Peter passage, from the immigrant's perspective, we are the Gentiles. We are those who malign the immigrant as
an evildoer. Moreover, as immigrants see
it, God has directed their movement here, not only so that we might save some
of them, but also so that they might save some of us. It may strike us as absurd, but for many
immigrants coming to America, their journey here is one of evangelism and
revival that God has himself ordained.
M. Daniel Carroll R. asks in his book Christians at the Border:
“[C]ould what we are witnessing in this country be part of a divinely directed global phenomenon? Is God bringing millions of Hispanics to the United States to revitalize the Christian churches here and to present to those who do not yet believe the opportunity to turn to Christ in their search for a new life? Many Hispanics and pastors sincerely believe that God has led them here for a purpose: to play an important role in the revival of the Christian faith in this country.”[5]
As American Christians, we should not fail to
recognize the immigrant roots of our faith; otherwise, we may only confirm
Bryson’s observation regarding the double mentality held by all-too-many
descendants of immigrants who view their parents’ and grandparents’ immigration
as wise while simultaneously viewing all current immigration as a dangerous
social ill.
We must further consider carefully what Ben Daniel has
to say about the current situation befalling us today:
“If God is walking with immigrants as they ford the Rio Grande, if God accompanies undocumented folks through the fiery heat of the desert, then perhaps American Christians need to walk with immigrants as well—not just to influence public policy, but to strengthen our faith and to deepen our spiritual connection to the Divine.”[6]
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