If every human being is made in the image of God, but we are each rooted into a particular place and culture, how might we as Christians better engage in conversations on migration, asylum and refugees? In this episode Jo and Peter discuss this global issue and why it should matter to us all.
From political slogans and dramatic headlines, the conversation starts by peeling back some of misconceptions and complexity of this issue; investigating who’s coming into UK and for what reasons. Jo and Peter then once again use the Being Human lens to help offer a fresh perspective asking how might significance, connection, presence and participation impact our understanding of human dignity, interculturalism, borders and citizenship? How can we see the pages of Scripture as one large story of migration, displacement and finding home?
Part one (00:00)
01:11 Welcome back and introducing the big issue for episode four: the complex world of migration, asylum, and refugees.
02:03 Announcement: Peter and Jo are hosting a mini-series of webinars! Chatting all-things Being Human from the Lens, to our cultural landscape to understanding who is in our churches and how we might reach them. Look out for more information coming soon.
03:05 Small boats, international students and economic migrants: getting the lay of the land on who actually is arriving into the UK each year.
09:09 Coming back to the Being Human Lens: why is migration and asylum important to the conversation about being human today?
12:10 Starting with significance – how does dignity, identity, and equality affect a perspective on migration?
16:42 From the Old to New Testament: seeing the bible as one large a story of migration. And how might that challenge our perspective.
Part two (20:17)
20:20 People don’t migrate in isolation: recognising the importance of families, dependants and connection.
24:07 The complexities of local connections and global compassion. Are we equally connected to everyone in the world? Is our responsibility to family, community, nation or the globe?
26:46 Lessons from Beyonce’s latest album and exploring how might we think about borders.
30:20 We are particular people in particular places – respecting both the culture we might be from and the one we are visiting or inhabiting.
37:38 Pushing back on the unhelpful soundbites and toxic language surrounding this issue, what might it mean to participate positively in this conversation?
41:23 Coming back to the story of God as one that centres on displaced people – how might be understand inclusion and welcome of the foreigner, but also the call to be distinct?
44:43 Gratitude, study, and you guessed it…hospitality. Three habits for we might inhabit this better story for engaging with migration, refugee and asylum.
Read Luke Bretherton’s article on Immigration and the moral status of borders here.