What is the Christian View of Immigration?

"As for the foreigner who does not belong to your people Israel but has come from a distant land because of your great name and your mighty hand and your outstretched arm-when he comes and prays toward this temple, then hear from heaven, your dwelling place, and do whatever the foreigner asks of you, so that all the peoples of the earth may know your name and fear you, as do your own people Israel, and may know that this house I have built bears your Name." [2 Chronicles 6:32-33]

These verses are part of King Solomon's prayer of dedication of the "temple of the Name of the Lord" [2 Ch 2:1]. Solomon's request of God is that He meets the needs of all foreigners who come to the temple to worship because of God's mighty hand. In the book of Exodus, we are reminded God's own chosen people were immigrants and refugees from Egypt. "Also thou shalt not oppress a stranger: for ye know the heart of a stranger, seeing ye were strangers in the land of Egypt." [Exodus 23:9].

Every day on the news we hear reports of innocent men, women and children being sold into slavery, taken prisoner, tortured and killed all over the world. I feel tremendously blessed to have been born in America, and to live free in a country where I can worship as I choose, speak my mind, and live without fear of recrimination for my faith and my opinions.

However, our country, our leaders, our citizens, have a long way to go before we can truly call America "the land of the free and the home of the brave." We Christians are called to be the voice for those voiceless victims not just in foreign countries, but in our own neighborhoods and communities. An article published Sunday February 19, 2006 in The Observer reports "A shocking 37 million Americans live in poverty. That is 12.7 per cent of the population - the highest percentage in the developed world."

Terror has always been a part of the enemy's portfolio. We are certainly more aware of imminent danger since the events of 9/11, but the danger has always existed. People have always lived at risk of being attacked in some part of the world from the beginning of time. I don't lay awake at night worrying about terrorist attacks on America. I lay awake at night wondering when America will again become the land of opportunity for the all poor, all the hungry, all the tired and all the oppressed, within her borders and beyond.

Our current systems for processing and monitoring immigrants don't seem to be adequate. They should be changed. But they should be changed with the intention of keeping America the land of the free and the home of the brave, not some exclusive paradise that is inaccessible to both the poor within our borders and "outsiders" More border patrols and higher, longer fences won't keep out the terrorists. They will keep out the truly desperate, those in dire need of sanctuary.

As Christians we are called to a high standard. We are to welcome the stranger, the foreigner, in the name of the God we worship. That same God led his chosen people to a land flowing with milk and honey. How can we, then, deny a similar blessing to those who seek it?