Tag: refugees
Fallen Powers and Church Presence
The root problems of refugeeism are giant and many. Policy, economics, discrimination. I will never forget when a Syrian project leader from Aleppo told me we are all responsible for displacement around the world because...
Addressing the Root Problems of the Refugee Crisis
For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. –...
Building (and Becoming) a Sanctuary for Refugees
We all need a home—a place to live, to love and be loved, to heal, to grow, to learn, to prosper, to thrive, to know and be known. Migrants, more than the rest of us,...
Wanting Refugees and Making a Home for Them
I was in Kenya in the autumn of 2014. I stayed in the home of a saint of a woman named Goma. Grandmotherly, gentle, joyful, she sang songs of praise while cooking breakfasts of eggs...
Nearly 1,000,000 Syrians Newly Displaced This Year–The Worst Year So Far
The Syrian war is old news. Wasn’t Aleppo retaken? Isn’t ISIS defeated? Didn’t Russia finish the job? And, perhaps more importantly, haven’t we moved on to North Korea, talks of collusion, Iran, trade and tariffs,...
Compassion Versus Security
The largest obstacle to resettling refugees in North America is our own fear. It is a fear that comes from news stories about Arabs and Africans—sometimes migrants, usually not—killing Westerners on the street or in...
On the Prospect of Resettlement: Saying “Welcome”
Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. – Hebrews 13:1-2 As we’ve noted, the “refugee” label carries various...
The Abandonment of Muslim Refugees
This year, the United States is on track to welcome the fewest number of refugees since 2002, when 9/11 thwarted resettlement programs in this country. That year, about 22,000 refugees found homes in America. So...
How to Love the Alien and Fight Bureaucratization: Paternalism over Partnership
Temptation 3: Paternalism over Partnership In my own experience in aid work and in conversation with many veteran colleagues, the heavy sociological question arises: Is aid colonial? The answer: sure, it can be—but it doesn’t...
How to Love the Alien and Fight Bureaucratization: The Tyranny of Donors
Temptation 2: The Tyranny of Donors Missionaries, artists, and university administrators know this temptation well. We feel the wonderful blessing of receiving aid with which to do good work, but that aid comes with a...