We are living in the "Age of Migration" and migration has a profound impact on all aspects of society and on religious institutions. While there is significant research on migration in the social sciences, little study has been done to understand the impact of migration on Christianity. This book investigates this important topic and the ramifications for Christian theology and ethics. It begins with anthropological and sociological perspectives on the mutual impact between migration and Christianity, followed by a re-reading of certain events in the Hebrew Scripture, the New Testament, and Church history to highlight the central role of migration in the formation of Israel and Christianity. Then follow attempts to reinterpret in the light of migration the basic Christian beliefs regarding God, Christ, and church. The next part studies how migration raises new issues for Christian ethics such as human dignity and human rights, state rights, social justice and solidarity, and ecological justice. The last part explores what is known as "Practical Theology" by examining the implications of migration for issues such as liturgy and worship, spirituality, architecture, and education.

This collection brings together legal scholars and Christian theologians for an interdisciplinary conversation responding to the challenges of global migration. Gathering 14 leading scholars from both law and Christian theology, the book covers legal perspectives, theological perspectives, and key concepts in migration studies. In Part 1, scholars of migration law and policy discuss the legal landscape of migration at both the domestic and international level. In Part 2, Christian theologians, ethicists, and biblical scholars draw on the resources of the Christian tradition to think about migration. In Part 3, each chapter is co-authored by a scholar of law and a scholar of Christian theology, who bring their respective resources and perspectives into conversation on key themes within migration studies. The work provides a truly interdisciplinary introduction to the topic of migration for those who are new to the subject; an opportunity for immigration lawyers and legal scholars to engage Christian theology; an opportunity for pastors and Christian theologians to engage law; and new insights on key frameworks for scholars who are already committed to the study of migration.

Meet people who have fled their homelands. Hagar. Joseph. Ruth. Jesus. Here is a riveting story of seeking safety in another land. Here is a gripping journey of loss, alienation, and belonging. In The God Who Sees, immigration advocate Karen Gonzalez recounts her family’s migration from the instability of Guatemala to making a new life in Los Angeles and the suburbs of south Florida. In the midst of language barriers, cultural misunderstandings, and the tremendous pressure to assimilate, Gonzalez encounters Christ through a campus ministry program and begins to follow him. Here, too, is the sweeping epic of immigrants and refugees in Scripture. Abraham, Hagar, Joseph, Ruth: these intrepid heroes of the faith cross borders and seek refuge. As witnesses to God’s liberating power, they name the God they see at work, and they become grafted onto God’s family tree. Find resources for welcoming immigrants in your community and speaking out about an outdated immigration system. Find the power of Jesus, a refugee Savior who calls us to become citizens in a country not of this world.

"Drawing on his vast scholarly and practical knowledge, Safwat Marzouk offers a biblical vision of an intercultural church, one that fosters justice and diversity, integrates different cultural articulations of faith and worship, and embodies an alternative to the politics of assimilation and segregation. In a time of political polarization around global migration, this biblical vision affirms cultural, linguistic, racial, and ethnic differences as gifts from God that can enrich the church's worship, deepen its sense of fellowship, and broaden its witness to God's reconciling mission in the world. Discussion questions are provided to encourage group conversation on this complex and important topic." --

"A systematic look at migration that seeks to reimagine the operative political, social, and cultural narratives of immigration through a Eucharistic theology"--

Designed for both ordained and lay ministers at the diocesan and parish levels, this document challenges us to prepare to receive newcomers with a genuine spirit of welcome.

Essay from the year 2016 in the subject Theology - Miscellaneous, , course: Private Research, language: English, abstract: As a participant of the course “People and faiths on the move” at the Ecumenical Institute Bossey in July 2016, the author of this paper was inspired by the message of the course, which focused on migration, to write down this perspective on migration within Christianity with focus on the time of the New Testament and particularly just before and immediately after the life of Jesus Christ. In looking at the issue of how people have moved from place to place over the years in search of either a means of survival or a god, this theme anchors strongly on how we can better view some religious experiences of today. It can be seen clearly that there is surely no one faith that does not have in its structure some issues regarding migration. It is either some members of the faith or some items that had been forced to leave or willingly left a certain place to another for some reasons. It is worth noting that the way we will treat the issue of migration here may remain unsatisfactory to others since this paper will also dare into the spiritual dimension of migration. Migration therefore would be viewed here bearing in mind the three angles, being: internal, external and spiritual migrations. This paper does not desire to view Migration only as a movement from one country to the other but also as a movement within the same national territory and as involving both physical movement and spiritual journeys too. In this way, it would be clearer to see certain features of migration in the New Testament. This paper also tries to highlight some aspects of migration in the remaining two Abrahamic faiths, Islam and Judaism, which means that the focus will be on Christianity and allusions will be made to Islam and Judaism. Judaism and Christianity have a lot common on the issue which will be discussed already at the beginning of this paper. Islam will be examined very briefly at the end. It must be emphasized here that the various topics chosen are open to critical discussion for the purpose of achieving a better result -- Take some time to read this work and make constructive criticism so that academic work can triumph.