When Church and Political Sanctuaries Converge: Immigration and Christian Responsibility
By Rev. Dr. Jason Curry
Psalm 150:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty firmament!” I have always been captivated by the beauty of church sanctuaries and concerned about helping the most vulnerable people of society.
One day, I decided to research the etymology or origin of the term sanctuary. One definition of the term refers to the sacred area within the church where people gather to worship. A second definition refers to the process whereby persecuted people are provided physical or political protection from their oppressors or persecutors.
There have been times in history where the ecclesiastical or church idea of sanctuary and the political idea of sanctuary have overlapped. For example, through the Underground Railroad, the Black Church served as a political and theological sanctuary for Black people escaping the South to the North. The Black Church continues to be a sanctuary for those who desire to worship God as well as champion the cause of the despised, dispossessed, disenfranchised, and disinherited people of society.
There are persecuted people who have immigrated to the United States standing in desperate need of both a political and ecclesiastical sanctuary. God’s love and concern for the “stranger” in need of both sanctuaries is clear.
In the Old Testament, Deuteronomy 10:19 says, “You shall also love the stranger, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt.” In the New Testament, Matthew 25:35 says, “for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”
It remains that case that a resourced, regulated with Congressional oversight, and systematic process needs to be implemented to facilitate the immigration process. However, it is important to note that our Christian concern for people, instead of our often callous and human inclination to remain in our resourced comfort zones, should inform our policy. People are made in the Imago Dei or the very image of God (see Genesis 1:27); therefore, we have a responsibility to embrace and advocate for all of God’s creation.
The historical record boldly declares that each of us was once a stranger on our jobs, in our neighborhoods, at our civic clubs, or in our communities. Someone, who could have been antagonistic toward us, welcomed us. It is our Christian responsibility to do likewise.
