1. World Refugee Day
This Wednesday was World Refugee Day, and The Big Picture had a great collection of photos of refugees from around the world to commemorate the day.
2. Viewing immigration from the low places
One of the critiques of the recent statement on guiding principles for immigration reform signed by evangelical leaders is that it doesn’t naturally translate into action steps that could lead to actual policy changes. Alan Andrews, former U.S. director of The Navigators, now lives in Phoenix with his wife, serving among undocumented immigrants. He shares part of his story here and then offers some practical action steps:
Not long ago, I viewed the immigrants coming to our country without proper documentation as lawbreakers. I thought if people wanted to come to our country, they should get in line and do it right. The apostle Paul made it clear that submission to governing authorities was important. I affirmed the importance of treating people with compassion, but breaking the law was unacceptable. Then in 2004, my wife, Becky, and I spent two weeks living in “the ‘hood” at Neighborhood Ministries in Phoenix, Arizona. As we met undocumented families and heard their stories, we came to understand their plight and pain. The issue had a new dimension—a human face.
3. Marco Rubio on faith and policy
Among the names batted around for a potential Romney running mate is Marco Rubio, an up-and-coming Cuban-American Senator. Sarah Pulliam-Bailey interviewed him for Christianity Today about his complicated faith and how it translates into policy on a range of issues. Here’s what he had to say about the question of immigration, and the relationship between compassion and rule of law:
I don’t think they’re mutually exclusive. You can do both. At no time does our faith call us to violate legal principles—on the contrary. We have to recognize that when we’re talking about immigration, we’re not talking about statistics. We’re talking about human beings, the vast majority of whom, the ones who are here legally, are here in search of jobs and a better life. That’s where the debate comes in:how do we balance those two things? That’s what I hope any future conversation about immigration reform will be balanced by—the balance between our compassion for our fellowman and the need to have rules that are followed.
4. Short-term mission trips debated
It’s summertime, and for many of our churches, summer is synonymous with short-term mission trips. Darren Carlson has started a three-part series of posts on The Gospel Coalition blog. Part one describes the history and the good side of the phenomenon. Part two deals with some of the dangers. And part three will be coming soon, providing some tips for doing short-term trips well. These are important conversations for pastors, parents, students, and, well, all of us to be having.
5. Update from Steve Saint
Steve Saint, the son of famous missionary Nate Saint, was critically injured and partially paralyzed while testing a piece of equipment for I-TEC on June 12. He successfully came through surgery earlier this week, but faces a long road of recovery. Here’s a video update from just before the surgery.
Repaso is intended as a thought-provoking compilation of news and commentary from the past week related to the intersections of faith, development, justice and peace. As always, I welcome your thoughts on any of the links and ideas in this roundup!
[Photo credit: A Tibetan boy shows his trophy after winning a soccer match inside a Tibetan refugee camp, in Katmandu, Nepal. Niranjan Shrestha/Associated Press via The Big Picture]
