Tag: refugee crisis

When Refugees Can’t Come, We Must Go to Them

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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And now we come to the current problem in the refugee crisis. Refugees can’t come to America. Not now, at least. If we can’t be Christian and not accept them, what are we to do?

I have heard a lot of discussion about the Parable of the Good Samaritan among Christians debating the crisis and Trump’s ban. What surprises me as I listen to these conversations is that many people are using the parable to justify not taking care of their refugee neighbors.

“The Good Samaritan didn’t take the injured Jew home with him.” “The Good Samaritan found him on his way.”

I’m afraid in justifying ourselves, we are missing the very point Jesus was trying to make.

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When Refugees Come, We Must Greet Them

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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I do not believe you can be a Christian and not accept refugees. If we haven’t before, now is the time to truly count the cost of following Christ.

As Christians, we are called to lay down our lives for the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We are the hands and feet of Love in this broken world, and we risk our lives being so. Our doors are to be open to the Christian refugee as well as the Muslim refugee. We of all people need to be the ones greeting refugees when they come.

Islam is a religion of consummation. They are not merely concerned with us accepting them and letting them have their own religious peace. They want the whole world to be converted. In taking them in as a nation, we risk being consumed by them. If we want the world to know peace, then we must be the first ones to care for them so that we can introduce them to the One who is peace.

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What Will Happen If We Don’t Accept Refugees (and what could happen if we do)

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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There are more refugees in the world today than any other time since WW2, yet our President has administered an executive order banning refugees from seven prime terrorist countries.

The seven main countries refugees are fleeing from.

I am not concerned about the executive order. We will get into that in the next post. What concerns me is the unwillingness on the part of many followers of Christ to open their doors to those fleeing for their lives.

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Can You Be a Christian and Not Accept Refugees?

By Asher Witmer Current Events, Spiritual Formation, Work Life & Ministry
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Without adding to the meaningless noise of opinions on the current refugee crisis, in this post I want to wrestle with some questions specific to those of us who claim to be disciples of Jesus Christ. Can we say we are “little Christs” and not accept refugees?

Have we in the American church become so obsessed about the cares of this world and deceived by riches, and have we become so in love with other things that God’s word has been choked out of our midst and we are proving unfruitful?

If we do not accept refugees, can we claim Christ as our Lord? If we do not commit to suffering for the Gospel, can we expect to share in the resurrection?

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