He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. 1 John 2:2

"Christ didn’t die for a particular ethnic group, for a particular nationality, for a particular cast, or for a particular race. God loves all men, all women, all children and sent his son to die for all of us." ~ Rich Nathan.

In the first session, Nathan highlights five foundational elements from scripture that should impact our thinking on immigration.

1. The image of God in humans
2. God’s love for all humans
3. The command to love our neighbors as ourselves
4. Our identity as the people of God
5. Our call to hospitality

Leviticus 19:33-34 instructs the Israelites to love the resident foreigners because they too were once foreigners. This identity as a foreigner and the instruction to treat the foreigner as a neighbor are repeated throughout scripture. Jesus clarifies the intent of "love your neighbor" through the story of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 where we find the neighbor is from a people group stigmatized by society. Wherever we see a group regarded as "the other," that’s where the church needs to get involved.

Christians must hold their national identity with a looser grip than the rest of society because our fundamental allegiance is to the God of heaven. As Peter declares, we are scattered exiles. We shouldn’t see ourselves as merely American or Korean or French or Mexican because we are first and foremost citizens of heaven. In this, we should be reminded of God’s desire to defend the cause of the foreigner just as he defends the cause of the widow and the orphan (Deuteronomy 10:18-19).

God showed his power and love for the foreigner through the lives of the patriarchs. Abraham, Jacob, Ruth and Daniel are examples of aliens and foreigners who migrated for reasons of famine, economic refuge, and war. Just as these patriarchs traveled in search of a better land, so do many today.

The United States was once known as a nation of immigrants, drawing many to this land of opportunity. Now, with anti-immigrant organizations such as FAIR (Federation for American Immigration Reform) and Numbers USA, our nation is thrown into debate over what to do with the millions of immigrants residing here without proper documentation. It is interesting to note that entering the United States was not a violation of Federal Law until 1929. Due to lack of funding, those laws were not enforced until the 1940’s. With individuals like John Tanton, founder of FAIR, aiding in the drafting and enactment of Arizona Law SB1070, immigration legislation is getting stronger with a tone of self-proclaiming superiority.

Understanding our identity as Christians, we ought to be bent away from selfishness. Building our understanding of any topic on a foundation of scripture should give us a bent toward kindness and generosity.

Session Two takes a deeper look at who the illegal immigrants are and why they are here. Nathan explores four avenues for entering the U.S. legally and the limitations on those paths.

Like the patriarchs of the Old Testament, there is both a push and a pull with immigration. Migration of people is often initiated by the longing to reconnect with family, by economic need or by the desire for a better life. There is also a pull in our nation by businesses and corporations for both manual labor and specialized skill sets. The immigration system in place is contradictory to the pull.

Entry into this country is not the same as it was two and three generations ago. Our country is ill-equipped to handle the contemporary immigration issue. Enforcement of laws and stronger legislation against immigration is not the solution. Immigration is not a criminal issue. It is a civil issue. More profoundly it is a family issue as current laws seek to deport millions of illegal immigrants leaving an estimated 3.1 million U.S. born children abandoned in this country.

Comprehensive immigration reform is not amnesty. It is a plan that provides a pathway to citizenship aimed at family reunification, reducing the backlog for legal status, and strict employment enforcement.

We cannot stop at the word "illegal" when referring to the immigration issue. With the proper understanding of who the illegal immigrants are, we can then ask why does this person break the law and what is the appropriate consequence for breaking the law. Supporters of comprehensive immigration reform recommend a number of elements to address the issues of penalties, back taxes, criminal record, employment, and requirements for citizenship in an English speaking country.

Comprehensive immigration reform advocates support border control and penalties to those who hire unregistered immigrants. This type of reform also calls for congruity between the umber and types of visas granted with forecasted needs for employment.

Opponents to comprehensive reform back their arguments with fear rather than fact. Crime is one issue stated as a problem with illegal immigrants. The facts do not support this argument. It is more likely that individuals have a “self-serving perceptual bias” meaning they see what they want to see while justifying what doesn’t fit their bias. Taxes, jobs, native identity, lack of ability to speak English, and weak border enforcement are other arguments addressed in this course.

This two-session course will provide you with the Biblical foundation and the current facts to make a difference in the civil rights issue of our day. Don’t let it pass you by.