Maga's Evil Christian God is Unwanted Here

Maga's Evil Christian God is Unwanted Here

by R.E. Slater

It has become painfully obvious to me that the bible is the story of God "as the ancients had believed God to be" in their thoughts and imaginations. More so, we today are not alleviated of this soul task of imagining the kind of God which is present amongst us given this life's trials and challenges and ills. Especially now as American culture has become affectedly changed by maga Christianity.

In past recent posts it was flatly stated that the bible's cultural settings had affected ancient man's religious beliefs as much as our current cultural settings affect our beliefs about God and Christian duty today. As we look around ourselves trying to account for all we see and hear we see incongruencies to the Jesus faith we had been raised in to accept and believe by the very people who taught to us those sacred beliefs.

Now, we see everywhere across the American church landscape willfully evil men and women committing religious crimes in the lives of innocents, the poor, the oppressed, migrant, and despised. How can such Christian men and women who claim faith in Jesus commit such harm and malfiscience in this nation's societies while believing themselves to be good and holy? And what does this tell us of their evil God they follow?

"This was my challenge many years ago before maga-evangelicalism had worked itself out into it's presently espoused Hillsdale theology of God (the location of Maga's vaunted religious rulebook known as Project 2025 purporting itself to be the church's sole document of faith and dogma). I have come to adamantly reject maga's hedonistic God of yesteryear's unloving bible and today's maga church as highly errant in its doctrines and faith practices. In it's place I now present a theology of love which emphasises a loving God and loving bible and have taken the pains to reconstruct and replace my former covenant-based Reformed evangelical doctrine for a more thoroughly loving theology known as process theology."

However awful, inane, avowedly stubborn, unwise, inaccurate, and errant maga dogma is, it's view of the Christian God and bible does not relieve any of us of the ever present task of seeking for a God which can make sense of this life for us. This challenge also includes those deceived by maga indoctrination as well.

"Even as Israel's unloving God then - and the maga-church's unloving God now - has plainly shown to us --> the words and deeds of failed theologies of God and the resulting faith practices by Christian religionists <-- could not see the "forest for the trees" either then, nor now, for all the religious fervency they have espoused for God and godly living. Over the centuries ugly theologies like Calvinism have ruined the lives of sincere men and women even as today's horrendous Palestinian/Gaza policies by 21st century Israel - or Maga's Project 2025 - are presently doing again today."

Not surprisingly, Jesus had observed the same in his day even as modern (non-maga) theists are observing again today. For his laudable efforts, Jesus was shut up by public lies of his work and character and consequently murdered while today's preachers of love are similarly actively ignored and publicly denounced,,, all in the maga-God's name of injustice and evil.

"Today's people of God have the unenviable challenge of placing themselves squarely onto the pages of yesteryear's bible: 'That of challenging and rejecting all evil beliefs of the Christian God and Christian church as promoted, espoused, preached, and noised by the maga-church.' This same unenviable task was enacted by Jesus towards the Torahic religionists of his day ("Torahic" means relating to, or characteristic of, the Torah, the first five books of the Hebrew Bible)."

Our challenge then is to reject all evil beliefs of the maga-God and to imagine what a loving God can mean in all facets of this life lived now in the 21st century. Otherwise, there is but little choice to reject all Christian Gods and to abandon the Christian faith for something else other than God as the maga-Christian religion has made life more wretched than beautiful in its beliefs and practices.

Process belief flatly rejects evil men, evil faiths, and any evil Gods today's maga-Christian nations and religions demand we accept. In the former Christian faith as it was once taught it was unacceptable to reject love for evil. Moreover, it is both the firm belief and imagination of those of us who wish to see Love in this universe and it's God that we reject all errant interpretations of God and life in direct disregard and deliberate disagreement to the teachings of evil men and evil preachers of a bible teaching that an evil God is the way, truth, and the life. It isn't. Rather, they have misconstrued, lied, and misinterpreted a loving God for One that is evil and has given them permission to act evilly towards all those whom they chose to hate and not love.

"This isn't the Jesus way who taught Love is the New Law and that all faith laws are now superseded - that it was Israel's laws which mistaught God and God's ways."

The task then for today's true Christian prophets is to denounce unloving beliefs and acts while announcing that God is love in all the ways that love can be profound in our lives and into the worlds around us. It is a paradoxically true statement that "Loving theologies do not capture the hearts of unloving Christians" when daily denying God's love by acting unlovingly in the lives of those around us. Such Christians have deluded themselves, those around themselves, and even the God who hears their prayers:

8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. - 1 John 1.8-10

Paul similarly says we have become as brass bells announcing our folly to the world:

"Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal," highlighting the importance of love and genuine faith over outward displays. - 1 Cor 13.1

And Jesus says for all religious man's laws and legalisms they have missed the God of creation in his Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5-7):

5 Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

    for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the meek,

    for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

    for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

    for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

    for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

    for they will be called children of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

11 “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. 12 Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

To conclude, the bible was yesterday's newspaper of evil men preaching an evil God. More broadly, it was the story of man searching for God and how this yearning for peace and beauty, construction and paradigm, might affect livelihoods and society. It seems we are doing the same today as poorly as when we first begun. That we are not the more enlightened but made the more brutish when holding unloving Gods of power and wrath. The challenge is to live love as ones God is love. Such a challenge is more than biblical... it is one that is learning to become concurrent with the universe and the God of the universe. Love then is the true bible that we are to read.

R.E. Slater

March 16, 2025

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AI Overview

The idea of "the Bible as yesterday's newspaper" suggests that the Bible, while containing timeless truths, can also be viewed as a record of events and teachings relevant to its historical context, much like a newspaper captures the news of a specific day.

Here's a breakdown of the concept:

Timeless Truths:

The Bible is often seen as containing universal moral principles and spiritual guidance that transcend time and culture.

Historical Context:

However, the Bible also reflects the specific historical, cultural, and social realities of the time in which it was written.

Newspaper Analogy:

Just as a newspaper reports on the events of a particular day, the Bible recounts stories, laws, and teachings relevant to its own time.

Relevance Today:

While the specific details of the Bible's historical context may differ from our own, the underlying principles and messages can still be relevant and applicable to our lives today.

Example:

For instance, the Old Testament laws about agriculture or social structures might not be directly applicable today, but the underlying principles of justice and compassion remain relevant.

Different Interpretations:

The way we interpret the Bible and its relevance to our lives can vary, and different people may draw different conclusions from its teachings.

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DISCERNMENT

by Dr. Abidan Shah

published in the newspaper Daily Dispatch

Henderson on September 9, 2020

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the word “discern” comes from the Latin combination of “dis,” which means “apart,” and “cernere,” which means “to sift.” Discernment is the ability to sift apart fact from fiction, truth from opinion, and horse sense from horse dung. Failure to exercise discernment can be costly.

The Bible is replete with examples of lack of discernment, beginning in the Old Testament: Adam and Eve failed to exercise discernment when they accepted the Serpent’s offer to taste the forbidden fruit; the people of Israel repeatedly lacked discernment in going after false gods; King Saul believed every untrue report against David and wasted time trying to execute the “man after God’s own heart;” and the Jewish remnant in the Babylonian exile could not discern that God still had “a future and a hope” for them.

In the New Testament, we continue to see a similar lack of discernment: the Pharisees and the scribes accused Jesus of being demon possessed instead of cross-checking his life and ministry with the Old Testament prophecies. Later, the Christians in Galatia were reprimanded by Paul for letting false teachers lead them astray from the true gospel.

But the Bible also gives plenty of examples of wise discernment: Joseph exercised discernment when he turned down the advances of Potiphar’s wife; Ruth chose to follow her mother-in-law Naomi rather than stay behind in Moab; and Jesus rejected the three offers of the Devil and chose to obey his Father.

Unfortunately, we are living in a time when a sense of discernment is harder to find than toilet paper in a pandemic! Individually and collectively, we are becoming more and more gullible to whatever is thrown our way. Gone are the days of conferring with credible authorities and checking the reliability of the sources. Nowadays, the more sensational and shocking the story, the more likely it is to circulate, regardless of any verification. This is clearly demonstrated in how people use social media. Many do not stop to consider the veracity of a social media post or the ramification of their re-post. Now, everything is about more likes and more shares with no concern for accuracy or outcome. The result of all this is fear, despair, hate, chaos, and destruction.

Our world is in desperate need of true discernment. I emphasize “true” because there is a false discernment that equates being hesitant, overly cautious, closed minded, and old fashioned with being discerning. Biblical discernment is about wise living. The Hebrew word for discernment (bîn) does not mean being stuck in time. It is about moving forward with godly wisdom. So also, the Greek word for discernment (krino) means to investigate, to determine, to compare, to consider, and to judge. It is time that God’s people exercise godly discernment in every area of our lives, especially in how we respond to the crisis facing our nation and the world. Sometimes, this may be easier said than done, as Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, once said, “Discernment is not a matter of simply telling the difference between right and wrong; rather it is telling the difference between right and almost right.”

Let Paul’s prayer for the Philippians be ours as well -

“And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in knowledge and all discernment, that you may approve the things that are excellent, that you may be sincere and without offense till the day of Christ, being filled with the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.” (Philippians 1:9-11)

What Is Divine Love and How Is Love Holy?

What Is Divine Love

and How Is Love Holy?

Through the years, starting around 2009, I made a decision to move away from evangelicalism's platforms to revere God's holiness and chose to lift up over holiness God's deep and resonous love. That is, to define all divine attributes on the basis of divine love and not holiness. This was no easy task when it came to western biblicism but once begun it became easier and easier to discern the difference and write about affectively.

Why? Because all the doctrines I was taught over the decades had been outcomes of God's holiness including many of the historical Christian creeds. The local church has tried mightily to live, incorporate, and produce, the impossible reconstruction of the human character. A holy perfectness that is fraught by every move and angle of our human being. And as both church and religion did so it found itself leaning deeply into the religious side of our dark nature and made a Jesus faith twice the child of cruelty, brainwashing, and moral sectarianism, if not death itself both while attempting to live out a compromised faith and in fact.

As such, by 2009, I had been reading of God's love on every page of the bible, including those biblical narrations which fell deeply afoul of the divine presence of love when it errantly portrayed human depravity as attributable to God's direction and will. Thus making of a loving God a God of cruelty, war, and oppression. But in Jesus, when reading of human actions in both the Old and New Testament we know these narratives cannot be attributable to God but to the depravity of the human heart.

Furthermore, over the many years of a Semitic Jewish nation struggling between divine holiness (Ezra's stoic Essenes come to mind) vs divine love, Jesus then came along to reright the religious argument for Jewish holiness showing God to be a loving God by Jesus' own words and deeds of how to love one another (more or less, by simply meeting the moment as it came). That by such loving actions and attitudes we followers of Jesus are to do the same for no gain - not even heaven - as we should by love's qualities of selfless service to one another.... Thus, holiness comes by way of a qualitative way of living out one's heart, mind and soul even as it is Jesus' holiness of love that all human actions are loving founded upon the God of Love and result in holiness in its production or outcome.

Lastly, the doctrines of holiness demand rather a controlling God of dictate, fiat, and enactment BUT doctrines of grace, mercy, and peace do not advocate such for such a determinative Creator nor divine partner who isn't a controlling theocrat, ruler or presence but an uncontrolling Gid with all things good and decent. This is where freewill comes in against the church idea of a controlling, all-determinative divinity (known as Calvinism vs Jacobus Arminian's position of freewill and love).

In Jacobus' theology a God of love doesn't require control of creation or the future but has lovingly birthed God's Self, God's Essence or Image, into creation that a loving freewilled agency may exercise itself to its own conflicted being... loving freewill is, by nature, conflicted. It may choose love or unlove, else love wouldn't be part of our freewill agency. Hence, we live in a world which is conflicted towards generosity and goodness or evil and depravity. It is not one thing or another but all things. And in a God of love the amazement is God's own story of loving freewill presence who birthed the universe for a loving future. A future which blossoms in fidelity with God's own Spirit of soulful repentance, purposeful redemption, minded renewal, non-oppressive reconstruction, spiritual reform, constitutional recreation, and atoning resurrection.

So then, Love is the only sufficient answer to any church or religion against it's own doctrines of hypocrisy, legalism, pride, and manmade (stoic) holiness in religious attempts to control a depraved religious nature seemingly always bent to the wrong thing, the wrong God, and wrong actions. Here, is where soulful repentance must begin at our own design to propitiate=atone ourselves by our own ragged works. Known as the profuse act of pride, man would be his own pious savior should we turn to this direction. But love is self-giving and even in the last instance it must always turn to another for true relational propitiation and never to oneself (sic, process theology).

These bespeak divine actions of restitution, expiation, reparation, salvation, regeneration, and redemption. And though the human soul yearns for these qualities it cannot do so on its own. It requires an atoning God to effect these qualities into our star-crossed heart by the divine act of covenanted restitution upon God's own self. Even as this was the basis of the Abrahamic Covenant when walking between the sacrificed carcasses; or Moses' lifted Rod against viperous bites; or David's please for divine mercy; or the prophet's cry for atoning help. So too was Gidcraised upon a cross between sacrificed brutes by viperous religionists crying Abba Father as lasting sacrifice. This is divine love.

Thus and thus, I left evangelicalism's "holy control mindset" and became a mix of progressive, loving ex-vangelical, and post-evangelical in my soul's associations, rewriting all the theologies I was taught using a process-based philosophical theology centered in love. Over the years I've written thousands of articles on what this means across a breadth of human activity and disciplines. It took awhile to find that the simplest energy on earth is that of love,... but once found, I've applied it over and over and over again to humanity's histories, sciences, churches, socio-economic politics, ecologies, and religions.

Peace,

R.E. Slater

August 25, 2024

*A personal note.

I have been struggling with surgical infections for nearly ten years. This past spring a final, determinative act was made to return me to full health. Over the recent months I have been adjusting to a new reality which has caused some reciprocating actions in my activities. Consequently, I have ceased activity across a plethora of volunteer community duties over the past 17 years of retirement. I also have lately assumed the caretake of raising very small grandchildren. I am also experiencing a general weariness of soul, if not a general slowing down by age. I kindly then ask prayer for strength, energy, vision, discernment, and endurance for the days and years ahead, Lord willing.

I've given these many years of retirement to Christian testimony how any faith, and especially a Christian faith, may be, become, and remain steadfast through the dessimination of a variety of resources mentioned throughout "Relevancy22's" digital pages. Use them to help sort through faith issues and to build awareness in the many ways one may minister by labor, calling, direction, or witness.

Thank you for this service to you by the God who loves and uses even the small voices of this world to speak out for loving embrace, equity, fairness, and compassion in all matters of living which we do every, single day of opportunity. Peace. - res

* * * * * * *

FULL SERIES

9 - The Artistry of Processual Prophecy

8 - Part 2/2 - The Difference between Non-Process and Process-based Source Criticism and Interpretation

7 - Part 1/2 - The Difference between Non-Process and Process-based Source Criticism and Interpretation

6 - How People Think of the History of the Bible

5 - When Did Written History Begin and Why Is This Important to Christians?

4 - Becoming Bereans and the Process-based Christian Faith

3 - Is Yahweh ‌a‌ ‌Warrior‌ ‌God ‌or‌ ‌a‌ ‌God‌ ‌of‌ ‌Shalom?

2 - How to Read the Cruel and Violent Acts in the Bible

1 - What Is Divine Love and How Is Love Holy?

Bible Verses About Immigration

Bible Verses About Immigration

Compiled by The BibleStudyTools Staff

article link

What does the Bible say about immigration? Although the Bible does not give a complete set of guidelines for immigration, it does give us some specific commandments that can lead to an understanding of God’s view on immigration. There are examples of commandments that shed light on having the same law for an immigrate and the native-born. “At the end of seven years, you shall have a release of debts … Of a foreigner you may require it; but you shall give up your claim to what is owed by your brother” (Deuteronomy 15:1-3). Learn more from our list of Bible verses about immigration below.

For a more in-depth study on immigration, visit these informative articles:

• What Does the Bible Say About Immigration? (& How Should Christians Respond)

• What Does the Bible Say about National Borders and Should Christians Support Them?

Deuteronomy 26:5

5 Then you shall declare before the LORD your God: “My father was a wandering Aramean, and he went down into Egypt with a few people and lived there and became a great nation, powerful and numerous.

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Deuteronomy 27:19

19 “Cursed is anyone who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow.” Then all the people shall say, “Amen!”

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Exodus 12:49

49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”

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Exodus 22:21

21 “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.

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Exodus 23:9

9 “Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt.

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Ezekiel 22:7

7 In you they have treated father and mother with contempt; in you they have oppressed the foreigner and mistreated the fatherless and the widow.

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Galatians 3:28

28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.

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Deuteronomy 10:18

18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

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Deuteronomy 10:19

19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.

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Deuteronomy 24:14

14 Do not take advantage of a hired worker who is poor and needy, whether that worker is a fellow Israelite or a foreigner residing in one of your towns.

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Genesis 12:1

1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

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Genesis 12:10

10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.

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Hebrews 13:2

2 Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

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James 1:27

27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

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Leviticus 23:22

22 “ ‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

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Leviticus 24:22

22 You are to have the same law for the foreigner and the native-born. I am the LORD your God.’ ”

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Leviticus 25:35

35 “ ‘If any of your fellow Israelites become poor and are unable to support themselves among you, help them as you would a foreigner and stranger, so they can continue to live among you.

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Malachi 3:5

5 “So I will come to put you on trial. I will be quick to testify against sorcerers, adulterers and perjurers, against those who defraud laborers of their wages, who oppress the widows and the fatherless, and deprive the foreigners among you of justice, but do not fear me,” says the LORD Almighty.

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Matthew 25:35

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

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Philippians 3:20

20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ,

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Psalms 146:9

9 The LORD watches over the foreigner and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

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Leviticus 19:33-34

33 “ ‘When a foreigner resides among you in your land, do not mistreat them.

34 The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.

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Zechariah 7:9-10

9 “This is what the LORD Almighty said: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another.

10 Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the foreigner or the poor. Do not plot evil against each other.’

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Deuteronomy 10:18-19

18 He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the foreigner residing among you, giving them food and clothing.

19 And you are to love those who are foreigners, for you yourselves were foreigners in Egypt.

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Jeremiah 7:5-7

5 If you really change your ways and your actions and deal with each other justly,

6 if you do not oppress the foreigner, the fatherless or the widow and do not shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not follow other gods to your own harm,

7 then I will let you live in this place, in the land I gave your ancestors for ever and ever.

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Deuteronomy 24:19-22

19 When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow, so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands.

20 When you beat the olives from your trees, do not go over the branches a second time. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.

21 When you harvest the grapes in your vineyard, do not go over the vines again. Leave what remains for the foreigner, the fatherless and the widow.

22 Remember that you were slaves in Egypt. That is why I command you to do this.

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Romans 13:1-7

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.

4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.

7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

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Romans 13

1 Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God.

2 Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.

3 For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and you will be commended.

4 For the one in authority is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for rulers do not bear the sword for no reason. They are God’s servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.

5 Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also as a matter of conscience.

6 This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God’s servants, who give their full time to governing.

7 Give to everyone what you owe them: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

8 Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.

9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

10 Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

11 And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed.

12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.

13 Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.

14 Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh.

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Matthew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne.

32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.

33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,

36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink,

43 I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

44 “They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

45 “He will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

46 “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

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Genesis 11

1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.

2 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.

3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.

4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.

6 The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9 That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

10 This is the account of Shem’s family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.

13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.

15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.

17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.

19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.

21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.

23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.

25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.

27 This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.

28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.

29 Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.

30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

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The Apostle Paul's Refugee Experience

St. Paul, the Apostle to the Gentiles'

Itinerant Life and the Refugee Experience

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by Pope Benedict XVI

St. Paul's 'all things to all peoples' an incentive to solidarity

For the upcoming 95th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, to be celebrated on 18 January 2009, the Holy Father has written a Message to honour the 2,000th anniversary of St. Paul's birth. The following is a translation of the original Italian texts of the Papal Message, dated 24 August, Castel Gandolfo.

Dear Brothers and Sisters,

This year the theme of the Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees is: "St. Paul migrant, 'Apostle of the peoples'". It is inspired by its felicitous coincidence with the .Jubilee Year I established in the Apostle's honour on the occasion of the 2,000th anniversary of his birth. Indeed, the preaching and mediation between the different cultures and the Gospel which Paul, "a migrant by vocation" carried out, are also an important reference point for those who find themselves involved in the migratory movement today.

Born into a family of Jewish immigrants in Tarsus, Cilicia, Saul was educated in the Hebrew and Hellenistic cultures and languages, making the most of the Roman cultural context. After his encounter with Christ on the road to Damascus (cf. Gal r:13-16), although he did not deny his own "traditions" and felt both esteem and gratitude to .Judaism and the Law (cf. Rm 9:1-5; 10:1; 2 Cor 1:22; Gal 1:13-14; Phil 3:3-6), he devoted himself without hesitation or second thoughts to his new mission, with courage and enthusiasm and docile to the Lord's command: "I will send you far away to the Gentiles" (Acts 22:21). His life changed radically (cf. Phil 3:7-11): Jesus became for him his raison d'être and the motive that inspired his apostolic dedication to the service of the Gospel. He changed from being a persecutor of Christians to being an Apostle of Christ.

Guided by the Holy Spirit, he spared no effort to see that the Gospel which is "the power of God for salvation to every one who has faith, to the Jew first and also to the Greek" (Rm 1:16) was proclaimed to all, making no distinction of nationality or culture. On his apostolic journeys, in spite of meeting with constant opposition, he first proclaimed the Gospel in the synagogues, giving prior attention to his compatriots in the diaspora (cf. Acts 18:4-6). If they rejected him he would address the Gentiles, making himself an authentic "missionary to migrants" — as a migrant and an ambassador of Jesus Christ "at large" in order to invite every person to become a "new creation" in the Son of God (2 Cor 5:17).

The proclamation of the kerygma caused him to cross the seas of the Near East and to travel die roads of Europe until he reached Rome. He set out from Antioch, where he proclaimed the Gospel to people who did not belong to Judaism and where the disciples of Jesus were called "Christians" for the first time (cf. Acts 11:20, 26). His life and his preaching were wholly directed to making Jesus known and loved by all, for all persons are called to become a single people in him.

This is the mission of the Church and of every baptized person in our time too, even in the era of globalization; a mission that. with attentive pastoral solicitude is also directed to the variegated universe of migrants — students far from home, immigrants, refugees, displaced people, evacuees — including for example, the victims of modern forms of slavery, and of human trafficking. Today too the message of salvation must be presented with the same approach as that of the Apostle to the Gentiles, taking into account the different social and cultural situations and special difficulties of each one as a consequence of his or her condition as a migrant or itinerant person.

I express the wish that every Christian community may feel the same apostolic zeal as St. Paul who, although he was proclaiming to all the saving love of the Father (Rm 8:15-16; Gal 4:6) to "win more" (1 Cor 9:22) for Christ, made himself weak "to the weak... all things to all men so that [he] might by all means save some" (1 Cor 9:22).

May his example also be an incentive for us to show solidarity to these brothers and sisters of ours and to promote, in every part of the world and by every means, peaceful coexistence among different. races, cultures and religions.

Yet what was the secret of the Apostle to the Gentiles? The missionary zeal and passion of the wrestler that distinguished him stemmed from the fact that since "Christ [had.] made him his own", (Phil 3:12), he remained so closely united to him that he felt he shared in his same life, through sharing in "his sufferings" (Phil 3:10; cf. also Rm 8:17; 2 Cor 4:8-12; Col 1:24). This is the source of the apostolic ardour of St. Paul who recounts: "He who had set me apart before I was born, and had called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles" (Gal 1:15-16; cf. also Rm 15:15-16). He felt "crucified with" Christ, so that he could say: "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20), and no difficulty hindered him from persevering in his courageous evangelizing action in cosmopolitan cities such as Rome and Corinth, which were populated at that time by a mosaic of races and cultures.

In reading the Acts of the Apostles and the Letters that Paul addressed to various recipients, we perceive a model of a Church that was not exclusive but on the contrary open to all, formed by believers without distinction of culture or race: every baptized person is, in fact, a living member of the one Body of Christ.. In this perspective, fraternal solidarity expressed in daily gestures of sharing, joint participation and joyful concern for others, acquires a unique prominence. However, it is impossible to achieve this dimension of brotherly mutual acceptance, St. Paul always teaches, without the readiness to listen to and welcome the Word preached and practised (cf. 1 Thes 1:6), a Word that urges all to be imitators of Christ (cf. Eph 5:1-2), to be imitators of the Apostle (cf. 1 Cor 11:1). And therefore, the more closely the community is united to Christ, the more it cares for its neighbour, eschewing judgment, scorn and scandal, and opening itself to reciprocal acceptance (cf. Rm 14:13; 15:7). Conformed to Christ, believers feel they are "brothers" in him, sons of the same Father (Rm 8:14-16; Gal 3:26; 4:6). This treasure of brotherhood makes them "practise hospitality" (Rm 1 2: 13), which is the firstborn daughter of agape (cf. 1 Tm 3:2, 5:10; Ti 1:8; Phlm 17).

In this manner the Lord's promise comes true: "then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters" (2 Cor 6:17-18). If we are aware of this, how can we fail to take charge of all those, particularly refugees and displaced people, who are in conditions of difficulty or hardship? How can we fail to meet the needs of those who are de facto the weakest and most defenceless, marked by precariousness and insecurity, marginalized and often excluded by society? We should give our priority attention to them because, paraphrasing a well known Pauline text, "God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise, God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong, God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God" (1 Cor 1:27).

Dear brothers and sisters, may the World Day for Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated on 18 January 2009, be for all an incentive to live brotherly love to the full without making any kind of distinction and without discrimination, in the conviction that any one who needs us and whom we can help is our neighbour (cf: Deus Caritas Est, n. 15). May the teaching and example of St. Paul, a great and humble Apostle and a migrant, an evangelizer of peoples and cultures, spur us to understand that the exercise of charity is the culmination and synthesis of the whole of Christian life.

The commandment of love — as we well know — is nourished when disciples of Christ, united, share in the banquet of the Eucharist which is, par excellence, the sacrament of brotherhood and love. And just as Jesus at the Last Supper combined the new commandment of fraternal love with the gift of the Eucharist, so his "friends", following in the footsteps of Christ who made himself a "servant" of humanity, and sustained by his Grace cannot but dedicate themselves to mutual service, taking charge of one another, complying with St. Paul's recommendation: "bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ" (Gal 6:2). Only in this way does love increase among believers and for all people (cf. 1 Thes 3:12).

Dear brothers and sisters, let us not tire of proclaiming and witnessing to this "Good News" with enthusiasm, without fear and sparing no energy! The entire Gospel message is condensed in love, and authentic disciples of Christ are recognized by the mutual love their hear one another and by their acceptance of all.

May the Apostle Paul and especially Mary, the Mother of acceptance and love, obtain this gift for us. As I invoke the divine protection upon all those who are dedicated to helping migrants, and more generally, in the vast world of migration, I assure each one of my constant remembrance in prayer and, with affection, I impart my apostolic: Blessing to all.

Taken from:

L'Osservatore Romano

Weekly Edition in English

15 October 2008, page 27

L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See.

The Weekly Edition in English is published for the US by:

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Baltimore, MD 21201

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lormail@catholicreview.org

What does the Bible say about refugees and displaced people?

Artiom (pictured at age 2) and his sister, Yeva (pictured at age 5), play at World Vision’s child-safe play area while their mother, Diana, shops for supplies in Romania’s Romexpo, a center that was converted at the onset of the crisis to offer housing and access to essential resources such as hygiene materials, clothing, and food. Diana drove her children from Ukraine through Moldova to Romania, leaving her husband, parents, and in-laws behind. (©2022 World Vision/photo by Laura Reinhardt)

What does the Bible say about refugees

and displaced people?

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by Denise C. Koenig

June 8, 2023

You won’t find the term “refugee” in the Bible. But the Word of God has plenty to say about people called “strangers” and “sojourners” or “foreigners” in our translations.

“Strangers” and “foreigners” refer to anybody who lived among the Jews but was from another ethnic group — no matter what category they might represent in today’s terms.

For instance, the book of Ruth is about a widow from the tribe of Moab who chooses to accompany her mother-in-law, Naomi, back to Israel and live there with her. In Ruth 2:10, we see her ask Boaz, in whose field she is gleaning, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me — a foreigner?” She understands her status as being outside the tribe of Israel.

“Sojourners” are people who are temporarily living in Israel or traveling through the country.

Today’s strangers, foreigners, and sojourners

We use many different terms today for what the Bible calls strangers, foreigners, and sojourners. Here are a few:Refugees — individuals who have fled their home country due to a well-founded fear of persecution, war, violence, or serious harm to their life, physical well-being, or freedom. When someone meets the criteria of a refugee, they are entitled under international law to protection and assistance. In many cases, the circumstances that force families to flee their homes are ongoing crises that make it unsafe for them to return for many years — or leave them without a home to return to — resulting in prolonged displacement.

Asylum seekers — anyone who seeks international protection due to persecution or harm in their home country. Every refugee was initially an asylum-seeker, so when this term is used, it is often meant to indicate someone who is seeking but has not yet been officially granted refugee status by a host country. When an individual applies for asylum, the host country’s government evaluates the claim and determines if the individual meets the criteria for refugee status under international law. If so, they are then formally recognized as a refugee and granted the according protections. If denied, they may be required to leave the country they sought refuge in.

Internally displaced people (IDPs) — individuals who have been forced to flee their home but have not crossed an international border to seek protection. IDPs are like refugees in that they have been uprooted from their homes due to natural disasters, conflict, persecution, or other threats of harm. However, IDPs remain within their country of origin, often living in temporary shelters, in camps, or with host families. IDPs typically return home if it becomes safe and feasible to do so.

Migrants — those who have chosen to leave their home country, mainly to overcome poverty. Migrants are making a permanent move to reunite with family or improve their conditions by pursuing work or education opportunities and would not return to their home country unless conditions improved significantly.

Immigrants — people who choose to move to another country for any number of reasons, such as marriage or other family ties, employment, or business opportunities. The term “immigrants” encompasses a broad range of people, while “migrants” specifically refers to people who move to escape poverty.

Stateless people — those who are not citizens under the laws of any country. A person can experience statelessness when a country ceases to exist or when a country adopts discriminatory laws that do not recognize certain ethnic groups within its borders.

There are principles in God’s Word about how His people are to treat strangers, foreigners, and sojourners.

Temporary shelters lining a park walkway in Turkey (Türkiye) accommodate people who were displaced by the earthquake near the Turkey-Syria border on February 6, 2023. World Vision staff in the area are working to reach those affected with water, sanitation, and hygiene support, educational and livelihoods programs, health and nutrition assistance, shelter and survival items, cash vouchers, and child protection services. (©2023 World Vision)

Jesus said we should show disciple-like behavior in how we treat “strangers.”

"… I was a stranger and you invited me in." - Matthew 25:35 (NIV)

Middle Eastern cultures have always been famous for their hospitality. For example, Abraham invited the angelic visitors into his tent and provided a lavish meal for them (Genesis 18:1­–8). Even so, strangers among the different tribal groups were looked at with suspicion, often conned or taken advantage of, and generally mistreated, especially if they were poor. Against this cultural backdrop, God’s directives in the Old Testament are counter-cultural.

Jesus builds upon the Old Testament precedent and takes it a step further by emphasizing that how we treat strangers indicates whether we are His followers. As His disciples, we are to invite the stranger in.

Foreigners or refugees are not to be oppressed.

"Do not oppress a foreigner; you yourselves know how it feels to be

foreigners, because you were foreigners in Egypt." -  Exodus 23:9 (NIV)

The principle here is clear: Honor the dignity and humanity of foreigners. Notice that the Scripture gives Israel a reason why: because they knew how it felt to be foreigners. Israelites were to call on their empathy for refugees because they had been treated cruelly as refugees when they were made into slaves in Egypt. They were instructed not to cheat foreigners or take advantage of them in any way.

Treat foreigners or refugees as citizens — and with love.

"The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the Lord your God." - Leviticus 19:34 (NIV)

Most Christians know Jesus’ instruction to “love your neighbor as yourself” but may not be aware that Mosaic Law has the same instruction for how to treat foreigners. The command to treat them as “native-born” would have been shocking to people in Moses’ day.

Historically and currently, displaced people may live away from their homes for a short period or even many years. In today’s world, over 100 million people have been forcibly displaced from their homes, according to the U.N. Refugee Agency.

This instruction in Leviticus is as relevant now as ever before.

God has set a high standard for treating those who are foreigners. His people are to love them like we love ourselves and to treat them as citizens. And the reason given? Because God — the “I Am” — commands it.

Make foreigners part of the community.

Miscellaneous instructions in the Law of Moses — the first five books of the Bible — made sure foreigners were included in the Jewish community. They included provisions for them to be treated equally under the law and to be included in festivals and celebrations of the community.

• Cities of refuge were available to Israelites and foreigners in cases of accidental killing (Numbers 35:15).

• Foreigners were to be included in festivals and celebrations mandated in the Law (Deuteronomy 16:14; 26:11).

• Some of the tithes collected by the priests were to be used to not only feed them and their families, but also to help provide food for foreigners, widows, and orphans (Deuteronomy 14:28­­–29).

• Farmers were instructed to leave the gleanings of their fields for the poor and the foreigner (Leviticus 23:22).

• The command to care for the stranger was so embedded in the Law that it was used as the basis for how God’s people were to treat each other: Israelites were to treat their own poor as they would the stranger or the foreigner (Leviticus 25:35).

Notice how these verses address the importance of meeting the needs of displaced people, particularly with regard to food. What needs would someone have coming to the U.S. with a prearranged job as a research scientist in a pharmaceutical lab? How about someone from Ukraine who lost their business and home and sought refuge in Poland? The inequalities are striking. God’s people are called to help meet needs for those struggling with access to food and a means of income, sparing them the devastating effects of extreme poverty and hunger.

Rose and her children, refugees from South Sudan, enjoy their first real meal in weeks at the Goboro transit center in Uganda. This hot meal was provided by World Vision for Rose’s family and hundreds of others on their way to more permanent shelter. (©2018 World Vision/photo by Moses Mukitale)

Show hospitality to strangers.

"Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it." - Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV)

In this passage and a few others (Romans 12:13; 1 Peter 4:9; 3 John 1:5–8), the habit of showing hospitality is highlighted as a characteristic of those who follow Jesus. The church is to support one another, including strangers who come to worship. This became especially important once the Jews were forced from Jerusalem and Palestine in 70 A.D. by the Romans. Then and now, the church should be a welcoming community to all.

All believers are strangers on earth.

"… live out your time as foreigners here with reverent fear." - 1 Peter 1:17 (NIV)

This is a principle for God’s people of all times. Moses instructed the Israelites not to sell any of the land permanently, because the land belonged to God and they were only foreigners living there (Leviticus 25:23).

Think of how graciously God treats us, the foreigners living in His world. His kindness to us can guide our thoughts and actions toward those living as strangers among us.

All believers in Jesus Christ belong

to the kingdom of God.

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household." -Ephesians 2:19 (NIV)

This verse follows the great passage in Ephesians that lays out how we have been saved by grace through faith in Jesus (2:8–10). The terms “foreigners” and “strangers” are used here as metaphors for our condition before our faith in Jesus Christ. Before we believed, we were outside the covenant and considered foreigners or strangers in God’s kingdom (2:11–13). But because of our faith in Him, we are now part of God’s community — strangers who have been welcomed in.

Most people can relate to feeling like an outsider at some point in their lives — whether it be due to their race, ethnicity, economic status, religion, nationality, gender, or other factors. For believers, this feeling can be an opportunity for solidarity with the displaced and marginalized — especially when we recognize that we too were once strangers to God’s kingdom but were welcomed in through the grace and mercy of Christ. In this way, the biblical commandment to welcome strangers becomes a powerful expression of our shared humanity and a reflection of the divine love that transcends all boundaries.