Christians should be saddened by the language political parties use for illegal immigrants

There are few topics discussed in our nation right now that get as heated as ‘the boats’. With several political parties using the crisis as a platform for election success and many in our nation wholeheartedly agreeing with them, I cautiously and prayerfully approach this topic as I explore what the Lord has laid on my heart. This topic is multifaceted. There is no single solution to the mass migration that we see happening. Yet at the centre of it all, let us not forget that there are desperate people, made in the image of God, longing for safety and security.

Our collective attitude towards asylum seekers has troubled me for the longest time.

Our collective attitude towards asylum seekers has troubled me for the longest time. Yet last week I received some communication through the post from a major political party that broke my heart. It struck me just how much our choice of language matters, especially towards those considered some of the most vulnerable in our society.

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In recent years we have seen mass migration around the world like we have not seen before. It would be unwise to skirt around the issues that a sudden population increase has for a country. Just a few very valid examples of such issues include increased Government costs that could otherwise be spent helping the destitute in our own nation, increased pressure on an already stretched National Health and Welfare Service, culture clashes when foreign nationals are not well integrated into society. The list could go on. I am not an expert and I do not have the solutions to these problems. But I feel convicted that as Christians, we must examine our own hearts and challenge the viewpoints we have adopted. Let us not think as the world does. Let us not reduce the people at the heart of the issue, to mere pawns in a political game.

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I was extremely humbled a few months ago when I was able to sit and talk with an asylum seeker who came to our church. 

I was extremely humbled a few months ago when I was able to sit and talk with an asylum seeker who came to our church. As he told me his story, tears flowed down his face and his pain at reliving all he had encountered was so evident. The last thing he needed was hostility and judgement. Or to be a scapegoat for our country’s problems. He needed someone to listen to him, to pray with him and to show him that God loves him and has good plans for for his future.

Wherever you stand on this issue, as Christians we should always return to God’s word as we examine our attitudes towards those seeking refuge. In Psalm 24:1 it says, “The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.”

I first heard this verse in relation to asylum seekers through an article Tearfund posted online several years ago and it was as though a veil had been lifted from my eyes. This verse alone challenges us in two ways:

1. Everything in our land belongs to the Lord, it isn’t ours to hoard.

2. Those seeking asylum, whether legally or illegally, belong to the Lord Almighty just as we do. That fact alone gives us a mandate to show love first and foremost.

Furthermore, in Exodus 22:21, the Lord says, “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” God called his people to care for those who were foreigners amongst them, not to cast blame and spread hateful vitriol. Let us also not forget that Jesus Christ himself sought refuge in Egypt as his family fled danger.

There is far more that could be explored than is possible in this short space. As individuals, the problems can seem insurmountable and overwhelming. Let us pray for our leaders at all levels of government, that God would grant them wisdom as they deal compassionately and fairly with those seeking refuge in our nation. And that as followers of Christ, we would rid ourselves of attitudes that do not reflect who he is to those seeking safety.