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How The Salvation Army service model can influen
By Brooke Turbyfill
Southern Spirit staff
Perhaps no other issue has been more
polarizing to the American public of late than
immigration reform. But for the Church, it doesn’t
have to be.
In a presentation at the January 2014 ReEffect
mission conference at Atlanta International
Corps, Matt Soerens from World Relief and field
director of Evangelical Immigration Table, said he
addresses three main questions when speaking to
local churches: 1) What do the Scriptures say? 2)
What is our reality? and 3) How do we respond to
that?
One of the most alarming facts Soerens
explained during his workshop, “Who Is
My Neighbor: A Christian Discussion on
Immigration,” was that only 9 percent of
Protestant Christians said their views on
immigration were primarily based on their
Christian faith (Pew Forum Survey, 2010). Only 20
percent had ever heard a message on immigration
from a pastor or clergyman.
However, in the Old Testament alone, there
are 92 references to the word, ger, the closest
word to meaning immigrant in Hebrew. “One of
the fundamental reasons we have to care about
this issue,” said Soerens, “is because God cares
about immigrants.” Soerens cited a number of
passages that reveal God’s concern for immigrants
In the Old Testament alone, there are 92
references to the Hebrew word, ger, for
immigrant.
Some include:
• Deuteronomy 10:17-19
• Exodus 20:10
• Psalm 146:9
• Jeremiah 7:6
• Exodus 23:9
– Deuteronomy 10:17-19, 24:14-15, Leviticus 20:2,
Exodus 20:10, Psalm 146:9, Jeremiah 7:6 and
Ex