#107: America Needs Refugees

On this episode

Jeff Strommen @jstrommen | Dave Wager @wagerdaw | Jason @kempster220 | Terra Kay @terrakfree | Bill, Homeland Security

Could it be that the way to change a generation plagued by narcissism, consumerism and apathy is dependent on our response to refugees coming to America?

In the recent months, there has been growing discussion in news media and on social media around refugees coming to America from nations like Syria, Iraq and other parts of the Middle East. After the attack that happened in Paris, there has been growing concern that refugees with violent ulterior motives will be coming to America. Not only that, but there are many refugees who have been resettled in neighborhoods in the US. So, what are Christians to do? Who are these refugees and how are we to respond to them?

As Christians are torn on this issue, Jeff and Dave welcome a a couple of guests with distinguished views on the issue of refugee resettlement to shed some light on the tension we face. One thing is certain – this next generation needs to care about

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Guests on this episode

Terra Kay, World Relief Fox Valley

Come hear about ways you can volunteer and serve refugees in Northeast Wisconsin at an upcoming Volunteer Information Night!

Terra is the Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator at World Relief Fox Valley. Their office has resettled over 130 refugees this year and is looking for ways to get Christians and the Church to reach out to some of the most vulnerable people of our society.

Bill, Homeland Security

People are exploiting gaps in the vetting process of refugees that makes it difficult to ensure that everyone coming in as a refugee is safe to resettle in our local communities. There is a lot going on behind the scenes surrounding the types of people coming as refugees that concern our national security.

The Big Idea

The vast majority of refugees coming to America get some support up front, but many times go forgotten because it’s assumed that they’ve adjusted to American way of life. But this is often not the case. And it’s the Church’s job to care for the needs of the most vulnerable members of our society, including refugees. Or simply put:

This is a different kind of topic for us to cover because there is so much media attention around the issue of resettling refugees. It’s complex, yet simple. In its purest form, a refugee is someone who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster.

While some would exploit the process to cause harm to Americans, the vast majority of refugees who have come through the process over the last 70 years have come to seek refuge from the storms of life and perils of evil. Some move thousands of miles away from “home” to find safety and security. Imagine for a moment that you were one of them.

Something to consider

Sodom’s Destruction as explained in Ezekiel

Ezekiel 16:48 // As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, Sodom and her daughters were never as wicked as you and your daughters. Sodom’s sins were pride, gluttony, and laziness, while the poor and needy suffered outside her door. She was proud and committed detestable sins, so I wiped her out, as you have seen.

The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 6: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel

Sodom’s chief sin had been pride and self-exaltation. This stemmed from her abundant materialism (food), given to her from God (Gen 13:10), which had resulted in false security, apathy, a luxurious life of ease, and the corollary disdain and neglect of the poor and needy (v.49). This material ease fostered sexual perversion (Gen 13:13; 18:20; 19:4–5). This passage stands as both an exhortation and a warning against such wickedness and life styles today. As evil as Sodom was, she did not begin to do evil like Jerusalem. (Jeremiah described how the prophets of Jerusalem committed adultery, lied, and encouraged evildoers so that none turned from their wickedness, just like Sodom [Jer 23:14; cf. 2 Kings 15:37; 16:6; 24:2; 2 Chronicles 28:18–19; Isa 3:9; Ezek 22:15].)

In light of this passage, what is the Christian’s responsibility to refugees? Could the same words said about Jerusalem be synonymous to life in America? Is America not hospitable enough to care for the most vulnerable in our society? Can Christians do more for refugees?