Dear Editor,
I was surprised by the tone and content of Ian Cooper’s letter on immigration in the January en.
From the beginning, migration has been a part of the human experience (see God’s decision to disperse people from Babel), and the gospel has spread by migration (for example, the church dispersing from Jerusalem in Acts). It is clear from Revelation that God’s vision is for people from all languages, tribes and nations to worship Him – so from a gospel perspective immigration is something the UK church should welcome with as much enthusiasm as we applaud missionaries undertaking cross-cultural evangelism overseas (who after all are also migrants). God commands us to love the alien (and the widow and orphan) – so instead of fretting about immigration, far better to befriend immigrants.
It is true that with migration there may also be challenges around housing, work and diversity, and if these worry us, Paul’s teaching is clear – do not be anxious about anything, but pray! And it is better to look for solutions to these than to complain about migration per se. From a historical perspective the UK has had a vast experience of migration over the centuries, given that over the past 500 years people from these islands have populated North America and Australasia, not to mention less permanent settlements in Africa and India. In each context, this led to a mixing of people from totally different cultures and religions. We therefore have plenty of examples of what has gone well and less well in managing diversity to learn from. This process also contributed massively to the spread of the gospel – which Christian critics of modern migration seem to be forgetting.
It is also important to keep this history in mind when considering why there has been immigration to the UK (e.g. many Asians came to the UK in the 1960s when they were deported from Uganda by Idi Amin – but they were in Uganda in the first place because the British imperial administration moved them there from India. As many already had British passports it was hardly surprising they came to the UK. Such stories are the legacy of empire.)
My prayer for the British church is that we develop a generous heart towards all migrants, and that we celebrate the richness of the diversity of human culture in the UK, while boldly and lovingly proclaiming the unity that God offers all of us in Jesus Christ.
Yours sincerely,
Jason Freeman
By email
