Dear Editor,
Thank you for encouraging a debate on Christian perspectives on immigration. This is overdue, as I feel that, contrary to the view expressed by the anonymous correspondent on page 7 of the May edition of en, there is not necessarily a general bias towards supporting immigrants within the Christian press – and there should be. Too often Christians express the same sorts of fears and apprehensions regarding immigration as our secular neighbours, and don’t appear to apply Christian doctrine to the issue. An example of this is the anonymous letter, which expresses concern about the use of UK taxes to support immigrants, for people in the UK feeling overwhelmed, and whether some asylum seekers are in reality economic migrants. I would like to offer these brief thoughts both to reassure your correspondent, and perhaps to challenge their thinking.
As Christians our primary concern surely must be the proclamation of the gospel. Jesus commanded us to make disciples of all nations. For centuries, missionaries have departed the UK for places all round the world to make disciples, and the gospel was first brought to the British Isles by missionaries from overseas. Now we have the golden opportunity to proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ to the many people who, in the sovereignty of God, have migrated to the UK. In the Bible, migration is a chief means by which the gospel is proclaimed, and it sits ill with evangelical convictions to support border controls which necessarily inhibit the spread of the gospel. People are not more deserving of hearing the gospel if they are asylum seekers than if they are economic migrants – each person is a precious soul who God desires to be saved.
