Welcoming refugees

When St. Benedict instructed the monks in his order that “all guests who present themselves are to be welcomed as Christ …,” he was simply echoing a deep-seated ethic in the Judeo-Christian tradition that spans from Abraham to Jesus, and which flows into the church of today. People who find themselves in need of hospitality find vacancy signs and welcome mats at the homes and in the hearts of the people of God. To turn them away is to reject Christ himself. “As you did it one of the least of these you did it to me.”

The global refugee crisis represents a clear and present opportunity for our country to respond with compassion to people whose lives are imperiled. The strength of a nation is measured not by its might, but by its love. Capping refugee resettlement to the U.S. at historic low levels can be justified in many ways, but none of them are biblical.

When it comes to responding to vulnerable people — irrespective of their race, religion, or nationality — we either need to stop calling ourselves a Christian nation, or we need to start acting like one.

Rev. Dr. Eric E. Peterson

Colbert Presbyterian Church