I first wrote about immigration in a chapter in The Roots of Racism and Abortion. That was in 2000, and it was good material, in the right context. But it was brief.
In 2012, in Maryland, there were two referenda on the ballot -- one about marriage and one about immigration. The immigration question was an effort to repeal a new Maryland law, the Maryland "Dream Act." What was at stake was pennies -- Dreamers could get in-state tuition rates at Maryland universities in their 3rd and 4th years if they met certain conditions -- but also a principle. Are immigrants welcome here, part of our community, after years sharing Maryland life, or not? I thought the Dream Act was good, although limited. And I was appalled that there was opposition to it, led by pro-lifers.
I set out to write a quick pamphlet, perhaps 20 pages -- a pro-lifer to other pro-lifers -- about immigration, and about a consistent ethic of hospitality. That was 13 years ago now, and I am still writing. The original project is about 80-90% finished.
The question that I started with was simple: when Jesus said "welcome strangers," what did that mean? Did that include welcoming immigrants? The simple answer is crystal clear: YES! But there's far more to say. So I wrote more:
about the meaning of the words "welcome" and "stranger" in Scripture ...
about immigration in the Old Testament ...
Strangers: 21 Claims in the Old Testament
about welcoming strangers in the New Testament ...
about hospitality in the teaching of the Fathers of the Church and in Aquinas ...
about what happened to the theory and practice of hospitality in Counter-Reformation years ...
part of the problem was confusion about the "corporal works of mercy ...
I started re-writing the book about Old Testament teaching, because there is a huge obstacle to clarity about the teaching, a question with a long and enflamed history. So I wrote about that problem carefully, looking at every single passage that mentions Sodom ...
