EPA ‘06: Immigration in light of hospitality
To begin the 2006 convention of the Evangelical Press Association in Orlando on Sunday night, Hugo Magallenes of Asbury Seminary in Orlando gave a presentation on theological perspectives on the current debates about immigration.
Dr. Magallenes reflected on the meaning of hospitality and guest-host relationships in the Old Testament. (He said his perspectives were greatly shaped by Christine Pohl, whose book on hospitality is entitled Making Room.) Magallenes walked us through passages such as Leviticus 25:23 and Exodus 22:21, where, he noted, God says that “Israel is a foreigner and a stranger in God’s land.” In fact, Magallenes added, “Everyone is an alien and stranger in God’s land. You and I are just passing through this world. Our citizenship is not American or Mexican, but in God’s kingdom.”
God called Israel to remember its status as strangers, voiceless and marginalized, Magallenes explained, in order to 1) show hospitality to the marginalized within their midst but also 2) to remember what God has done for them, where he brought them from.
Magallenes then connected these teachings to Jesus’ parable of the banquet in Luke 14:
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