Serving God in a Migrant Crisis: Ministry to People on the Move
"God has used migration for millennia to achieve his purposes for his people," writes Patrick Johnstone. "He is doing so again in our time." Millions are on the move, driven by war, drought, terrorism, poverty, failed states, environmental catastrophes, disease, revolutions, and the desire for a better life. Christians have a unique perspective on the migrant crisis: after all, Jesus was a refugee. So were Abraham, Joseph, and Moses. Today, some turn their backs on refugees. In Serving God in a Migrant Crisis, Patrick Johnstone and Dean Merrill help us understand what's causing today's refugee crisis, explore Christian theology and tradition on migration, and show us how Christian workers around the globe are opening their hearts to embrace these modern outcasts. "The world has literally come to our doorstep," they write. "Will we open the door?"
Foreword by Stephan Bauman: The People Behind the Headlines
Preface
Introduction: The Immigrant in the Mirror
Part I: What's Going On
1. A Human Tide
2. How Do You Feel about Immigrants?
3. No End in Sight
Part II: What To Know
4. Why People Run
5. Jesus Was a Refugee
6. Policies or People?
7. The Blessings of Immigration
Part III: What To Do
8. Where to Start
9. Action Level One: What Individuals Can Do
10. Action Level Two: What Local Churches Can Do
11. Action Level Three: What Christian Agencies Can Do
12. Action Level Four: What the Global Body of Christ Can Do
Conclusion: For Such a Time as This
Notes
"In Serving God in a Migrant Crisis, Patrick Johnstone and Dean Merrill step into the fray with the open hands of practical help. They grapple with controversial questions, wrestle with relevant biblical texts, present compelling data, and offer tangible ideas for getting involved. They are noble and trustworthy guides."
Product Details
- Title : Serving God in a Migrant Crisis: Ministry to People on the Move
- Authors:
- Johnstone, Patrick
- Merrill, Dean
- Bauman, Stephan
- Publisher: IVP Books
- Publication Date: 2018
- ISBN: 9780830871483
Patrick Johnstone has informed and inspired a generation of Christian workers with his Operation World books, which have sold 2.5 million copies. He lives in Cambridgeshire, England, where he serves as a regional director for WEC International's European bases. His most recent book is The Future of the Global Church.
Stephan Bauman lives to see people everywhere rise to the biblical call of love and justice. He served as president and CEO of World Relief, an international relief and development organization serving more five million vulnerable people each year. He is the author of Possible: A Blueprint for Changing How We Change the World, Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis, and Break Open the Sky: Saving our Faith from a Culture of Fear.
Dean Merrill has written or cowritten more than forty books, including Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire (with Jim Cymbala) and Too Small to Ignore (with Wess Stafford). He lives in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
