God’s Heart for Immigrants & Refugees: A Biblical Ethic of Kinship – Dr. Mark & Dr. Luke Glanville

The topic of immigration is a huge theme in our Hebrew Bible & New Testament scriptures.

Think about the story of Abraham being a foreigner in Egypt and Canaan, or Jacob moving his family to Egypt to reunite with Joseph, or the story of Israel being strangers in Egypt (and then being a displaced people wandering in the desert).

I mean, even the story of Esther is about an immigrant woman speaking up to protect her oppressed, immigrant community.

And, of course, we remember that Jesus was an immigrant and refugee. 

The Bible is chockfull of stories of immigration and God’s people living in the margins. And there are countless commands in scripture to love and care for displaced people.

Here are just a few passages:

Deuteronomy 10:18-19: “He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.”

Leviticus 19:34: “The alien who resides with you shall be to you as the citizens among you; you shall love the alien as yourself, for you were aliens in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

Ezekiel 47:22: “You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the aliens who reside among you and have begotten among you. They shall be to you as citizens of Israel; with you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel.”

However, the the Biblical mandate to love and care for the foreigner is often debated by Christians as some have concerns on how immigrants and refugees can impact a nation’s economics, national security or their cultural identity.

So that’s why I was blessed to read “Refuge Reimagined: A Biblical Kinship In Global Politics” by Dr. Mark R. Glanville and Dr. Luke Glanville.

In Refuge Reimagined, Mark R. Glanville and Luke Glanville offer a new approach to compassion for displaced people: a biblical ethic of kinship. God’s people, they argue, are consistently called to extend kinship—a mutual responsibility and solidarity—to those who are marginalized and without a home. Drawing on their respective expertise in Old Testament studies and international relations, the two brothers engage a range of disciplines to demonstrate how this ethic is consistently conveyed throughout the Bible and can be practically embodied today.

I had an opportunity to chat with them about their new book and ways to better love and care for our immigrant and refugee communities. You can subscribe or download this episode on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts or Stitcher. You can also subscribe to the video series on YouTube.

Here are some video clips from our conversation:

You can listen (or download) the podcast here:

EP24: God’s Heart for Immigrants & Refugees: A Biblical Ethic of Kinship
Dr. Mark R. Glanville and Dr. Luke Glanville talk with us about their new book “Refuge Reimagined: Biblical Kinship in Global Politics.” They discuss Biblical passages dealing with marginalized and displaced people and God’s command to extend kinship, compassion and love to hurting communities They also address arguments from those who want closed borders and stricter immigration policies due to ways immigration might impact economics, national security and culture.

Dr. Mark R. Glanville

Mark R. Glanville (PhD, Bristol University) is associate professor of pastoral theology at Regent College, Vancouver, and an Old Testament scholar. He is the author of Adopting the Stranger as Kindred in Deuteronomy and Freed to Be God’s Family: The Book of Exodus and has written articles for a variety of publications including the Journal of Biblical Literature, Refuge Journal, Journal of Missional Practice, Christian Educators Journal, Evangelicals for Social Action, Faith Today, The Light Magazine, and The Presbyterian Pulse. Glanville previously ministered in a missional urban community, Grandview Calvary Baptist Church, Vancouver, and was a professor of congregational theology at the Missional Training Center in Phoenix. He is a trained jazz pianist and lives in Vancouver, Canada, with his wife, Erin, and their two children.

Dr. Luke Glanville

Luke Glanville (PhD, University of Queensland) is associate professor in the department of international relations at Australian National University. He is the author of Sovereignty and the Responsibility to Protect: A New History, which won the Australian Political Science Association Crisp Prize in 2016 and the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Award in 2014.

You can see a full list of podcasts dealing with spirituality and social justice here.