Tag Archives: Migration

Trump’s Words Have Become America’s Reality: A Response to Bill Johnson

11/30/2020 Micael Grenholm 8 Comments

I have learned many great things from pastor Bill Johnson, whom I deeply respect. One of these things is the power of our words. Your words become your reality, Johnson has argued in his sermons. We cannot separate who we are from what we say.

Still, when Johnson defended his political support for Donald Trump in the Christian Post, he wants us to forget the president’s “sound bites” and focus on his actions instead.

Of course, a politician’s policies are important. But so are their words. James, the brother of Jesus, warns us against the power of the tongue, likening it to a small spark that can set an entire forest on fire (James 3:5). “Sound bites” can have disastrous consequences.

Take Trump’s suggestion in April that COVID-19 could possibly be cured by injecting disinfectants in the body, “cleaning” the lungs. Health officials had to immediately warn the public that this would in fact kill you, as poison control centers all over the country reported a significant increase of household disinfectant ingestion.

Trump later claimed that his comment was sarcastic directed at reporters, even though he hadn’t been talking to them but to his medical advisors.

Continue reading →

Creation Care, Politics

Hillsong Shouldn’t Put Their Trust in Powerful Men

10/03/2019 pcpjwriter 1 Comment

by Jacob Schönning.

This summer it was reported that the Australian liberal prime minister Scott Morrison was welcomend on stage at a gigantic Hillsong meeting during their annual conference in Sydney. He led the congregation of 30-35000 people in prayer and confessed his faith in a miracle working God. Andreas Nielsen, lead pastor of Hillsong Sweden, affirmed that the prime minister ”is a devout Christian”. He also said that that ”his participation in the conference is a recognition of the important role that the church in general plays in Australia and that it makes a difference.”

Fantastic, isn’t it?

I am not so sure about that. On the contrary, I think that it is very dangerous for the soul of the Church in Australia. Last winter Magnus Malm wrote in Swedish Christian newspaper Dagen that God is not on the side of the powerful. In fact God says in Psalms 146,3: ”Never put your trust in powerful men.” For centuries, Catholic and Orthodox churches have often been close to political power. That was the case when Spanish and Portuguese conquerors went ashore in South America, and it is the same today in countries like Russia and Poland. Continue reading Hillsong Shouldn’t Put Their Trust in Powerful Men →

Nonviolence

Sweden’s Bizarre Questions to Christian Asylum Seekers

03/04/2019 pcpjwriter Leave a comment

by Christian Mölk, originally posted on his blog.

In 2015, 41,000 asylum-seeking Afghans came to Sweden. Many Christians opened their homes and churches and welcomed asylum seekers with open arms.

Many asylum seekers saw the love of the Christians, and they became part of the Christian community. In their desperate situation and dream of a new and better life far from war and poverty, they sought Jesus and found peace, forgiveness, and salvation.

Since a person who has left Islam cannot be deported to Afghanistan, the world’s second most dangerous country for Christians, the Swedish Migration Board needs to decide whether the converts are genuine Christians or not.

That pastors certify that the converts are genuine Christians, baptized, and active members of a congregation, is not enough to be regarded as genuine Christians.

Continue reading Sweden’s Bizarre Questions to Christian Asylum Seekers →

Nonviolence, Racial Justice

Why Is Sweden Deporting Christians to Persecution?

02/17/2019 Micael Grenholm 1 Comment

Sweden is known for its coniferous forests, catchy pop songs and cheap furniture, not for deporting people to persecution, torture and death. But sadly, that’s what the Swedish government is doing to many Christians.

I recently wrote in the Christian Post about the ridiculous questions that the Swedish Migration Board asks asylum seekers who claim to have converted from Islam to Christianity. For example:

What does Matthew 10:34 say?
Which things are forbidden according to Christianity?
Can you describe the sacraments?

Together with some friends, I designed a test and let Christians all around the country respond to these questions. More than 100,000 people took the test. Less than 300 people were able to get more than 60 % right.

One can question the very premise of letting knowledge-based questions be proof of one’s faith. But when most Christians fail to recognize these questions as relevant or even answerable, you should really stop what you’re doing.

Complete Denial

Unfortunately, these questions have been used quite extensively, and when converts fail to answer them they often get deported. Obviously, deporting converts to countries where they are persecuted, such as Afghanistan, oppose Swedish law and the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Migration Board walks around this by claiming that the converts’ faith isn’t “genuine”. Continue reading Why Is Sweden Deporting Christians to Persecution? →

Racial Justice

Five Weird Ways People Deny That Jesus Was a Refugee

12/28/2018 Micael Grenholm 7 Comments

In 2016, I released a book in Swedish together with pastor Stefan Swärd called Jesus Was Also a Refugee. We commented the recent migration debate, providing the biblical teaching on loving, welcoming and blessing strangers (Lev 19:33-34, Mt 25:35).

I was not at all prepared for the huge amounts of Christians who would object to the book title. “Jesus was certainly not a refugee!” The same thing happened as the Christian Post published my Christmas reflection, inspired by Shane Claiborne, urging people to welcome refugees as they would welcome Christ. The comment section on CP’s Facebook page overflooded with arguments against the asylum status of our Savior and his parents.

Most of these arguments are bad. I mean, really bad. Here are the five weirdest ones I’ve come across so far:

1. They were not refugees, they were traveling LEGALLY for a CENSUS!

This argument is strangely popular. It has even made headline news after conservative activist Charlie Kirk used it in response to Democratic politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: Continue reading Five Weird Ways People Deny That Jesus Was a Refugee →

Economic Justice, Racial Justice

Shane Claiborne: Put the “Christ” Back in “Christians”!

12/20/2018 Micael Grenholm 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, activist theologian Shane Claiborne held an amazing Christmas sermon at Woodland Hills Church. Here are some highlights:

Shane shares a testimony of a pastor whom God told to get rid of all Christmas decorations in the church and fill it with hay and manure. As a result, the Holy Spirit fell and they had an amazing encounter with the Lord. Shane also points out how radical the original Christmas was, and why it’s time to put the “Christ” back in “Christians”.

Shane went on speaking about his fight against Philadelphia’s anti-homelessness laws: “How can we worship a homeless man on Sunday and ignore one on Monday?” He also shows why you don’t mess with Pentecostals.

Watch the whole sermon here.

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Racial Justice

Christian Migrants Explaining Why They Flee

11/26/2018 pcpjwriter 1 Comment

by Bob Ekblad, originally published on his blog.

In November, Gracie and I spent ten days with Sub-Saharan African migrants in Egypt and Morocco—most of whom are undocumented. Spending time with these vulnerable and courageous people has refreshed our perspective on life and faith.

I share these thoughts on migration and immigration in response to disturbing news articles I’m reading about anti-immigrant rhetoric in the USA and Europe–and I hope to dissuade people of faith from any collusion with negative attitudes and the promotion of restrictive policies.

This past Sunday I preached at an underground church made up or largely undocumented African immigrants living in Morocco. Morocco is now the preferred crossing point for Africans seeking to enter Europe—though many have no choice but to seek passage via war zones like Yemen, or failed states like Libya.

At the Moroccan-Spanish border, high fences, dangerous waters and strict immigration enforcement are keeping migrants from leaving the African continent. Hundreds of thousands are blocked, settling in a foreign land. Many more are currently en route from countries ravaged by war, political impasses and poverty. Continue reading Christian Migrants Explaining Why They Flee →

Politics, Racial Justice

Finding A Christian Response to Migrants

11/12/2018 Rev. Faith Totushek Leave a comment

I’ve listened to the political dialogue around how our nation should respond to migrants, asylees and refugees and have noticed the assumptions that we begin with and how those assumptions form our responses. I want to talk about that in this blog post because who we think migrants are shapes how we respond to them. In addition, how we think about migrants shapes the policy discussions that we have. And then I want us to reflect on whether or not our assumptions reflect our faith and how we might consider seeking a truly Christian response to this crisis.

Our beginning assumptions shape how we see:

If we begin with the assumption that migrants or refugees are a threat to our way of life–our culture, if they are a threat to our jobs, if they are a threat to our faith or if they are a threat to our well-being, if they are a threat to our social strength, then we must create policy and enact various security measures to protect ourselves. If we think of migrants as invaders, then we would need to use military force to protect ourselves from an invasion. That is the logical flow from our assumptions to our actions.

If our beginning point regarding migrants and refugees is that all of those heading to our borders are criminals coming to harm us, then we must of course stop them from coming into our country at all costs. Naturally we would not want more violent people or drug dealers. Continue reading Finding A Christian Response to Migrants →

Racial Justice

All Christians Are Refugees

11/05/2018 Micael Grenholm 2 Comments

Most believers are aware of the Bible telling us that we are citizens in Heaven (Phil 3:20) as well as foreigners and strangers on the earth (Hebrews 11:13). But did you know that it also says that we are refugees?

“we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged.” – Hebr 6:18

The Greek word for “fled” is kataphygontes, which more explicitely means “having fled for refuge”. All Christians have fled from death, evil and sin and entered the safe refuge of the Lord.

This is also expressed earlier in the same letter:

“[Jesus] too shared in [our] humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” (Hebr 2:14-15).

We are liberated from the deadly claws of satan and enjoy the security and asylum that Jesus’ Kingdom brings. Think about it: if you are saved, you have escaped the most horrible state imaginable and entered the most glorious state in existence. Isn’t that amazing?

When encountering refugees, we have to put ourselves in their shoes. What pains and struggles are they going through? What are they seeking salvation from? In what ways are our spiritual journey similar to their literal journey?

We must never forget that Jesus Christi Himself was a refugee as a baby (Mt 2:13-15). Let us also consider that we ourselves are refugees, and that this is part of our core identity as believers. This should not just produce more understanding for refugee’s situation, but compassion and love as well.

Micael Grenholm is editor-in-chief for PCPJ.

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Racial Justice, Spirituality

A “Caravan” of God’s Beloved

11/02/2018 Micael Grenholm Leave a comment

It is so disheartening and sorrowful to see the hateful rhetoric directed towards refugee that the US president and his supporters are passionately spreading. Refugees are described as violent invaders, and the president wants to send soldiers to possibly shoot at them. There is so much hate and fear, caused by Christian refugees.

Jesus and his parents were refugees once. Hated by political leaders. Forcefully removed from their home.

The Bible commands us: “Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:13). The “caravan” that the media talks about is a group of about 7,000 refugees who flee from violence and persecution. The UN reports:

Eduardo, a sixteen-year-old from Honduras, told UNHCR that the gang violence in his hometown of Colon had become so intense, he felt he had no other option but to leave the country.

Describing his reaction after gang members torched his family home, he said, “When I saw our house burning, I knew out number had been called, our luck had run out, it was time to flee.”

These are people loved by God. Jesus died for them so that they will have life. Hate, fear and closed borders will not express the love of Christ towards them. Only Biblical hospitality will.

Micael Grenholm is editor-in-chief for PCPJ.

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