BWA General Council Resolution 2008.7
The General Council of the Baptist World Alliance, meeting in Prague, Czech Republic, July 20- 25, 2008;
Recognizes the global growth of refugee migration and international relocation with more than 67 million current refugees and internally displaced people and more than 191 million international migrants;
Understands that this generates political situations of great sensitivity, fear and misunderstanding in host and home countries alike;
Realizes that immigrants often face an array of cultural, linguistic and economic burdens and often retain important responsibilities for family members in home countries;
Believes that we are all fellow sojourners in this world and that our treatment of the immigrants in our midst is central to authentic scriptural faith;
Calls on: Nations to:
- Give shelter to all refugees.
- Develop transparent and equitable systems of migration that treat applicants with dignity.
- Administer laws and regulations with justice and fairness to citizens and immigrants alike.
- Renounce xenophobia and the misuse of immigration for political repression and division.
Member bodies to:
- Instill an ethic of love that supersedes ethnic, gender and political boundaries.
- Act as advocates for refugees and migrants in solidarity with them.
- Develop ministries of welcoming reconciliation and integration. Churches and individuals to:
- Renew their scriptural study, academic understanding and prophetic proclamation of the scriptural mandate to live in love and justice with refugees and immigrants.
- Grow in grace and hospitality through intentional friendships and relationships.
- Freely share resources with those in need. Encourages the development of additional study material for the Baptist World Alliance Human Rights Sunday and its utilization by churches and member bodies.
Citations
Original Source Bibliography: Callam, Neville, editor. Baptist World Alliance 2008 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory. Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2008.
Original Source Footnote/Endnote: Neville Callam, ed., Baptist World Alliance 2008 Yearbook: Minutes of the General Council Meeting and Directory (Falls Church, VA: Baptist World Alliance, 2008), pp. 134- 135.
Online Document Full Citation: BWA General Council Resolution 2008.7 Refugees and Immigration; https://baptistworld.org/resolutions.
In-text Online Document Citation: (BWA General Council Resolution 2008.7).