“People are confusing the Statue of Liberty and Jesus…But in fact while the real historical Jesus did urge compassion for those in need, but he also said, ‘Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s.’ In other words, support government with your taxes because they have a legitimate function like protecting citizens. Those of usContinue reading “On confusing Jesus with the Statue of Liberty”
Tag Archives: welcoming the stranger
Hospitality series: On Welcoming Muslims
This is a new guest post in the Hospitality Series. This one is on welcoming our Muslim neighbors, and comes from my friend Rachel. I love how she reminds us of the importance of putting aside fear to welcome those who are different, and her honesty in sharing from her own experiences. Definitely worth a read-throughContinue reading “Hospitality series: On Welcoming Muslims”
A second book to help you on your journey (and, so what can I DO??)
If you read Daniel Carroll’s book, you’re probably pretty convinced that as followers of Jesus we need to be showing hospitality and welcome to immigrants. Maybe even if they are here without paperwork. But then, there are probably one-thousand other questions you have: Does helping undocumented immigrants (‘illegal immigrants’) mean that I am breaking theContinue reading “A second book to help you on your journey (and, so what can I DO??)”
Christians at the border: The First book to help you on your journey
Sometimes, you need more than a blog post to figure something out. So in the next two posts, here are two books that can really help you on your journey of digging deeper into what it means to welcome the stranger, and how you can do it practically. Both of these books are fromContinue reading “Christians at the border: The First book to help you on your journey”
When your neighbor is a stranger: Hospitality Series
I felt so homeless as we trudged through yet another small town in northern Spain on El Camino. Since we had left South Africa at the end of March, we had been walking across Spain, and once we landed it would be another several months of hopping between family and friends before we settled in TexasContinue reading “When your neighbor is a stranger: Hospitality Series”
Welcoming the Stranger
For the past month, this is what we have been doing. Walking (or hobbling) between little villages in Spain, with only one change of clothes in our backpacks, and praying for food and a cheap place to stay (since our South African rand do not go very far in Europe). And even though I did this for days and days, it still struck me every time– this bizarre warm welcome. I’m a stranger. I don’t speak the language. I have nothing to offer.
Stephanie Ebert 