Immigration: A Christian's Response

It normally doesn’t take long after an American Christian finds out we’re European that his or her voice is lowered to a very un-American level and we’re asked: Is it true that Europe is becoming an Islamic Republic? My response tends to be that I’m more worried by secular humanism than Islam. But that just confuses most of my American friends. The post Christian world is not one they easily get. They think they do, but they don’t. To be elected US President you still need to share your conversion story. To be elected in Europe, it is safer to keep God right out of the picture.

But then I’m not sure us Europeans get the true challenges and opportunities of Europe either. For instance what’s the deal with the Muslim migration into Europe? Is it such a bad thing, as most Christians, American or European seem to suggest?

I’m a Londoner, but my city isn’t the one I grew up in. It used to be capital of the UK, now it’s a capital of the world. On our way to Mission-net we stopped in Brussels, which started off as the capital of Belgium, then became the capital of Europe and now perhaps is also capital of Islamic Europe. You can see why Americans tourists heading back home to the range, get alarmed. But are they right? I want to give eight reasons why I think the Muslim migration could be a good thing, and then would love your feedback on it,

1. It makes us Christians ask some fundamental questions. Such as: What do we really stand for? The fact we don’t see secular humanism as such a threat suggests it isn’t so much the gospel the European church is committed to but our European lifestyle, which Islam often rightly challenges.
2. It offers us Christians real opportunities. For years we’ve sent missionaries to the world, now the world has come to us.
3. It makes Muslims ask some fundamental questions too. We assume Islam will defeat secularism. But it could work the other way around. It did so with much of the church, and we’re supposed to have the Spirit of God!
4. It actually gives us an ally in the battle against creeping secularism! I know it may not look like it but we quite possibly have more in common with Muslims than your average humanist bureaucrat!
5. It makes the secular authorities take faith groups seriously, and that includes us.
6. It is a Biblical command to take care of the foreigner and alien in our land.
7. Ironically the gospel is bearing more fruit under the harsh conditions of the Islamic world than the supposedly easier conditions of secular Europe. Perhaps the only way to re-evangelise Europe and America is for us to be shaken out of our complacency.
8. What if God is actually behind this migration for His purposes? We need to be very careful before we oppose something which could be of Him. Instead of being His body to carry out His will and heart, we could find ourselves opposed to Him.

Of course immigration challenges us. I don’t like a lot of the changes I’m seeing in my city. I don’t like some of my values being discarded. But I do think we need to take a positive view. The Christian migrants have brought life and faith to cities like London and Brussels. The Muslim migrants have brought tremendous opportunities for mission right to our doorsteps. And that is exciting if you’re committed to mission.