Theological ethics of migration
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Date
10/07/2017Item status
Restricted AccessAuthor
Janklow, Aaron Philip
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Abstract
In this thesis I develop a theological ethics of migration that is attentive to the
contemporary global crisis of human migration. Using the fourfold sense of
scripture, with particular attention to allegory, as reclaimed from patristic and
medieval exegesis by Henri de Lubac, I investigate four biblical narratives that I will
show are paradigmatic of biblical approaches to the treatment of migrants. These
narratives include Exodus, the Book of Ruth, and the parables of the Good Samaritan
and the Prodigal Son. I present an in-depth exegesis of these narratives as vital
theological and ethical sources for addressing the contemporary migration crisis. The
core claim I advance in this thesis is that migration is theologically significant for
Christians because loving aliens is commended throughout scripture and the theme
of hospitality to migrants is central to the prophetic witness of the Church to the
nations.
Refugees and migrants reveal the interconnected nature of the contemporary
world, and I argue that the millions of people who are currently on the move from
their home nations are not only an urgent humanitarian challenge to the global
community, but an ethical and theological litmus test of contemporary global
civilization. The existence of so many migrants and refugees in a global civilization
divided into bordered nation-states, which is also daily joined by movements of
people and goods in planes, ships and trucks, reveals inconsistencies in modern
political conceptions of the nation-state and of the rights of citizens. I argue that
longstanding theological traditions that speak of Christians as wanderers and aliens
provide a valuable source for addressing and repairing these inconsistencies.
In Part I, I address the politicization of migration and modern contradictions
that arise between migration law and globalization, such as territorial sovereignty
and economic liberalism, and I identify vestiges of social contract theories arising
before and during the Enlightenment as preventing migration from being addressed
in ways that acknowledge basic and profound truths about the interconnected nature
of the world. I argue that without addressing these underlying issues, migration will
remain an ongoing political and humanitarian problem. In Part II, I engage in biblical
exegesis to develop ethical claims for Christians and the Church, and address the
underlying issues identified in Part I. I will argue that the exegesis of these biblical
narratives reveal that aid, care and rescue of migrants, even to the point of self-sacrifice,
present contemporary Christians and others with the opportunity to
rediscover the meaning of justice and citizenship on an interconnected planet.