Today, refugees and migrants pose significant challenges and offer exceptional opportunities for mission and ministry. Two motifs in Scripture provide a theological framework for response: The biblical tradition of offering hospitality to strangers, and the identity of the people of God as resident aliens. Important implications for mission emerge from reflection on current conditions and biblical and historical testimony. These include an embrace of hospitality as a way of life central to Christian community and mission, a critique of “ambitious” hospitality and misuses of the host role, and a recognition of the significance of alien status for Christians who welcome strangers.
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