|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
On Grace, Joy, and Gay Marriage
Message - 5/11/08
Message - 5/18/08
Message - 5/25/08
Digest Letter - June
Message - 6/1/08
Message - 6/8/08 |
|
|
Immigration is an issue that is of concern for many people right now. At the Annual Meeting of the Penn Central Conference in June, we will address a resolution on this issue that was written by the Justice and Peace Ministry Team. However, the process by which we will consider it will be new and will focus on an attempt to reach a consensus rather than resulting in an up or down vote. My own approach to the issue recently took on a new twist by means of an unusual connection. When I spoke recently of the desire to keep cowbird eggs out of our bluebird nest and about the continuing battle to prevent house sparrows from nesting in the bluebird box, someone responded that they enjoyed all the birds in their backyard. I began to reflect on that comment and realized that I, too, enjoy all the birds in their own way. So, while some bluebird enthusiasts suggest that house sparrows (a foreign and invasive bird that threatens to significantly reduce the bluebird population) should be trapped and killed, I came to the conclusion that I could never do that. I hold no ill will against the house sparrow - I just don't want to allow the house sparrows to cause the demise of the bluebirds. That relates to one of the biggest issues on immigration right now. Many people are concerned that, as more and more foreigners "invade" our nation, the identity of our nation is being lost. Language is one of the hot-button issues surrounding this concern. Many people want English to be made the official language of our nation to force new residents to conform to our identity. Many years ago, I worked for a summer at RCA in Lancaster and I met a young man who was studying Pennsylvania Dutch in an attempt to help keep the language alive. He thought it was a pity to lose such a colorful part of our heritage in this area of our nation. This, too, speaks to the issue, I think. People who come here from other nations do not want to lose their culture completely. They do not want to give up everything that is unique to their lives and so some may be more reluctant than others to give up their language. Now it strikes me that the existence of various cultures throughout the world is most likely seen as a positive thing by most people. It would be a pity indeed if the whole world became monocultural, having the same language, the same customs, the same clothing, and the same everything. In a shrinking world, where everything that happens almost seems as if it has happened just down the block, I would think that the nation that will best be able to flourish in such a world will most likely be the nation that can best handle the diversity of its own people. Is it possible for us to see the diversity of those who immigrate to our nation as a good resource to help us better deal with the diversity in the world? We have tended to assume that the identity of a nation must be monocultural in order to function well. But if relating well to the world requires dealing with significant cultural diversity, why not learn how to deal with such diversity within our own society? Just as I don't want the house sparrow to replace the bluebird, neither do I want a new immigrant people to replace our culture with theirs. But I wonder if there are some compromises that can be made which will allow a variety of cultures to flourish within the same society, just as we can enjoy a variety of birds in our backyard. There are a lot of questions about this whole issue that still need to be answered. My bottom-line concern is that, as we seek those answers, we do not deal with other human beings in any way that is not just (in the biblical sense, meaning "according to God's desires"). I'm anxious to see what happens on this issue at our Annual Meeting. |
|
