UD’s School of Ministry panel discussion to offer theological perspective on immigration

by PegNews wire

DALLAS — The School of Ministry (SOM) at the University of Dallas (UD) will present a panel discussion titled Theological Perspectives on Immigration on Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2007, at 7 p.m. in UD’s Haggerty Art History Building. Designed as a theological reflection on the issues, the SOM hopes to make a positive contribution to this important public policy debate by featuring local leaders from the fields of journalism, academia and ministry.

“By examining such a controversial and challenging issue from a theological perspective, we hope to take the immigration debate to a higher level of analysis,” said Dr. Brian Schmisek, Dean of the SOM. “Our panel includes a diverse mix of leaders in the Metroplex, including accomplished scholars, social commentators and service providers who work with immigrants. I am confident that the exchange of ideas will be both intellectually stimulating and inspirational.”

Photo not provided by the University of Dallas

The early Christians seemed to benefit from ancient Rome's lax immigration policies

The conversation will be moderated by William McKenzie, editorial columnist for The Dallas Morning News, who has written about immigration issues and called for theologians to discuss the balance between respect for the law and the biblical order to welcome strangers.

McKenzie will be joined by several leaders in the local theological community, including:

* Dr. John Norris of UD’s Department of Theology. The former chair of the Department of Theology and past director of UD’s signature Rome Study Abroad Program, he offers expertise on historical theology, patristics, patristic exegesis and St. Augustine.

* Professor María Pía Septién Ramírez of UD’s SOM. Born and raised in Mexico City, her academic interests include biblical studies and Catholic outreach to the Hispanic community. Additionally, she has played a leading role in the offering of SOM courses in both English and Spanish.

* Reverend Owen K. Ross, founding pastor of Christ’s Foundry. Prior to establishing his current ministry, he has worked in Ecuador with the United States Peace Corps and studied in Zimbabwe. He is also an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church.

* Sister Nancy Sullivan, Director of Mission Awareness/Justice and Peace for the Diocese of Dallas. As a teacher, social services administrator and advocate, she has served disadvantaged populations – including large numbers of immigrants – in the United States and abroad for more than fifty years.

Source: University of Dallas

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Rick Yost, says:

I think it's great that this group of big-whoops are going to discuss the illegal immigration problem from a religious perspective. But c'mon, how long could that take?

Isn't the population of Mexico mostly Catholic? Doesn't Catholicism deplore any form of contraception? Isn't this why the population has far outgrown the economy, forcing them to move North to find work?

I'm NOT trying to be a wise-guy here. I'm really asking?

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2 years, 1 month ago
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Catte_Nappe, says:

Taking you at your word, Rick, (that you aren't being a wise guy) there are some interesting things to ponder about religion in Mexico.

First, "separation of church and state" is a given. Way, way more so than here in the US. There is a long history of the "state" being actively inimical to the "church".

The majority of Mexicans identify themselves as Catholic, but that covers a wide territory in practice. Many will attend church only for Christmas, Easter and maybe some other special occasions. In many parts of Mexico native traditions are also heavily mixed in with Catholic teachings and practices. Church teachings, about birth control or anything else, don't carry a lot of weight with many professed Mexican Catholics.

There is extremely rapid growth of Evangelical and Pentecostal Protestant church membership in Mexico; and the LDS/Mormon faith is increasing as well. These faiths are as much, or more, in favor of either "no birth control" and/or "large families".

The relatively large size of first generation Mexican families has as much to do with cultural influences totally unrelated to Catholicism. As in our country when we were a more agrarian society, more kids means more hands to work. Also, in general, Mexican people seem to enjoy and treasure their children more than our society as a whole tends to.

As a bonus, I'll point out that some churches here in the US got very involved in providing sanctuary to refugees from political turmoil in Central America. They'll find a lot to talk about, I'm sure, in how (or if) they have a similar scriptural imperative in dealing with economically driven migrants. I suspect there will also be a lot of discussion about how they can expand what they are already doing to improve life in Mexico so fewer people find it necessary to come to the US.

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2 years, 1 month ago
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Bemused, says:

While the Catholic Church looks upon contraception with disdain, it does not endorse random propagation. One can restrict the number of offspring one creates without the artificial assistance of contraceptives. The Church should not be blamed for the excesses of the ignorant.

Introducing multiple children to a setting of abject poverty is unspeakably stupid. People who bring families of twelve to America in search of a better life don't realize that they are demeaning the conditions of our country in the process. They are simply transplanting the problems they faced in Mexico. Of course, Vicente Fox loves this paradigm, and why wouldn't he? I, too, would be charmed to rid my nation of such fools.