Faith Facts

• A Mennonite pastor reveals how migration runs throughout the entire biblical narrative — from Eden to the incarnation of Jesus Christ
• The author transformed his own congregation into a sanctuary for immigrants, serving alongside them rather than debating policy from a distance
• This theological work challenges Christians to see migrants not as political issues, but as neighbors created in God’s image

God is a God who moves with his people. This is the central idea of Isaac Samuel Villegas’ book, “Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice.”

Villegas, the son of immigrants and a Mennonite pastor in Durham, N.C., shows that migration is woven throughout the biblical story — from Adam and Eve leaving Eden to Abraham’s journey, Israel’s exile and ultimately the incarnation of Jesus. God moves, crosses boundaries and chooses to identify with the displaced.

God cares for those who migrate, knows the names of those who die in the attempt and hears the cries of the bullied, persecuted, detained and deported already inside American boundaries. Villegas writes from experience, close-at-hand encounters and the practice of presence; he has walked through the desert, frequented immigrant aid centers, visited prisons and transformed his own congregation into a sanctuary for immigrants.

For him, this topic is not political rhetoric. His concern for immigrant justice is born of his lived experience and hard theological work.

Villegas’ book resonated strongly with co-ministers in a multicultural, multiracial congregation in Chicago that welcomes native-born Americans and immigrants from four continents. He tells stories of people whom they recognize, sit with on Sundays and serve the Lord with throughout the week.

There is the church outside Dallas creating a pueblo of God by their communal meals, where “worship spills over into the kitchen” and everyone has a place at the table. There is Rosa, a Honduran refugee from domestic violence who lives and serves at Villegas’ church in order to have a chance at a new life with her children.

There is the church-run network of shelters in Mexico providing places for migrants to live and thrive. These are stories of peace, not violence: of human beings trying to live with their neighbors in faith, justice and dignity.

Villegas wants his readers to remember that God knows every name, every hair on the head of migrants, just as surely as he knows those who have lived in America for generations. To him, nationalist government policies are not a fight against migration, but rather a war against immigrants who cross borders equipped only with the hope of a more dignified life — a hope that dies with many of them in the desert.

Some will find Villegas’ book challenging, perhaps even occasionally offensive. He points out, for instance, laws that the federal government has passed since the 1950s to offload responsibility for border crossing deaths onto migrants themselves.

Villegas challenges all who identify with Christ to cease waving the banner of nationalist theology and offer places at our tables for immigrants. Ultimately, “Migrant God” is both theological reflection and call to action.

It reminds us of biblical commands to love and protect the foreigner. For Villegas, welcoming immigrants is central to faithful Christian living.

This book challenges and inspires readers to see migrants not as strangers, but as neighbors — and even as reflections of God himself. The work calls Christians back to Scripture’s consistent message about how God’s people should treat the sojourner among them.

Let us know what you think, please share your thoughts in the comments below.

Faith Facts

• President Donald Trump is scheduled to join the America Reads the Bible event from the Oval Office.
• The weeklong scripture reading marks the 250th anniversary of American independence.
• Organizers say the event is meant to highlight the spiritual foundations of the nation and encourage national renewal.

Trump is expected to read from 2 Chronicles 7:11-22, a passage about repentance and God’s promise to heal the land.

He will join nearly 500 leaders and 122 ministries gathered in Washington, D.C., for the continuous reading of the Holy Bible.

“If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

House Speaker Mike Johnson and several members of the Trump administration are also taking part in the scriptural relay.

The event aims to remind citizens of the moral and religious heritage that has shaped the American republic for centuries.

As we celebrate our independence, we must return to the eternal truths that first gave our founders the courage to build a free nation under God.

Read the full story here.

Faith Facts

• The Indian Supreme Court has stayed criminal proceedings against a Catholic priest.
• The case involved charges over declaring Christianity as the only true faith.
• Religious freedom advocates say the ruling protects preaching and open witness.

The Indian Supreme Court has intervened on behalf of a Catholic priest, staying criminal proceedings after he was charged for declaring Christianity as the only true faith.

This decision pauses a legal battle targeting Father Vincent Pereira under laws often used to silence religious expression.

Lower courts previously said that asserting exclusive religious truth was wrong in a secular nation.

For now, the ruling temporarily protects the right to preach and share deeply held convictions without fear of state retaliation.

As believers, we must stand firm in the biblical conviction that truth is not relative, even when faced with secular legal opposition.

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters abroad who face persecution for simply declaring the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

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