Live selflessly among people who are disparaged by others
"We don't want to see them sometimes."
"We have to speak out"
Update 11/24/07: Speaking of the illegal immigrant as the Samaritan, this true story of Jesus Manuel Cordova (on today's AP wire) is a modern version of the Good Samaritan parable which answered the question, "Who is my neighbor?"
A Tennessean columnist and two Belmont Church pastors recently urged their audiences to resist negativity toward immigrants and others.
At Belmont Church in Nashville, on October 28, 2007, Pastor Emeritus Don Finto asked World Outreach Pastor Mick Antanaitis, "What's it mean, Mick, to advance the Kingdom?" These are excerpts of his response:
"We're going to give it all up. ... Therefore, we don't live our lives for ourselves any more, we live our lives for Jesus. ... We give it up in Jerusalem, which means our home town... and then we give it up in Samaria - which means among people who are ... disparaged by others...Finto:
Hello - Samaria? Those are different kind of folks. They're not our kind of people, Lord. Who are the people that are not our kind of people who are around us that we better pay attention to?Antanaitis:
Well, I'll tell you who they are. They are who we call, "undocumented workers" or "illegal aliens" ... they are refugees, they are immigrants ... they are international students ... the people on the outside looking in who we walk by every day because we don't see them and we don't want to see them sometimes.Columnist Dwight Lewis dedicated his Thanksgiving column to the struggle against hate and hate crimes, including "some aimed toward immigrants":
[E]ven one hate crime committed is one too many. That's why, on this Thanksgiving day, all of us should spend a moment as we gather around the tables with friends and family to discuss ways we can make America a more tolerant nation.Related stories in 2007:
[W]e have to stay on top of this stuff. We have to speak out against hate of any kind. And we can do it in our homes, our schools, our churches and other religious institutions, and even at work.
- 11.15.07
Maury official: "It’s just like Ivory soap - 99.99 percent of them are here illegally" - 11.12.07
Wildfire deception blames devastation on Latino group, appears to have started in Nashville - 11.06.07
The words and worlds of the Minuteman - 10.09.07
Tennessee universities roll out welcome mat in struggle to attract Hispanic students - 09.20.07
Hispanic Achievers receives $50,000 gift from Nissan - 07.28.07
Nissan contributes to civil rights efforts of National Council of La Raza - 07.26.07
Tennessean op-ed page asks, too much hate in immigration bureaucracy debate? - 07.16.07
Maury County official: "We won't have a White House, we'll have a Brown House" - 07.08.07
Candidate Brownback asks Latinos for forgiveness from Nashville platform - 05.22.07
Prayers, hands, songs lifted to God for compassion in immigrant prayer vigil - 05.20.07
Hospitality, unity touted at Luis Palau Nashville CityFest - 05.09.07
Gentry believes welcoming, friendly culture is key to Nashville's future - 04.27.07
Sumner County Catholics support Spanish-speakers - 04.10.07
WKRN anchor Maddela laments racism on Web - 04.05.07
Tennessee part of national "Night of 1,000 Conversations" for immigrants - 02.12.07
MAYOR BILL PURCELL: "I AM VETOING ORDINANCE 1185" - 01.19.07
"Illegal" noun in Tennessean headline - 01.12.07
Nashville Area Hispanic Chamber joins city-wide Martin Luther King, Jr. Day celebration - 01.07.07
Governor Bredesen leads the way for ongoing immigrant policy discussion without rhetoric against Spanish-speakers and foreign-born
Photo by Bart. Licensed under Creative Commons.
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