Speaking of migrants: a Christian reflection on language and welcome
How we speak about people from overseas matters. For Christians, our words should reflect God’s heart for the stranger – the one who comes from afar and is to be loved as one of our own (Leviticus 19:34).
This is not the place to discuss borders, nationhood and mass migration. It's about how we speak of migrants and is more to do with churches than government policy.
I'm well aware that politically correct activists have tried to police our language and re-engineer society by changing the terminology we use. Often they are obscuring important realities, remvig fior eaxmople the norm that society is made up of covenantally-bound husbands and wives and levelling evrything to 'partners', as if the covenant of marriage wasn't significant.
However, we think using words, and it is worth taking a few minutes to think about how we speak of foreigners in our midst.
Common terms like ‘migrant’ and ‘immigrant’ are widespread but often freighted with dislike. ‘Migrant’ evokes movement without destination; and ‘immigrant’ flattens what is often a much more complex identity, thnking onlt of how these people have 'come here'. These folk carry with them a whole heritage which they don't lose at the border.
The most helpful term I've found is ‘diasporic neighbour’, aside from the inconvenience that there is no singular noun for this type of migrant – it doesn;t work to label Ahmed the barber a ‘diasporus’. But it is a useful term. The original diaspora was the dispersion or scattering of the Jews after the Exile. They lived as natives of Babylon, Crete, Rome and so on, but still had a heartfelt attachment to their place of origin – in large part because of a theologically framed identity: think Daniel stretching out his hands three times a day to pray to Jerusalem. And the command to appear before God three times a year at the major festivals.
Some prefer ‘internationals,’ a term friendlier in tone, especially used for overseas students. Yet it glosses over the major differences between the more middle or upper class overseas students, who are really 'sojourner' on a short-term visa, as distinct from migrants who've come to settle here – and who are often more blue-collar, working in shops and other service industry jobs. Similarly, ‘SOLs’ (Speakers of Other Languages) can identify a demographic in the neighbourhood but focuses on linguistic difference – rather a functional label.
We might talk about ministry to asylum seekers, although if we're being precise asylum seekers become refugees the minute their claim is accepted. Hence the mouthful: "refugees and asylum-seekers".
Other labels like ‘Asians,’ ‘ethnic minorities,’ or ‘people from overseas’ can unintentionally flatten complex identities, defining people by their otherness. By contrast, ‘newcomers’ carries a sense of welcome and journey, though it implies a recent arrival which may not always fit.
I love the phrase ‘the nations on our doorstep’ – it captures a biblical vision of global community. Yet, again, there is no singular form: we have no way to say ‘a nationian on our doorstep’ about an individual.
The Greek word in the NT for foreigner is ‘xenos’ (ξένος) – a stranger. We all know the word xenophobia. But are we imbued with xenophilia? Actually the word in Hebrews 13:2 is that word with the two parts flipped: philoxenia. But let's not forget that hospitality to the xenos is a key hallmark of Christian faith – we may even entertain angels unawares (Hebrews 13:2).
Therefore, our language must serve empathy and love, not fear and dislike. We should choose words that honour our neighbours and avoid reducing people to problems or projects. Sometimes this will mean choosing more relational terms: neighbour, friend, newcomer, and trying to use people’s names rather than just speaking of a demographic category.
Words are seeds. They grow into attitudes, and attitudes shape our communities. As Christians, we are called to sow words of welcome that reflect the Kingdom we belong to, which is a gathering of many ethnicities, and it is happening on our doorstep in churches with those from many peoples and languages worshipping the Lord together.
