Real Christians....

[Cypress]

Shielding Asylum-Seekers: Dutch Asylum Service Nears 1,000 Hours, With Evangelicals’ Support

Continuous worship brings together Christians in the Netherlands across denominational divides to shield a family seeking asylum.

A marathon worship service held by a church in the Netherlands to shield a family of asylum seekers has garnered worldwide attention. The feat has proved impressive for its longevity alone—now going on six weeks—but also represents a unique ecumenical moment among Christians in the tiny European nation.

Dutch law generally prohibits officials from interrupting a religious service, so Bethel Church in The Hague has kept worship going non-stop in order to turn its church into a sanctuary for an Armenian family who face expulsion. The congregation—part of the Protestant Church of The Hague and the country’s largest denomination, the Protestant Church of The Netherlands (PKN)—could not pull off the almost 1,000 hours of worship on its own, so its leaders have tapped more than 500 pastors from across traditions to participate.

“What this church asylum is teaching me in the first place is how enormously connecting and boundary-shattering the most basic compassion can be,” Axel Wicke, a pastor at Bethel, told CT.

“Here in the Netherlands, we have a huge amount of different Christian confessions, some of which originating in very ugly theological or liturgical fights. However, here at the church asylum in Bethel, none of this matters and everyone is working together…,” he said. “Very often, one pastor hands over the service to another colleague, with whom he would never be able to share anything else, either theologically or liturgically.”

The efforts center around the Tamrazyan family, who have lived in the Netherlands as political refugees for nine years and whose court-ordered asylum status was overturned. They’re now awaiting a kinderpardon or “children’s pardon,” which allows families with kids who have lived in the country for more than five years to stay legally.

A generation ago, Dutch Christians in the Netherlands also sacrificed much to save asylum seekers crossing their borders. CT has featured the story of Diet Eman, who took part in the Dutch Underground to save Jews fleeing Nazi forces.

full article https://www.christianitytoday.com/ne...don-hague.html

[evince]

Jesus was all about love


those that try to make it about hate would taste Jesus's whip were he to come again

[Cypress]

Jesus was all about love


those that try to make it about hate would taste Jesus's whip were he to come again

I am pretty sure Jesus of Nazareth would approve of shielding asylum seekers.

[evince]

people use religion

its the reason LARGE churches exist


Jesus doesn't need HUGE churches


only evil power hungry humans need LARGE churches

[Sailor]

I am pretty sure Jesus of Nazareth would approve of shielding asylum seekers.

True. Not everyone that tries to get into this country is seeking asylum though. The sooner all parties in this country learn to differentiate between asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, the sooner all of this would get resolved. Probably quickly.

[Cypress]

True. Not everyone that tries to get into this country is seeking asylum though. The sooner all parties in this country learn to differentiate between asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, the sooner all of this would get resolved. Probably quickly.

Well yes, reasonable people have to come to reasoned judgments about what people's motivations for coming to the U.S.
That is presumably why we have a system in place to screen people. I am pretty sure petty drug dealers and petty criminals are terrible liars, not very smart, and are fairly easily exposed to the light of day by professional investigators and civil servants.

My relatives were offered asylum by a western hemisphere nation when the Chinese communists booted them out. So I am inclined, perhaps by nature, to believe the vast majority of asylum seekers have what are - to them - very legitimate reasons for risking life an limb to seek asylum. It seems to me that being a good liar, good enough to fool immigration officials, takes an extremely high level of skill, manipulation, and forgery.

[dukkha]

almost everyone passes the screening -few pass the hearing. getting in is all that matters

[kudzu]

I am pretty sure Jesus of Nazareth would approve of shielding asylum seekers.

What an amazing story.

[kudzu]

I am pretty sure Jesus of Nazareth would approve of shielding asylum seekers.

What an amazing story.

[countryboy]

True. Not everyone that tries to get into this country is seeking asylum though. The sooner all parties in this country learn to differentiate between asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, the sooner all of this would get resolved. Probably quickly.

And the sooner people realize libs couldn't care less about "asylum", the better off everyone will be.

[Cypress]

What an amazing story.

The money quote for me, the most striking thing in the article was the following statement. And I believe this is something Trump would absolutely not understand - aka, the ability of empathy and common human decency to transcend religious and political divides.

"What this church asylum is teaching me in the first place is how enormously connecting and boundary-shattering the most basic compassion can be,” Axel Wicke, a pastor at Bethel, told CT.

[Superfreak]

Well yes, reasonable people have to come to reasoned judgments about what people's motivations for coming to the U.S.
That is presumably why we have a system in place to screen people. I am pretty sure petty drug dealers and petty criminals are terrible liars, not very smart, and are fairly easily exposed to the light of day by professional investigators and civil servants.

My relatives were offered asylum by a western hemisphere nation when the Chinese communists booted them out. So I am inclined, perhaps by nature, to believe the vast majority of asylum seekers have what are - to them - very legitimate reasons for risking life an limb to seek asylum. It seems to me that being a good liar, good enough to fool immigration officials, takes an extremely high level of skill, manipulation, and forgery.

We all know how easy it is to expose the simpletons such as yourself.

[domer76]

We all know how easy it is to expose the simpletons such as yourself.

IRONY ALERT!

[Maestro]

H.L. Mencken said: "The most revolting character that the United States ever produced was the Christian businessman." That was before politicians found Jesus, and facsim took up religion. Gott mit uns!

[kudzu]

True. Not everyone that tries to get into this country is seeking asylum though. The sooner all parties in this country learn to differentiate between asylum seekers and illegal immigrants, the sooner all of this would get resolved. Probably quickly.

KJV

Thou shalt neither vex a stranger, nor oppress him: for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt.

Exodus 22:21


3 John 1:5

Beloved, you are acting faithfully in whatever you accomplish for the brethren, and especially when they are strangers;


Deuteronomy 23:7

"You shall not detest an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not detest an Egyptian, because you were an alien in his land.