Migrants, Strangers and the Church in Southern Africa. A Biblical Perspective

Research Paper from the year 2013 in the subject Theology - Biblical Theology, grade: ''keine'', , language: English, abstract: In 2008 many people in Africa and elsewhere were shocked when they saw on their televisions how Zimbabwean, Mozambican and Malawian immigrants were attacked, robbed and beaten up in South African townships. This eruption of xenophobic violence against millions of fellow Southern Africans was unheard of. Some authors have claimed that stereotyping and vilifying language in the Bible contributed to these xenophobic attacks. In this research paper Thorsten Prill shows that the biblical teaching actually rejects racism and promotes acceptance beyond ethnic and social boundaries. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of what the Bible has to say about migrants and strangers and to encourage Christians to live accordingly and to promote the biblical view in their local communities and beyond. Dr Thorsten Prill lectures in missiology, systematic theology and practical theology at Namibia Evangelical Theological Seminary (NETS), Windhoek. He is the author of two books, German Protestantism and the Spirit of God (2010) and Global Mission on our Doorstep (2008). He has also edited several other books, including Mission Namibia (2012) and God''s Mission in Southern Africa (2011). He serves as an Associate Pastor at Inner-City Lutheran Congregation, Windhoek.