Debate this week has raged once again around a possible solution for ‘boat people’ seeking asylum in Australia. What do we do with such an incredibly complex subject? How should we respond to this important issue as genuine followers of Christ? It has become a highly contentious topic and raised all kinds of questions:

What do we do about border protection and peoples smuggling? Australia has around 14,000 refugee places to fill each year. For every arrival by sea, there is one less that can be accepted from refugee camps around the world holding approximately 15 million refugees. How should we house and process these claims for asylum? Who should pay the large financial costs associated with processing asylum seekers this year?

These issues, as difficult and complex as they can be, are suddenly compounded by the scare mongering and demonising tactics of misinformed people who suddenly see 'boat people' as a threat to our country.

So, how should we deal with 'boat people' seeking asylum? Or to put it another way, what would Jesus have us do in this situation? We really need a theological or Christ-centred framework from which to work from.

 An Old & New Testament Perspective...

In the Old Testament and New Testaments, we find some scriptures that might be helpful to us as we consider a biblical response to the 'boat people' who are entering our land.

33 "Do not take advantage (exploit) of foreigners who live among you in your land. 34 Treat them like native-born Israelites (i.e. treat them like everyone else), and love them as you love yourself. Remember that you were once foreigners living in the land of Egypt. I am the Lord your God. (Lev 19:33-34 NLT)

What did God mean by this? He clearly expected his children to have a humane hospitable response to the foreigner or stranger residing in the land. They weren't to take advantage of any such person and He clearly expected them to treat such people like they would like to be treated themselves. And just in case they had forgotten what had recently transpired in their lives, God reminded them that they too had just recently been foreigners, strangers and refugees living in the land of Egypt.

That is an interesting passage to think seriously about in light of the current political debate that is raging around our the 'boat people' who are seeking asylum in our land. Maybe we have made the discussion about stopping boats when in reality we should be talking about the humane and hospitable treatment of those in this predicament.

In the book of Matthew in the New Testament, the writer reveals a conversation between Jesus and a young rich man who had come seeking what good thing he ought to do to inherit eternal life. Let me share with you the response of Christ. Jesus said, 17 "Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only One who is good. If you want to enter life, keep the commandments." 18 "Which ones?" he inquired. Jesus replied, "'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, 19 honor your father and mother,' and 'love your neighbor as yourself.'"

It's significant to note that Christ used this particular conversation to reiterate and emphasize the importance of adhering to the principles contained within the 10 Commandments and the passage of scripture in Leviticus 19:33-34. He emphaized the importantance of loving others (i.e. our neighbor) as we would like to be treated ourselves.

Therefore, God expects us to respond with grace and mercy to the greater issues that are facing our land. People coming to our shores via boats are distressed, helpless and many have suffered all kinds of terrible misfortune. They are aliens and strangers with genuine needs and they're living within our land.

So what does this mean for all of us as we seek to deal with our current situation?

We must apply our Christ-centred framework to each situation we encounter. If we are called to love the foreigner and treat them as we would like we would like to be treated then I must pose the following questions:

While border protection and people smuggling are important items that need to be addressed, it seems more important that we get the discussion back to the humane treatment of people who are seeking asylum! There is so much scare mongering and demonising of asylum seekers that we seem to have lost sight of the most important issues in this topic. Where is our humane and hospitable response to those in need?

While there is an immigration policy that guides the Australian government on matters relating to refuges and asylum seekers, there seems to be a great sense of injustice between those who enter our county on valid passports seeking asylum and those who seek to enter via other means. Why should they be treated any differently? Why are we locking desperate people in mandatory detention centres around Australia? It's not a humane and hospitable response to someone in need. Surely there is a better solution.

While solutions to these matters are obviously difficult and costly, is it not possible that we have been blessed to be a blessing to others. I'm tired of hearing people say: "Tell the 'towel-heads' to go home!" For all our talk of doing our share, it appears that Australia has one of the least "generous intakes of refugees in the developed world. Relative to our wealth... German, the UK, France, USA, Canada, Sweden, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Norway all take more refugees than us." [1] Why can't we increase our intake policies within Australia?

Maybe it's time that the church took a stance on some of these matters and began to be a voice that influences the tide of public opinion. Maybe it's time that our Christ-centred theology began to shape our own opinions causing us to respond as genuine followers of Christ.

[1] au.news.yahoo.com/today-tonight/lifestyle/article/-/9838111/Malaysian-solution/