| abstract |
Throughout history, humanity has faced turmoil when chasing the promised land of a satisfactory life. Although that search seems elusive, humanity has nonetheless dreamed about a better realm in order to enjoy justice and peace (shalom), an expectation for something better in this life. In a real sense, we are all pilgrims, immigrants who seek to restore broken dreams, whether physical or spiritual, for a new and better life. As Christians, we must emulate Jesus' pilgrimage model to prioritize the spiritual realm over the secular one. In contrast, we still attempt to respond to our physical needs and those of others.
This project seeks to emulate Jesus' wide-ranging lifestyle to pursue a comprehensive Theology for Immigration and craft a scriptural response to the needs of the immigrants. In the Last Judgment depiction from the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus exhorts all of us to an initiative-taking, faith-based lifestyle that prioritizes care for people's needs—physical and spiritual. Christ's model demands more than mere devotion; it requires commitment, engagement, and praxis. Thus, this project aims to promote spiritual praxis to hopefully change the world. It focuses on immigrants' concerns for social justice and spiritual welfare. The project divides the analysis into two parts: Part A, chapters one to four, correlates the Church's social justice initiatives to Scripture, following the Gospel of Jesus, which calls the Church to embody the exhortation found in the Sermon on the Mount to be the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
Part B, chapters five (educational modules) and six, details Church praxis to educate pastors, leaders, and congregants on how to effect changes and create a caring lifestyle. We will discuss how the Christ-centered model focuses on how love can broaden the Church in partnership with neighborhood contexts. In so doing, the project will strive to avoid prejudice and show kindness to everyone. As such, the Church must affirm individuals, prioritizing Jesus' genuine Shalom and Sabbath purpose by connecting social justice with transformative life-giving faith practices to fulfill the needs of immigrants.
Lastly, the Church must honor its legacy by going beyond creating monuments and remembering leaders and abstract ideas. The Church must foster inclusiveness and a sense of belonging and create a justice legacy for future generations. Thus, the project aims to follow Gospel directives and develop programs to eradicate injustices driven by spirituality. Humanity expects Christians to create higher standards by establishing sustainable programs imbued with Christian values to address and help the challenges that immigrants face.
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