The goal for this white paper is to provide an accessible theological framework for both clergy and practitioners to locate their individual and collective works of justice and mercy within a larger account of God’s redemptive action in the world and the Church’s social witness and mission. By accessible, I mean inviting and, more importantly, making it attainable for the clergy or the stay-at-home parent corralling kids or those feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, clothing the naked, caring for the sick, or visiting the imprisoned (Matthew 25:35-36).

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People all over the world regularly experience the lack of what is universally considered one of the basic human needs: shelter or, simply, a home. This epidemic has been, by many, accepted as part of life. Many Christians in the church care — even deeply care — but are so overwhelmed by the lack of clear solutions that we’re more likely to throw up our hands in exasperation than roll up our sleeves to help.

For all the economic and social issues that homelessness raises, it also raises theological issues. A deeper understanding of the basic Scriptural and theological foundations of this problem should help our solutions. This is not to suggest that knowledge alone is sufficient — the gospel requires action. The simplest form of shalom-making is to meet basic human needs.

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The commandments in scripture regarding God’s concern for the treatment of the sojourner abound. Second only to the love of God alone, welcoming the stranger is among the most frequent commands in the Hebrew Scriptures.

In this white paper, we examine the theme of migration within the biblical narrative. Then, we devote our attention to the early Christian tradition and how the Church has thought about immigration. Finally, and building on this case, we apply this to the context of the United States–Mexico border and the responsibility of Christians today.

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We engage in God’s work of shalom which involves our bodies and other peoples’ bodies, and continually engages us in Jesus’s body. In the incarnation, God did not just come for our souls but for our bodies. Just as “in the beginning” God made the heavens and the earth as a unified whole, so all of creation is leaning — tending — groaning toward this goal when the heavens and earth will once more be at home with one another.

For Anglicans, we remind ourselves of this every week in the Eucharist. As C. S. Lewis says, “There is no good trying to be more spiritual than God. God never meant man to be a purely spiritual creature. That is why He uses material things like bread and wine to put the new life into us. We may think this rather crude and unspiritual. God does not: He invented eating. He likes matter. He invented it.”

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This white paper considers how Anglicans today — or any mere Christian for that matter — can immediately get started with some basic principles and practices to create trauma-safe ministries and organizations. Our ministries can become trauma-safe because of the person of Jesus Christ and his gospel, and our theology of the church is simply too good not to be trauma-safe.

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The Principles and Practices of Peacemaking M25i White Paper helps us to better understand the texture of this shalom and how to embody it here and now. In the power of the Holy Spirit, we can better live out peacemaking as a central calling of our discipleship journey and live as Kingdom citizens, dropping signposts of God’s coming shalom.

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