Refuge Reimagined

Mark R. Glanville and Luke Glanville.
Refuge Reimagined: Biblical Kinship in Global Politics
Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2021.

In the news today we are constantly reminded of the millions of refugees who must seek safety away from their countries of origin. This global crisis is awful. It is awful that so many people have been separated from their homes and families, without peace or security, unable to rest or to flourish. Anyone seeking God’s kingdom will feel the incompatibility of such a state with God’s plan to bring all nations into his kingdom of peace. The question is, how can we as Christians address this global crisis in any significant way?

Differing perspectives and questions from within the global church may make us reluctant to engage in this conversation. For this reason, Refuge Reimagined: Biblical Kinship in Global Politics by Mark R. Glanville and Luke Glanville (InterVarsity Press, 2021) is a worthwhile read.

In Refuge Reimagined the Glanville brothers offer Christians a ‘biblically grounded perspective on the global crisis of forced displacement’ (p. 6). In a clear and logical manner, Mark and Luke Glanville outline various ways which a biblical ethic of kinship may be applied by Christians in local churches, then by nations and finally at a global political level. This is impressively managed in just 258 pages.

What is particularly helpful in Refuge Reimagined is the Glanvilles’ willingness to acknowledge and address tough questions which arise around individual and global responsibility for displaced people. These are questions that I have found myself asking before: Should we extrapolate from Old Testament practices to today? How can we protect one culture if we let many other cultures in? Is preferential love for one nations’ citizens justified? Can the actions of one person, or even one country, have a significant effect on a global issue? Mark and Luke Glanville offer compelling answers to these questions and more, drawing on contemporary global and historical examples. In truth, some of these examples will make the conscientious reader feel the guilt of their nation (and perhaps even some personal guilt). Yet there are examples that offer hope.

In Refuge Reimagined Mark and Luke Glanville call people to take a risk (pp. 80), particularly to risk trust (p.179) rather than choosing fear (p. 166).  If people are to welcome the stranger they must be willing ‘to be transformed in some way by the stranger’ (p. 139).  Surely those of us with identities securely established as children of God and citizens of heaven can confidently extend this welcome. Our encouragement from Mark and Luke Glanville: as we allow ourselves to be transformed by the stranger we can have a global impact on this global crisis. What a hopeful conclusion!

Flyck Clift  - BA, BNSc, MDiv - works as Academic Counsellor in Student Support at Ridley College, Melbourne. Flyck is a determined encourager of women pursuing God’s calling through theological studies and is inspired by those who are seeking to influence systemic change.