I get the opportunity regularly to speak to different churches in my area about refugees and immigrants. Sometimes, it is a separate class or a small group that invites me to speak and they are eager to hear more information. Then, other times, it is a brief overview to the whole congregation and then I stand around the lobby and wait for questions. I would always prefer the small group setting, as they are usually a more friendly audience. Yet, I appreciate the larger congregation and my ability to call the church to love our immigrant neighbors from a biblical perspective.<\/p>\n
Immigration can be a touchy topic and depending on the pastor and congregation it can be a downright confrontational topic. It shouldn\u2019t be, but it is. Thankfully, front-stage Adam doesn\u2019t usually mind ruffling a few feathers along the way if needed. In this week\u2019s reading, Bobby Duffy writes about how the average person, in countries all over the world, perceive the world in a way that is often quite wrong from reality. He covers a variety of topics, but I am going to hone in on the immigration issue for two reasons. First, it is incredibly pertinent right now and a daily conversation in the news. Secondly, it is a field I work in and am passionate about.<\/p>\n
Duffy writes, “Our delusions about immigration are systemic, not due solely to media or political misdirection on the one hand or our own wrong thinking on the other, but a result of these two groups of effects interacting.”[1]<\/a> He continues about how perceptions about immigration are simply far from reality. Many people assume, based largely on fictional media narratives, that immigrants are violent and prone to incarceration. This is simply not true of most immigrants. Most immigrants want to build a better life for their families just like you and I and want to stay as far away from getting in trouble as possible. Duffy adds this is \u201clargely driven by our own deep-seated tribal identities interacting with a media and politics that too often look to exploit this division.”[2]<\/a><\/p>\n I know many current statistics about refugees such as the current number of refugees worldwide (35 million), \u00a0and the current refugee ceiling determined by the President (125,000).[3]<\/a> If I do not know the statistic right away, I know where to go for the information. Yet, just like Duffy, I am not convinced statistics influence people. [4]<\/a> Instead, I am more convinced of the need to tell a story.<\/p>\n So, let me share about pastor William, a Dinka man from South Sudan, who fled his village when war suddenly came to it. He ran, along with all other boys from the village, and just kept on running. The women and girls in his village were either killed or raped. The men fought back, and many were also killed. But the young boys just kept running. Three months later, after traveling 1000 miles by foot, they arrived at the border of Ethiopia and claimed their refugee status. Pastor William shares about the need to sleep in the hot part of the day when the predators were also sleeping. He shares about his companions who simply stopped walking and fell dead beside him as he kept going on the journey. He claims it was only God who kept him alive when so many others died. He doesn\u2019t know why God allowed him to live but wants to live for God as much as possible since he was kept alive for a reason. Pastor William was one of the \u201cLost Boys\u201d who was resettled into America in the late 1990\u2019s.<\/p>\n Bobby Duffy writes, “We’re storytelling animals who remember vivid anecdotes far more readily than boring statistics, and some stories are more attractive to the human brain than others.”[5]<\/a> Now, without looking back up, how many refugees are there in the world today? How many refugees will be allowed into America this year? I would guess that the majority of you reading this can\u2019t recall the numbers accurately. However, I would also guess that you will be able to recall many details about pastor William later tonight or tomorrow.<\/p>\n The book by Duffy is interesting and he connects frequently with Kahneman. Duffy also reminded me of Tim Harford and his book \u201cHow to Make the World Add up: Ten Rules for Thinking Differently about Numbers.\u201d <\/em>Harford addresses many of the similar concepts about statistics, and personal experience. Harford states, “Sometimes personal experience tells us one thing, the statistics tell us something quite different, and both are true.”[6]<\/a> When all three authors (Kahneman, Harford and Duffy) are looked at collectively, they remind us to be cautious of statistics and how they are used. They also remind us of the need for personal narrative. Therefore, I do not go visit churches to share statistics. People won\u2019t remember them anyways and some will find ways to argue against them. However, it is hard to argue with pastor William and his personal refugee journey. So, I\u2019ll keep on telling the stories the American church needs to hear.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n —————————————————————————<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n [1]<\/a> Bobby Duffy, Why We\u2019re Wrong about Nearly Everything: A Theory of Human Misunderstanding<\/em>, First US edition. (New York: Basic Books, 2019), 96.<\/p>\n [2]<\/a> Duffy, 115.<\/p>\n [3]<\/a> \u201cRefugees in America | USA for UNHCR,\u201d accessed March 19, 2024, https:\/\/www.unrefugees.org\/refugee-facts\/usa\/.<\/p>\n