Theological Studies 70 (2009)
CROSSING THE DIVIDE: FOUNDATIONS OF A THEOLOGY OF MIGRATION AND REFUGEES DANIEL G. GROODY, C.S.C. Examining theological reflection in an age of migration, the author focuses on four foundations of a theology of migration and refugees: (1) Imago Dei: Crossing the Problem–Person Divide; (2) Verbum Dei: Crossing the Divine–Human Divide; (3) Missio Dei: Crossing the Human–Human Divide; and (4) Visio Dei: Crossing the Country–Kingdom divide. As a call to cross borders and overcome barriers, migration is a way of thinking about God and human life and an expression of the Christian mission of reconciliation.
M
IGRATION HAS BEEN PART of human history since its origins. But
today, due to widespread changes precipitated by globalization, more people are migrating than ever before—twice as many now as 25 years ago.1 Nearly 200 million people, or one out of every 35 people around the world, are living away from their homelands. This is roughly the equivalent of the population of Brazil, the fifth largest on the planet.2
DANIEL G. GROODY, C.S.C., earned his Ph.D. from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, and is now assistant professor of theology and director of the Center for Latino Spirituality and Culture at the University of Notre Dame. In 2007 and 2008 he was a visiting research fellow at the Refugee Studies Centre, Oxford University. His recent publicatons reflect his interest in the intersection of globalization, immigration, and theology: Border of Death, Valley of Life: An Immigrant Journey of Heart and Spirit (2002); Globalization, Spirituality, and Justice: Navigating the Path to Peace (2007); and the edited collections, The Option for the Poor in Christian Theology (2007) and, with Gioacchino Campese, A Promised Land, A Perilous Journey: Theological Perspectives on Migration (2008). A theology of migration and refugees and the spirituality of immigrants are in preparation. Groody’s work is supported by the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University, the Association of Theological Schools/Lilly Endowment, and the University of Notre Dame’s Institute for Latino Studies, the Institute for Scholarship in the Liberal Arts, the Kellogg Institute for International Studies, the Joan B. Kroc Institute for International Peace Studies, and the Nanovic Institute for European Studies. 1 Khalid Koser, International Migration: A Very Short Introduction (New York: Oxford University, 2007) 5. 2 Some of the most important sources on migration statistics come from the World Bank (http://www.worldbank.org), the International Organization of Migration (IOM, http://www.iom.int/jahia/jsp/index.jsp), the International Labor Organization (ILO, http://www.ilo.org/global/lang–en/index.htm), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR, http://www.unhcr.org), the United
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