Christus, de vreemdeling : De theologische relevantie van migratie

Why would a theologian get involved in the current debate about migration? What does theology have to offer to what seems to be a mainly political and social-cultural discussion? In his essay, the author discusses possible theological approaches to the problem of migration, and whether or not faith commitment is or is not involved. The aim is not to add yet another chapter to the theology of migration, however, but rather to show how theologians engage with social issues like migration in an attempt to give new relevance to theology as an academic discipline, and usually fail to do so. Theologies of migration tend to focus mainly on the humanity of the migrant, but they often pay very little attention to the question why that focus matters to the Church and the faithful. Contemporary theologians are clearly socially committed, but they seem to have forgotten the actual deeper theological reasons for that commitment. This essay explores these reasons by analysing the methods used in theologies of migration. The author shows that the conviction that actually forms the basis of the theologian’s engagement is rarely ever discussed. He suggests articulating the Christological foundation of theology and the Church’s concern about migrants.