Immigration Article of the Day: Constantine’s Legacy: Preserving Empire While Undermining International Law by Craig Mousin
Constantine’s Legacy: Preserving Empire While Undermining International Law is immprof Craig Mousin’s contribution to the book Christianity and International Law: An Introduction (Slotte, P., & Haskell, J. eds, Cambridge U Press 2021). Here’s the abstract:
As refugees seek safety, they find nations erecting walls of steel interlaced with legal strategies that undermine the international protections forged from the tragedy of the Holocaust….This chapter explores the interlocking struggle between Christian hospitality toward the outsider and Christian refusal to offer that hospitality in support of national security. Christian beliefs that encourage submission to governing authorities and prioritize the nation undermine international law to the detriment of not only refugees, but also citizens and the world community. The chapter first explores Christianity’s transition from persecution to establishment after Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity. Some of the seeds planted in such a transition contributed to later religious wars and eventually flourished in the nations-states that developed after 1648. Next, the chapter argues that many of the executive orders and federal policies established after 2016 have undermined the commitment to refugee protection established by international law. It then explores the scriptural and theological positions that have influenced the post-2016 federal policy. Specifically, the chapter examines the policies of deterring applicants for asylum, expanding immigration detention, permitting untrammeled Immigration Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol enforcement, and undermining the rule of law. Although the First Amendment to the Constitution precludes Scripture from determining law, citizens debating the merits of refugee and immigration policy may rely on Scripture to inspire policy choices. The chapter presents an alternative interpretation of Scripture to fulfill the goal of protecting asylum seekers and those requesting assistance when approaching a nation’s borders while simultaneously reinvigorating the protections promised by international law.
-KitJ