Strangers in the Bible (t): Loved but Not Embraced? (t)

This title is printed to order. This book may have been self-published. If so, we cannot guarantee the quality of the content. In the main most books will have gone through the editing process however some may not. We therefore suggest that you be aware of this before ordering this book. If in doubt check either the author or publisher’s details as we are unable to accept any returns unless they are faulty. Please contact us if you have any questions.

In this book, Fr. Rene Micallef, a Maltese Jesuit, reflects on biblical hospitality and kinship building with strangers. Acts 28:1-10 speaks of the hospitality of the Maltese, but also of their fear and suspicions regarding Paul, the stranger. Such biblical stories of hospitality may become part of a national identity: welcoming tourists and rich investors strengthens that narrative, but welcoming poor, black and non-Christian asylum seekers and immigrants may put that narrative to the test. In recent years, all over the world, mass migration has provoked and unmasked a deep fear of the other.

There is no easy way of building trust with the other, but we can learn from historical experiences such as that of biblical Israel and of the first Christian communities. It is worth exploring not only the positive and commendable passages and behaviors, but also the fear and hostility present in biblical texts, as well as the struggle to overcome such reactions. The book explores the Bible in all its complexity to help contemporary readers think through modern political issues critically. Only by educating young Christians to honest and critical thinking can we engender deep, reasoned and trusting faithfulness to the Gospel of mercy, Church authority and tradition.