“If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3)
As the United Nations Refugee Convention marks its 75th anniversary on July 28, Christians are faced with an important question: when institutions become ineffective, unresponsive, or disconnected from the concerns of faith communities, should we disengage or continue to engage?
Some... argue that institutions such as the United Nations are no longer fit for purpose
Many Christians today are frustrated with international institutions. As organizations become increasingly bureaucratic, politicized, or resistant to reform, withdrawal can seem like a reasonable response. Some even argue that institutions such as the United Nations are no longer fit for purpose.
Yet for Christians, disengagement comes with consequences.
A Christian legacy in refugee protection
This year marks the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention, the cornerstone of international refugee protection. The Convention established legal protections for people fleeing persecution based on race, religion, nationality, membership of a particular social group, or political opinion.
Scripture repeatedly calls God's people to welcome the stranger.
These principles closely reflect biblical values. Scripture repeatedly calls God's people to welcome the stranger, protect the vulnerable, and uphold the dignity of every person created in the image of God.
The Refugee Convention developed alongside the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948), a document influenced in part by leaders such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Charles Malik, and René Cassin, whose Judeo-Christian convictions informed their commitment to human dignity and protection for the vulnerable. Their work laid the foundation for safeguards that continue to benefit millions worldwide.
Churches provided moral leadership, practical expertise, and advocacy for refugees.
The 1951 Refugee Convention was negotiated by government representatives from a diverse range of nations under the auspices of the United Nations. Christian individuals and organizations also helped shape the Convention's underlying principles. Through bodies such as the Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (CCIA) and the International Missionary Council, churches provided moral leadership, practical expertise, and advocacy for refugees throughout the drafting process.
Speaking up for those without a voice
The Bible calls believers not only to care for those who suffer, but also to confront the systems and structures that contribute to suffering.
Drive a spoke... into the wheels of injustice.
Proverbs 31:8-9 instructs us to "speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves" and to defend the rights of the poor and needy. Dietrich Bonhoeffer expressed a similar conviction during the rise of Nazi Germany: "The Church must not simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice; it must drive a spoke into the wheel itself."
For Christians concerned about refugees, displaced people, and persecuted minorities, this means that humanitarian aid alone is not enough. Advocacy matters. Laws, policies, and institutions shape the lives of millions of vulnerable people, and Christians have a responsibility to be present where those decisions are made.
Countries are adopting increasingly restrictive approaches to asylum and refugee protection.
Many are among the world's forcibly displaced populations, who have fled violence, conflict, and religious persecution. Yet at the same time, many countries are adopting increasingly restrictive approaches to asylum and refugee protection.
When the Church withdraws from public advocacy, those most in need of representation often lose an important voice. Displaced Christians, religious minorities, converts, and persecuted communities frequently have limited access to decision-makers and few advocates speaking on their behalf.
Faithful engagement in an imperfect world
Seventy-five years after the Refugee Convention was adopted, the institutions responsible for refugee protection are far from perfect. They face political pressures, competing interests, and significant challenges.
Yet Christians have never been called to engage only with perfect institutions.
The question is not whether international organizations always get things right. The question is whether Christians are willing to be present, speak truthfully, advocate courageously, and work for justice on behalf of those who are vulnerable.
We are called to be both compassionate neighbors and faithful advocates.
As followers of Christ, we are called to be both compassionate neighbors and faithful advocates. By engaging with policymakers, governments, and international organizations, we can help ensure that the principles of human dignity, religious freedom, justice, and protection remain at the center of refugee responses around the world.
In a time when many retreat from the public square, Christians have an opportunity to stand in the gap for those who have been displaced, persecuted, and forgotten.
Originally published by Philoi Global. Republished with permission.
Jude Simion is CEO of Philoi Global and serves on the Core Leadership Team of Refugee Highway Partnership. Philoi Global responds to the humanitarian gaps of persecuted minorities through relief, relocation, and resettlement; cultivating compassion, unity, and support for the displaced.
