Inside story.'I was a stranger and you welcomed me." Jesus' words in Matthew are disarmingly simple, yet they encapsulate en·cap·su·late v. 1. To form a capsule or sheath around. 2. To become encapsulated. en·cap a core tenet of Christianity: radical inclusion. Jesus calls us to extend that same kind of hospitality to the strangers among us. Two of our writers apply this message to the thorny issue of immigration immigration, entrance of a person (an alien) into a new country for the purpose of establishing permanent residence. Motives for immigration, like those for migration generally, are often economic, although religious or political factors may be very important. , a topic that engenders passion from folks on all sides. Ched Myers provides a thought-provoking biblical reflection on welcoming the outsider, and Helene Slessarev-Jamir evaluates current policies and legislation aimed at immigration reform Immigration reform is the common term used in political discussions regarding changes to immigration policy. In a certain sense, reform can be general enough to include promoted, expanded, or open immigration, but in reality discussions of reform often deal with the aspect of . Each writer, by the way, brings to the issue the perspective of being married to a foreign-born spouse. Abortion is another topic on which political rhetoric tends to mask much of the real, substantive work being accomplished. Amy Sullivan goes beyond the standard for-and-against arguments to find promising developments among groups working to reduce the number of abortions in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . In Culture-Watch, Hollywood insider Donovan Jacobs heads behind the screens to look at why films and television shows rarely depict characters who are poor. And since we always need a laugh during tax season (actually, we'll laugh any time), be sure to check out Ed Spivey's H'rumphs column on the back page. We're happy to report that one of his columns, "80 in a 55 Zone," recently was honored in the Independent Press Association's first annual humor humor, according to ancient theory, any of four bodily fluids that determined man's health and temperament. Hippocrates postulated that an imbalance among the humors (blood, phlegm, black bile, and yellow bile) resulted in pain and disease, and that good health was awards in San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden . Ed has kept us laughing for more than 30 years, and his humor has brought others into the fold. What a way to welcome. --The Editors |
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