MASIC presents: Welcoming the Stranger

The Ethics of Migration

Wednesday 16 Jun 2021

Online

Free - recording available

Wednesday 16 Jun 2021

Online

Free - recording available

A webinar exploring the ethical issues surrounding migration, refugee settlement and seeking asylum.

This webinar took place on Wednesday 16 June during Refugee Week (14-20 June), a UK-wide festival celebrating the contributions, creativity and resilience of refugees and people seeking sanctuary.

The event was presented by the Moral and Social Issues Council (MASIC).

Our host

The panel conversation was hosted by Lieutenant-Colonel Dean Pallant.

Dean was born and educated in Zimbabwe. He went to university and worked in South Africa. He’s been a Salvation Army officer for 28 years and is currently the Secretary for Communications for the United Kingdom Territory with the Republic of Ireland. Prior to this appointment, Dean served as the director of the International Social Justice Commission based in New York and was secretary of the International Moral and Social Issues Council.

Dean has a doctorate in theology from King’s College London and has published two books: Keeping Faith in Faith-Based Organisations (2012) and To Be Like Jesus: Christian Ethics for a 21st Century Salvation Army (2019).

Our panel

We heard from a range of perspectives in our webinar panel conversation, including first-hand experiences of migration and refugee settlement, theology and government policy.

Lucy is a soldier from Hillingdon Corps in west London and a member of the Moral and Social Issues Council.

She is an Assistant Professorial Research Fellow at the London School of Economics (LSE). Lucy has a health economics and policy background with experience working in Sub-Saharan Africa. Before joining the LSE, she held research positions at the Health Economics Research Group at Brunel University, London and Population Council, Kenya.

Israel is the new Director of the One People Commission of the Evangelical Alliance. He is an ordained and accredited Baptist minister and has led two multi-ethnic Baptist churches and an independent charismatic church. He is the founding director of Centre for Missionaries from the Majority World, a mission network initiative that provides cross-cultural training to reverse missionaries in Britain.

Israel is an Honorary Research Fellow at Queens Foundation for Theological Ecumenical Education in Birmingham and on the Advisory Group on Race and Theology of Society for the Study of Theology (SST). He is a consultant to the Executive Team of Lausanne Europe advising them on matters related to diaspora ministries in Europe. He is on the Christian Aid Working Group of Black Majority Church Leaders exploring the intersection of climate justice and racial justice.

Israel is a Yoruba Nigerian coming from a Pentecostal background. He holds a BA (Hons) in Religious Studies from the University of Ibadan, Nigeria and MTh from Carolina University of Theology (CUT). Israel’s research thesis through his publications has been to develop African British Theology exploring African identity through Intercultural Missiology and Public Theology.

He has written several books including editing:

World Christianity in Western Europe: Diasporic Identity, Narratives and Missiology (2020)
African Voices: Towards African British Theologies (2017)
Turning the Tables on Mission: Stories of Christians from the Global South in the UK (2013)

He has co-edited:

Encountering London: London Baptists in the 21st Century (2015).

He is the author of:

Reverse in Ministry and Missions: Africans in the Dark Continent of Europe (2010)
20 Pentecostal Pioneers in Nigeria (2011)
Partnership in Mission: A Black Majority Church Perspective on Mission and Church Unity (2015)

Nicola is the Head of Justice, Peace and the Integrity of Creation for the Anglican Diocese of Southwark. Prior to this, Nicola was the Deputy Director of Refugee Integration and Vulnerability at the Home Office, where she led the creation of the community sponsorship scheme for resettled refugees.

Nicola grew up in Ireland and is a practising Roman Catholic, currently active in the parish church of St Cecilia’s in North Cheam. She is also a trustee of the Caritas Social Action Network, which is an agency of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales.

The Salvation Army’s response to refugees and asylum seekers

The Salvation Army has a long history offering practical support to people fleeing conflict, persecution and violence.

Today, we are adapting and responding to the rise of displaced people worldwide caused by conflicts such as in Syria or other humanitarian disasters. We put our faith into action by running refugee resettlement programmes, offering asylum seeker support and campaigning so asylum seekers have the right to work.

About the Moral and Social Issues Council

The Moral and Social Issues Council (MASIC) reports to Cabinet, The Salvation Army’s senior spiritual leadership team in the UK Territory with the Republic of Ireland.

Its role is:

To provide an ethical perspective and advice to territorial leadership
To help Salvationists engage in moral and social issues in their communities

The council includes officers and soldiers appointed by the Chief Secretary and is chaired by Major David Taylor. It aims to reflect the diversity of the territory and draw upon the skills, academic research, biblical and theological scholarship, and experience of its members and the wider Salvation Army.

Territorial Moral and Social Issues Councils support the work of the International Moral and Social Issues Council, which reports to the General and is responsible for The Salvation Army’s International Positional Statements.

Contact us

For further information about the webinar, contact the Moral and Social Issues Council:

masic@salvationarmy.org.uk

For further information about The Salvation Army’s refugee response and to learn more about how you could get involved, contact Major Nick Coke, our Refugee Response Co-ordinator: