Issues linked to asylum and immigration are never far from our news or public discourse. They are subjects around which there is much heat, but less light. With the British Government putting the finishing touches to its asylum policies, which arguably seek to put ‘firm’ alongside ‘fair’, is it possible to have an ethical approach to asylum that has dignity, integrity and impartiality as its watchwords?
This session, part of a Churches’ Refugee Network (CRN) meeting, aimed to scope an approach to asylum from the perspective of the social, racial, economic, and environmental justice which spring from the Christian Gospel. It aimed to challenge the securitisation of refugee protection and propose alternatives to the hostile environments practised by many governments.
Speaker
The talk, above, was by Vaughan Jones, Minister of Union Chapel Congregational Church in Islington, north London. Union Chapel is a centre for people experiencing insecurity in housing, a major arts venue as well as a Christian community committed to justice and peace. Vaughan was the founder and CEO of Praxis and worked there for thirty years. He is a past Chair of JCWI and a former Trustee of the Refugee Council. He has served on many forums and working groups on migration at international, national and local levels. Vaughan was ordained as a URC Minister in 1984 and holds an MTh in Pastoral Theology from Heythrop College.
Paper and Powerpoint
You can download the Powerpoint and paper of Vaughan’s talk.
(note some of the images have been changed for copyright reasons).
