Sanctuary

Sanctuary and Sacrifice

Sanctuary Asia

Sanctuary

This compilation of 20 essays is the fruit of a two-day Sanctuary symposium sponsored by the Tucson Ecumenical Council's Task Force for Central America. In addition to the principal presentations of that Symposium, the book contains a history of the Sanctuary Movement, an appendix on how to establish a sanctuary, and an analysis by Dr Elie Wiesel on what it means to be a refugee. The essays, by scholars, refugees, and sanctuary workers, reflect the struggle to be loyal to visions of faith with committed action that challenges the 'principalities and powers' of our day. The book is divided into six themes. In the first, there is Dr Wiesel's speech and a brief history of the Sanctuary Movement in the United States since 1979 involving Central American refugees and their struggles with the Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS). The emphasis is mostly on El Salvador, Honduras, Guatemala and the US involvement. Part Two treats the theological and biblical perspectives on sanctuary from Calvinist, Hebraic and other points of view. The third section traces the historical perspective on sanctuary and Central America. Part Four analyses the ethical, legal and human rights perspectives on sanctuary. Part Five includes three speeches by refugees themselves including one on being a minister and a refugee. The last section deals with the specific challenge to the American conscience of the refugee question and the Sanctuary Movement.