Out of Egypt:

Find the amusement in the academic: an exercise for the reader

So I wrote for my group in Global Trends this long outline for an (as yet unwritten) paper about the church's response to immigration (primarily illegal immigration) of Latinos into the Southwest U.S. It's pretty long, perhaps too long for the paper's required length (I'm not sure; I haven't checked the syllabus recently).

But, in its defense, there is one line of it that I find amusing if taken out of context. At first, I wrote it without thinking. Then I left it because I couldn't think of a pithy substitute. Finally, I gave up trying because it was hilarious. See if you can find it. See what you think.

I. The Current Situation
	A. Two Stories
		1. A southern California's church's experience with
                                Latino immigration
		2. Veronica, an illegal immigrant's experience: 
                               "I will try again"
	B. Demographics of the Southwest U.S.
		1. Current immigrant population
		2. Projections for the next ten years and beyond
	C. Our Immigration "Problem"
		1. Increasing socioeconomic gap
		2. Resultant crime problems
		3. Encultration issues
II. Causes of the Immigration Problem: Why Are They Coming?
	[Perhaps a story to begin]
	A. Gap Between Nations
	B. Squeeze of Globalization
	C. Solidarity among Latinos
III. Opposing Views on Illegal Immigrants and Amnesty
	A. Pro-Immigration/Amnesty
		1. In keeping with spirit of America
		2. Fulfills Biblical mandate
		3. "People are dying"
		4. INS, Border Patrol efforts are ineffective
	B. Anti-Immigration/Amnesty
		1. Undermines legal immigration
		2. Threat to national sovereignty/identity
		3. Cheap labor depresses wages
		4. Drain on gov't resources
			a. Unpaid taxes
			b. Social services to non-citizens
		5. Increased crime
		6. Cultural separateness/balkanization
IV. Christian Response
	A. The Current Response
		1. Programs to assist illegal immigrants 
                               (more mainline Protestant/Catholic response)
			a. Healthcare
			b. Economic
			c. Cultural/political
		2. Evangelization/encultration efforts 
                               (more among evangelicals)
		3. Calls for amnesty
                                (also mainline Prots/Catholics)
	B. What Underlies The Current Response
		1. Scriptural concern for aliens and strangers:
                                "Bible before Constitution"
		2. Compassion for those dying and in need: 
                                preservation of life over preservation of national identity
	C. What The Response Ignores
		1. Potential for us to reach economic equilibrium
                                with poorer nations: they improve economically as
                                poorest leave; we, burdened with them, are brought down
		2. Cultural "gaps" created between old and new 
                                Americans, even in the church
	D. Hard Questions
		1. What is the Christian's relationship to 
                                 national identity, patriotism, citizenship?
			a. Are we the American people 
                                                or the People of God?
			b. Scriptural basis for viewing
                                                ourselves as aliens
			c. Possibility of synthesis?
		2. What does a multi-ethnic church look like?
			a. How do we worship together?
				i. language issues
				ii. cultural issues
			b. How do we offer immigrants of a minority
                                                (in the evangelical church) ethnicity
                                                support (economic, etc.) without
                                                patronizing them or creating dependence?
	E. A Solution?
		A. Cultural sensitivity without unthinking acceptance
                                of immigrant's cultural values; continued 
                                evangelization of those already here
		B. Serving illegals' immediate needs while not 
                                condoning illegality
		C. Eliminate need for illegal immigration: 
                                 nationwide church work toward improving conditions
                                 in Latin America