MOBILE, Ala. (WKRG) — Clint Archer with Christ Fellowship Baptist Church joins us. We wanted to talk about immigration. As an immigrant, what is a biblical view of immigration?

Guest: Well, the word immigrant isn’t really used in the Bible, but the word sojourner. Is, which is a foreigner who’s journeyed to your land. The Bible recognizes that in a certain sense, we’re all strangers and aliens. I’ve been called an alien at JFK airport. We really all are, and God reminded the Israelites that they were sojourners in Egypt as well, and so that needs to inform the way that you treat other sojourners.

Anchor: As a South African, what is your immigration story? And why did you want to come to the states?

Guest: Well, it’s very difficult to immigrate to the United States, so I consider that the Mount Everest of paperwork. But it’s also very reasonable the types of background checks you have to do in both countries and all of the paperwork you have to have in order. And so I think that that’s given me. Any more sympathy for those that have done it right and maybe a little less sympathy for those that try to skirt the legal system and do it in an Illegal way.

Anchor: Of all the nations you could have immigrated to. Why did you want to pick the states?

Guest: Yeah, there are always pull factors and push factors for us. The main pull factor here was a ministry opportunity. Christ Fellowship was looking for. A Reformed Baptist expository preacher, which is quite a niche ministry. And so they must have been scraping the bottom of the barrel, bringing me all the way from South Africa.

Anchor: And in that experience, what have you learned or what does a cultural change been like for you?

Guest: Well, the culture shock. I lived in California for a while as well when I was studying and the culture shock from California to mobile was probably greater than South Africa to mobile people here are very friendly and relational and have been very welcoming. And that’s what we’re used to in South Africa.