Research Article Christopher M. Hays* What is the Place of My Rest? Being Migrant People(s) of the God of All the Earth https://doi.org/10.1515/opth-2020-0154 received March 24, 2021; accepted April 07, 2021 Abstract: This article provides a theological reading of Acts 6–7, combining biblical and social-scientific insights to support constructive Christian engagement with the phenomena of twenty-first century migra- tion. It responds broadly to US-American migratory phenomena, while drawing on insights from the Bible, migration studies, and the author’s own work with Colombian victims of forced migration. The article begins with an exegetical examination of the dispute between Hebrews and Hellenists in Acts 6 and Stephen’s speech in Acts 7, arguing that migratory issues underlie both the conflicts in these texts and the theological arguments Stephen adduces in his own defense. These biblical-theological reflections are then supplemented with an introduction to two social-scientific concepts that have been influential in migration studies, specifically, the notions of identity hybridity and migrant integration (as opposed to assimilation). The article demonstrates how the book of Acts reflects the benefits of healthy forms of identity hybridity and migrant integration and commends similar approaches for contemporary migrants and Christian communities in the Americas (both the United States and Colombia). Keywords: Acts of the Apostles, Stephen, migration, identity hybridity, assimilation, integration, John W. Berry 1 Introduction: Ni chicha, ni limonada The United States’ anxiety about immigrants is hardly new. Already in the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin fretted about hordes of migrants laying siege to New England’s ports, supposedly corroding their way of life. He wrote: Those who come hither are generally of the most ignorant Stupid Sort of their own Nation […] They come in droves […] Few of their children in the Country learn English […] they will soon so outnumber us, that all the advantages we have will not […] in My Opinion be able to preserve our language, and even our Government will become precarious.¹ It may be the source of some mirth to know that these putatively ignorant multitudes, so feared by this Founding Father of the United States, were none other than German immigrants – hardly the demographic that currently arouses North American anti-immigrant sentiment! In spite of the fear of immigrants that runs deep in the American psyche, the United States continues to be the most-favored destination of potential migrants.² It has received by far the largest share of the world’s   * Corresponding author: Christopher M. Hays, Fundación Universitaria Seminario Bíblico de Colombia, Medellín, Colombia; Research associate, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa, e-mail: cmhays@gmail.com  1 Franklin, “Letter to Peter Collinson.” 2 Esipova et al., “Number of Potential Migrants Worldwide Tops 700 Million.” Open Theology 2021; 7: 150–168 Open Access. © 2021 Christopher M. Hays, published by De Gruyter. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.