Internationalism with Evangelical Characteristics: The Case of Evangelical Responses to Southeast Asian Refugees

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Using evangelical efforts to resettle Southeast Asian refugees as a historical case study, this article argues that white evangelicals display both populist and internationalist tendencies and that a sense of religious peoplehood has shaped their humanitarian work. Although evangelicals often welcomed Southeast Asian refugees, archival and oral history evidence indicate that they were eager to resettle fellow Christians and to aid refugees through missions-centered projects directed by Christian organizations. Ultimately, evangelicals’ resettlement work did not represent an enthusiasm for welcoming racial and religious outsiders. Rather, it was a project that allowed them to serve and grow their own people.