Christians at the Border

Christians at the Border
by M. Daniel Carroll R.
Baker Academic (2008)

The immigration debate is a heated and polarizing issue in the United States. M. Daniel Carroll R. wrote this book to bring a fresh perspective on the debate from a Christian viewpoint, specifically related to developing a new starting point that could bring refreshing wisdom and a truly biblical lens to a complicated issue. He starts with an overview of the history of the massive migration of people from Hispanic countries in Latin America to the United States, pointing out along the way the Hispanic churches that are growing at as fast of a rate as the migration is occurring. He then gives a biblical foundation for how Christians are required to act toward immigrants, by pointing out that “Christians must think about and act on Hispanic immigration as Christians.” (20)

Christians at the Border is full of rich resources that are applicable to the most recent hot topics regarding the immigration debate. The author dissected many of the fragile and stereotyped arguments that mainstream cultural Christians in America have perpetuated in this modern era. I agreed with the author’s conclusion that “An appropriate response to the complicated situation in society will not come from detached, objective analysis, cost-benefit calculations, efficiency quotients, and cultural arguments. The decisions that are made and courses of action that are recommended should be commensurate with the life of Jesus – his actions, his teaching, his cross.” (139) That is a strong statement about the call of Christ to overcome the world in relation to the immigration debate. In other words, first and foremost we are all called to be followers of Christ before we think about judging others based on differences.

Although this book focused mostly on the immigration debate, I found that it had many implications regarding my work in Homewood. There are many aspects of cross-cultural communication in the Hispanic immigration debate in America that serve to capture the complexities of the cross-cultural relationship between African-American and Caucasian Americans. The author suggests that “the American identity has never been a static entity. It has meant different things at diverse times, as millions from all over the world have come to this country and have added their part. African-Americans were forcefully kept from the cultural mainstream for the longest time, first as slaves and later as a despised minority. The Civil War and civil rights legislation were not enough to guarantee that those Americans could become part of, let alone participate in defining, the national identity.” (48) We live in a time when America has an African-American president. Many people assume that racism and oppression has ended. However, the people living in Homewood still experience the true realities of being racially and economically outside of mainstream society on a consistent basis. Christians living in the mainstream of any society have a moral calling from God to engage people living in the margins of society. The story of the Good Samaritan, which is outlined in the book, is a profound analogy of that counter-cultural calling in the words of Jesus. Christians are called to be different than the world.