Finding Jesus At The Border

Immigration is an issue of major concern within the Christian community. As Christians, how should we respond to the current crisis? Interweaving biblical narratives of border crossing and recent stories of immigrants at the US-Mexico border, this accessibly written book invites Christians to reconsider the plight of their neighbors and respond with compassion to the present immigration crisis. Julia Lambert Fogg, a pastor and New Testament scholar who is actively serving immigrant families in Southern California, interprets well-known biblical stories in a fresh way and puts a human face on the immigration debate. Fogg argues that Christians must step out of their comfort zones and learn to cross social, ethnic, and religious borders--just as Jesus did--to become the body of Christ in the world. She encourages readers to welcome Christ by embracing DREAMers, the undocumented, asylum seekers, and immigrants, and she inspires Christians to advocate for immigrant justice in their communities.

Sex, drugs, religion, and love are potent combinations in la zona, a regulated prostitution zone in the city of Reynosa, across the border from Hidalgo, Texas. During the years 2008 and 2009, a time of intense drug violence, Sarah Luna met and built relationships with two kinds of migrants, women who moved from rural Mexico to Reynosa to become sex workers and American missionaries who moved from the United States to forge a fellowship with those workers. Luna examines the entanglements, both intimate and financial, that define their lives. Using the concept of obligar, she delves into the connections that tie sex workers to their families, their clients, their pimps, the missionaries, and the drug dealers—and to the guilt, power, and comfort of faith. Love in the Drug War scrutinizes not only la zona and the people who work to survive there, but also Reynosa itself—including the influences of the United States—adding nuance and new understanding to the current US-Mexico border crisis.

2020 — Ruth Benedict Prize – Association for Queer Anthropology, American Anthropological Association 2020 — Gloria E. Anzaldúa Book Prize – National Women’s Studies Association 2020 — Honorable Mention, Sara A. Whaley Book Prize 2021 — Best Book in Social Sciences – Mexico Section, Latin American Studies Association (LASA) Sex, drugs, religion, and love are potent combinations in la zona, a regulated prostitution zone in the city of Reynosa, across the border from Hidalgo, Texas. During the years 2008 and 2009, a time of intense drug violence, Sarah Luna met and built relationships with two kinds of migrants, women who moved from rural Mexico to Reynosa to become sex workers and American missionaries who moved from the United States to forge a fellowship with those workers. Luna examines the entanglements, both intimate and financial, that define their lives. Using the concept of obligar, she delves into the connections that tie sex workers to their families, their clients, their pimps, the missionaries, and the drug dealers—and to the guilt, power, and comfort of faith. Love in the Drug War scrutinizes not only la zona and the people who work to survive there, but also Reynosa itself—including the influences of the United States—adding nuance and new understanding to the current Mexico-US border crisis.

Hispanic Old Testament scholar Daniel Carroll brings biblical theology to bear creatively on the current immigration conversation with an eye to correcting assumptions on both sides of the issue.

“I wish every self-identified ‘person of faith’ could read this remarkable, thought-provoking book.”—Bruce Bawer, author of Stealing Jesus There is a lot of tension in churches today about whose ministry is primary—that of the laity or of the clergy. Living on the Border of the Holy offers a way of understanding the priesthood of the whole people of God and the priesthood of the ordained by showing both are rooted in the fundamental priestly nature of life. After an exploration of the ministries of laity and ordained, Country examines the implications of this view of priesthood for churches and for those studying for ordination. “For anyone struggling with how to live in the thin places between heaven and earth, Dr. Countryman’s brilliant offer hope, companionship, and the fruits of years of experience. His theory of a ‘fundamental human priesthood’ gives us all a compassionate guide to follow as we enter the borderlands, and it should help end the division between clergy and laity. Countryman’s human priesthood leads us into the future, where God calls us to be.”—Nora Gallagher, author of Things Seen and Unseen: A Year Lived in Faith

With so many people around the globe migrating, how should Christians and the church respond? Leading Latino-American biblical scholar M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas) helps readers understand what the Bible says about immigration, offering accessible, nuanced, and sympathetic guidance for the church. After two successful editions of Christians at the Border, and having talked and written about immigration over the past decade, Carroll has sharpened his focus and refined his argument to make sure we hear clearly what the Bible says about one of the most pressing issues of our day. He has reworked the biblical material, adding insights and broadening the frame of reference beyond the US. As Carroll explores the surprising amount of material in the Old and New Testaments that deals with migration, he shows how this topic is fundamental to the message of the Bible and how it affects our understanding of God and the mission of the church.

Finding Jesus in Israel a book for travel veterans, people with wanderlust, or readers who just love a good story. We are all shaped and transformed by the oceans we sail, the deserts, mountains, and valleys we wander, and the people we meet along the way. And as any traveler worth his salt knows, the real trip happens within. Sunday school stories are no longer just stories -- Israel is a tangible place populated with living souls. Author and travel veteran, Buck Storm takes an unvarnished look at the Holy Land with an off-the-bus peek into the people and places that make Israel such an amazing destination. Part travel journal but mostly spiritual guide, Finding Jesus in Israel takes you across the world, to lands where Abraham settled, through the very streets Jesus walked, and to the shore of waters that Paul sailed. Are you ready?

In view of the proliferation of conflicting images of Jesus in the church, in the academy, and in popular culture, it is no wonder that his identity sometimes appears more elusive than ever.Seeking the Identity of Jesus brings together an interdisciplinary group of leading scholars -- from the fields of biblical studies, theology, and church history -- to focus on the complex problems surrounding the quest for the historical Jesus. Their perspectives are richly informed by Scripture, testimony from the church's past, and experience of the risen Jesus in the present. Contributors: Dale C. Allison Jr. Gary A. Anderson Markus Bockmuehl Sarah Coakley Brian E. Daley Beverly Roberts Gaventa A. Katherine Grieb Richard B. Hays Robert W. Jenson Joel Marcus R. W. L. Moberly William C. Placher Katherine Sonderegger David C. Steinmetz Marianne Meye Thompson Francis Watson