The Bible And Borders

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.

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.

A leading poet and a theologian reflect on the Old Testament story of Ruth, a tale that resonates deeply in today's world with its themes of migration, the stranger, mixed cultures and religions, law and leadership, women in public life, kindness, generosity and fear. Ruth's story speaks directly to many of the issues and deep differences that Brexit has exposed and to the polarisation taking place in many societies. Pádraig Ó Tuama and Glenn Jordan bring the redemptive power of Ruth to bear on today's seemingly intractable social and political divisions, reflecting on its challenges and how it can help us be effective in the public square, amplify voices which are silenced, and be communities of faith in our present day. Over the last year, the material that inspired this book has been used with over 6000 people as a public theology initiative from Corrymeela, Ireland's longest-established peace and reconciliation centre. It has been met with an overwhelming response because of its immediacy and relevance, enabling people with opposing views to come together and be heard.

This collection focuses on the interdisciplinary nature of current biblical studies, especially the interpretation of the Bible through the arts. Its aim is to illustrate how the crossing of boundaries enriches our understanding of the text itself. Contributors include Robert Carroll, Mary Douglas, Wendy Porter, Edward Kessler, Larry Kreitzer, John Hull and Martin O'Kane. The themes embrace literature (Kipling), music (Bach) and art (Holbein). The editor contributes an introduction and an illustrated essay on the Flight into Egypt as an icon of refuge.>

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.

The twenty-first century has opened with a rapidly changing map of Christianity. While its influence is waning in some of its traditional Western strongholds, it is growing at a phenomenal pace in the global South. And yet this story has largely eluded the corporate news brokers of the West. Layered as it is with countless personal and corporate stories of remarkable faith and witness, it nevertheless lies ghostlike behind the newsprint and webpages of our print media, outside the camera's vision on the network evening news. Miriam Adeney has lived, traveled and ministered widely. She has walked with Christians in and from the far reaches of the globe. As she pulls back the veil on real Christians--their faith, their hardships, their triumphs and, yes, their failures--an inspiring and challenging story of a kingdom that knows no borders takes shape. This is a book that coaxes us out of our comfortable lives. It beckons us to expand our vision and experience of the possibilities and promise of a faith that continues to shape lives, communities and nations.

The failure of current immigration policies in the United States has resulted in dire consequences: a significant increase in border deaths, a proliferation of smuggling networks, prolonged family separation, inhumane raids, a patchwork of local ordinances criminalizing activities of immigrants and those who harbor them, and the creation of an underclass--none of which are appropriate or just outcomes for those holding Christian commitments. Heyer analyzes immigration in the context of fundamental Christian beliefs about the human person, sin, family life, and global solidarity to illuminate the plight of and receptivity to undocumented immigrants in this country, particularly immigrants from Mexico. She demonstrates how current US immigration policies reflect harmful neoliberal economic priorities, and why immigration cannot be reduced to security or legal issues alone; rather, immigration involves a broad array of economic issues, trade policies, concerns of cultural tolerance and criminal justice, and, at root, an understanding of the human person. Grounded in scriptural, anthropological, and social teachings, a Christian ethic of immigration calls society to promote structures and practices reflecting kinship and justice. The person-centered approach Heyer proposes demands basic changes to systems and rhetoric that abet and disguise immigrants' exploitation and death, requiring enhanced human rights protections and respect for the rule of law. Central to this ethic is attentiveness to the lived experiences of immigrants and a theologically inspired summons to "subversive hospitality."

What are the borders of the Promised Land in the Hebrew Bible? What drives and characterizes the descriptions given of them? The starting point for this research lies in the premise that, despite their detailed geographical nature, the biblical texts are not genuinely geographical documents. They are more appropriately to be understood and examined as literary texts composed in the service of an ideological agenda. In order to comprehend properly the idea of the Promised Land presented in the Hebrew Bible—its definitions, dimensions, and significance—we must understand that the descriptions belong to diverse literary genres, were composed according to various literary devices that require decoding, and that reflect a range of perspectives, outlooks, and notions. All the Boundaries of the Land provides engaging fresh perspectives on the variant views of the Promised Land in the interface between literature, history, geography, and ideology. It does not intend to answer the question of how the borders of the land altered throughout the course of history. The reader will find no maps or outlines in this book. The emphasis is on the literary tools that were employed by the biblical authors who described the borders, and the ideological motives that guided them. Erratum: All the Boundaries of the Land: The Promised Land in Biblical Thought in Light of the Ancient Near East was published with the support of the Israel Science Foundation (ISF). They funded the translation of the book into English and enabled Nili Wazana to make her research accessible to the wider scientific community. The preface to the book mistakenly fails to mention their contribution, thanking instead the Israel Academy of Science. Future editions will acknowledge the author’s gratitude to the Israel Science Foundation.