Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice
Ebook
Migrant God takes readers to the front lines of immigrant justice activism where Christians are putting hope into action.
From Tijuana, Mexico, to Douglas, Arizona, across North Carolina and beyond, Isaac Villegas cuts a new path through worn-out talking points and bears witness to loving solidarity among Christians—both with and without US citizenship. Along the way, he offers a theologically astute and politically rich vision of beloved community.
Centering the stories of people who have been transformed through their dedication to the work of collective wholeness, Villegas begins each chapter “on the ground”—with protests in the streets, hospitality in migrant shelters, and shared meals in home kitchens. He then engages in biblical, theological, and political reflection to explore the significance—for our faith and our world—of these sites of collective work. Migrant God is a stirring read for anyone who wants to shift conversations about immigration toward a more holistic Christian vision of life lived in solidarity with migrants.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. Death in the Desert
2. Antigone and Alvaro
3. Holy Meals, Last Suppers
4. Protest and Prayer
5. Community Defense
6. Sanctuary
7. Liberation for Worship
Conclusion
Acknowledgments
Notes
Selected Bibliography
Index
“With eloquence and grace, Isaac Villegas captures the complexity, heartbreak, and resilience found in the US/Mexico borderlands. Embodied in these stories of spiritual communion—from Tijuana to Durham, NC—is a profound treatise on hope, struggle, and the power of solidarity across borders.”
—Felipe Hinojosa, John and Nancy Jackson Endowed Chair in Latin America and Professor of History, Baylor University; author of Apostles of Change: Latino Radical Politics, Church Occupations, and the Fight to Save the Barrio
“The Christian story remembers the plight of migrant people who believe and hope in a migrant God. Isaac Villegas offers us testimonies to inspire our politics, and argues that our action must begin with worship and prayer. This is a book for our times.”
—María Clara Bingemer, professor of theology, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; author of Latin American Theology: Roots and Branches
“With this book, Isaac Villegas has taught me how to think theologically about migration, and how to think alongside migration about God. In so doing, he has transformed my understanding of Christian spirituality and of the practices that constitute Christian life.”
—Lauren Winner, associate professor of Christian spirituality, Duke Divinity School; author of The Dangers of Christian Practice: On Wayward Gifts, Characteristic Damage, and Sin
“Isaac Villegas’s Migrant God isn’t just a book full of powerful, often overwhelming, stories. It is certainly that. But it is also a book that serves as a powerful, often overwhelming, political ‘vision of belonging’—reminding us that amidst the darkness of what nations do daily to God’s migrant people, a light overwhelms the darkness, and the darkness has neither overcome nor comprehended it.”
—Jonathan Tran, associate dean for faculty and associate professor of theology in Great Texts, Baylor University; author of Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism
- Title: Migrant God: A Christian Vision for Immigrant Justice
- Author: Isaac S. Villegas
- Publisher: Eerdmans
- Print Publication Date: 2025
- Logos Release Date: 2024
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Ebook
- ISBNs: 9781467468695, 9780802884435, 0802884431, 146746869X
- Resource ID: LLS:9781467468695
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2024-09-19T05:55:26Z
Isaac Samuel Villegas is an ordained minister in the Mennonite Church USA who is involved in the work of community organizing and activism for immigrant justice. He is also a columnist for The Christian Century and Anabaptist World.