Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate

by Leith Anderson; Matthew Soerens; Jenny Hwang Yang

Publisher:

IVP USA

, 2018

Overview

Immigration is one of the most complicated issues of our time. Voices on all sides argue strongly for action and change. Christians find themselves torn between the desire to uphold laws and the call to minister to the vulnerable.

In this book World Relief immigration experts Matthew Soerens and Jenny Yang move beyond the rhetoric to offer a Christian response to immigration. They put a human face on the issue and tell stories of immigrants’ experiences in and out of the system. With careful historical understanding and thoughtful policy analysis, they debunk myths and misconceptions about immigration and show the limitations of the current immigration system. Ultimately they point toward immigration reform that is compassionate, sensible, and just as they offer concrete ways for you and your church to welcome and minister to your immigrant neighbors.

This revised edition includes new material on refugees and updates in light of changes in political realities.

Key Features

• Moves beyond the rhetoric to offer a Christian response to immigration
• Puts a human face on the issue and tell stories of immigrants’ experiences in and out of the system
• Points toward immigration reform that is compassionate, sensible, and just

Contents

• The Immigration Dilemma
• “Aliens” Among You: Who Are Undocumented Immigrants?
• Nation of Immigrants: A Historical Perspective on Immigration to the United States
• Immigrating the Legal Way: Our Immigration System Today
• Thinking Biblically About Immigration
• Concerns About Immigration
• The Value of Immigrants to the United States
• Immigration Policies and Politics
• Immigration and the Church Today
• A Christian Response to the Immigration Dilemma
• Appendix 1: Discussion Questions
• Appendix 2: Evangelical Statement of Principles for Immigration Reform
• Appendix 3: Ministries and Organizations Serving Refugees and Other Immigrants in the United States
• Appendix 4: Ministries and Organizations Addressing the Root Causes of Immigration
• Appendix 5: Selected Resources for Learning More About the Immigration Issue
• Appendix 6: Tools for Political Advocacy

Praise for Welcoming the Stranger

A fresh, compelling call from Scripture to live out the gospel with boldness and courage in the twenty-first century. A significant pivotal guide for the church in these times.

—Jo Anne Lyon, global ambassador for the Wesleyan Church

In the next forty years there will be an estimated 132 million Latinos in this nation, and a critical concern for our community is fixing our broken immigration system. Welcoming the Stranger is a must-read that helps us to embrace a biblical response to this critical issue.

—Noel Castellanos, president of the Christian Community Development Association

Biblical, urgent, readable. An excellent introduction to this complex moral issue. All thinking evangelicals should read it.

—Ron Sider, founder and president emeritus of Evangelicals for Social Action

Immigration stands as the metric of whether or not America embraces social justice in the twenty-first century. In Welcoming the Stranger Jenny Hwang and Matt Soerens contextualize the narrative of an issue that requires analysis and discussion not from the extremes of political ideology but rather from a platform of truth, justice and compassion. Jenny and Matt equip us with the necessary acumen to reconcile Romans 13, the rule of law, with Leviticus 19, treating the alien as one of our own. Accordingly, the universal Christian symbol is the cross. The cross is both vertical and horizontal, redemption and transformation, conviction and compassion. This book will challenge us to meet at the point of convergence, the great intersect, where John 3:16 meets Luke 4, immigration via a biblical worldview.

—Reverend Samuel Rodriguez, president, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, The Hispanic NAE

Product Details

• Title: Welcoming the Stranger: Justice, Compassion & Truth in the Immigration Debate
• Authors: Leith Anderson, Matthew Soerens, Jenny Hwang Yang
• Publisher: IVP USA
• Print Publication Date: 2018
• Pages: 288
• Language: English
• Resources: 1
• Format: Digital › Logos Reader Edition
• ISBNs: 9780830878406, 9780830845392, 9780830885558, 9781545908211, 0830878408, 0830845399, 0830885552, 1545908214
• Resource ID: LLS:9780830878406
• Resource Type: Monograph
• Metadata Last Updated: 2025-11-14T00:02:59Z