No Longer Strangers: Transforming Evangelism with Immigrant Communities

Reverends Cho and Page collect essays on the value of Christian evangelical activity in regard to immigrant communities in this insightful anthology. The editors make an argument for viewing the current inrush of immigrants and refugees to the United States as a “work of the Spirit” and argue this is a critical moment for believers. Within the eight essays, Cho and Page invite a variety of views on evangelical activity. For instance, reverend Edgar Vergara stresses the importance of pastoring outside of a church and within immigrant communities, while Jenny Yang explores how “creating welcome and inclusion at the individual, personal level” can build grassroots efforts toward public advocacy for immigrants. In the most affecting piece, missionary Andrew Bush reflects on his encounter with two young missionaries in New York City in 1972 (which led to his personal conversion), considers intersections between imperialism and evangelism, and suggests how Christian evangelicals might be able to provide “witness” for their religion while still doing valuable relief work with non-Christian communities. These practical, theologically grounded examples effectively depict the strategies, pitfalls, and opportunities of Christian evangelism. [em](May) [/em]