Neighbor: Christian Encounters with "Illegal" Immigration

This is not the book for those seeking a dispassionate political analysis of the U.S. immigration system. A Presbyterian minister in San Jose, Calif., Daniel offers an unequivocal pastoral welcome to all immigrants, legal and illegal, rather than nuanced policy solution to the crisis. Mainline Protestant and Roman Catholic church members open to working with immigrants but seeking a more in-depth biblical and theological rationale for their outreach efforts will appreciate this slim volume. A clear writer with a flair for journalism, Daniel goes beyond the spiritual arguments calling Christians to welcome the stranger, and takes to the road—interviewing a California Democratic congresswoman and a U.S. district judge from New Mexico along the way. A fluent Spanish speaker who has been on the front lines of the immigration issue since he was a teen, Daniel is fully invested in helping Hispanics find a future of life, liberty, and happiness on both sides of the border. With the passage of a tough, anti-immigrant law in Arizona, this volume may strike a resonant note among people previously unmotivated to protest the issue. (Aug.)