Beyond welcome Centering immigrants in our Christian response to immigration

González (The God Who Sees), a Guatemalan-American immigrant advocate, urges Christians to welcome immigrants in this incisive appeal. "Jesus does not ask me or anyone to assimilate but to be fully ourselves," González contends, encouraging Christians to follow Jesus's exhortations to "love our neighbors as ourselves." She unpacks immigrant stories in the Bible, noting that Joseph was a displaced migrant whose assimilation into the Egyptian system of oppression illustrates the moral compromises assimilation often demands of outsiders. Candidly reflecting on how internalized racism shaped her youth in Florida, the author recounts how white beauty standards made her feel inadequate and confesses that she mostly dated white men "because I was raised to prefer and believe in the superiority of whiteness." González rejects the notion that immigrants should have to act above reproach because no human is perfect, and God's incarnation in Jesus demonstrates the Christian imperative to "fully and unreservedly embrace our own and each other's humanity." The author's biblical analysis achieves the difficult task of drawing fresh conclusions from familiar stories and finding wisdom in those less discussed, and her keen attention to how language, race, wealth, ability, and sexuality intersect with immigration is compassionate and inclusive. The result is a top-notch Christian look at immigration, humane and full of heart. (Oct.)

González (The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey To Belong) emigrated from Guatemala as a child and now advocates for immigrants. Combining her strong storytelling skills with her background, she has written a book that challenges readers to rethink their understanding of immigrants. She mixes personal stories and those of others with an examination of familiar biblical passages viewed from a unique perspective. For instance, she presents Joseph (Genesis 37--50) as one who largely identifies with Egyptians and who administrates over a system that exploits those suffering during a period of famine. Her book is divided into three parts: "Words and Myths," "The Bible and Belonging," and "Dignity and Departures." The first part focuses on challenges related to expectations for assimilation but potential loss of personal identity, the second on scriptural support for the stranger and the immigrant, and the third on issues related to the plight of immigrants in the United States. VERDICT This book will be of interest to general readers but especially those wanting to know more about immigration or biblical and theological reflections on the topic.--John Jaeger