{"id":1158,"date":"2010-06-23T12:22:37","date_gmt":"2010-06-23T12:22:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2010\/06\/seeking-a-christian-perspective-on-illegal-immigration-a-helpful-resource.html"},"modified":"2010-06-23T12:22:37","modified_gmt":"2010-06-23T12:22:37","slug":"seeking-a-christian-perspective-on-illegal-immigration-a-helpful-resource","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2010\/06\/seeking-a-christian-perspective-on-illegal-immigration-a-helpful-resource.html","title":{"rendered":"Seeking a Christian Perspective on Illegal Immigration: A Helpful Resource"},"content":{"rendered":"

I have recently read a book that addresses the issue of illegal immigration from a Christian perspective and want to recommend it to you. The book is Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible<\/i><\/a> by M. Daniel Carroll R. <\/p>\n

First, a word about the author. Dr. M. Daniel Carroll Rodas is uniquely position to write this book. He is an accomplished Old Testament scholar<\/a> who teaches as a full professor at Denver Seminary. Dr. Carroll affirms the authority of Scripture and cares deeply about the church of Jesus Christ. He is also bi-cultural, the son of a Guatemalan mother and an American father. He has lived both in Latin American and in the United States. Thus he understands the issues associated with immigration (including illegal immigration) in an unusual and unusually-valuable way. <\/p>\n

\"Carroll-Christians-Border-4.jpg\"<\/span>Now, about the book, Christians at the Border<\/i><\/a>. This book is mainly a careful study of biblical texts that are relevant to the issues of immigration. Carroll’s first chapter, however, offers a short history of Hispanic immigration into the United States, as well as an overview of the complex issues facing us today. I found this chapter to be extremely helpful, especially since I am not aware of much of the history. Because of this unfamiliarity, I am unable to evaluate the accuracy of Carroll’s historical observations. But, since my academic expertise lies in biblical studies, and since most of this book focuses on Scripture, and since I found Carroll’s work in these sections to be balanced and reliable, I am inclined to believe that his historical insights are accurate. <\/p>\n

Given Carroll’s personal situation as a bi-cultural American with Hispanic roots and experiences, I wondered if his book would reflect some sort of bias. Frankly, I didn’t see this at all. In fact, he works hard to be fair to all sides in the debate. Carroll does not seem to be arguing for some particular socio-political response from the United States to the problem of undocumented workers and their families. Rather, he wants us to begin to think about this issue in truly biblical terms. Here’s his statement of purpose for the book:<\/p>\n

My intention is to try to move Christians to reconsider their starting point in the immigration debate. Too often discussions default to the passionate ideological arguments, economic wrangling, or racial sentiments that dominate national discourse. Among Christians, my experience has been that there is little awareness of what might be a divine viewpoint on immigration. This book is a modest attempt to help remedy that shortcoming. It is neither exhaustive nor comprehensive. Rather, it is designed as a primer for a more biblically and theologically informed approach to the topic. (Kindle Location 133)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Carroll believes, as I do, that “Christians must think about and act on Hispanic immigration as Christians<\/i>” (KL 143). Carroll elaborates: “The contention of this book is this: if Christians want to address the problems posed by the immigration of Hispanic peoples and contribute to possible solutions, then they should do so consciously as Christians and more specifically as biblically informed Christians” (KL 569).<\/p>\n

The outline of Christians at the Border<\/i><\/a><\/i> is simple. The first chapter focuses on the historical and cultural context in our time. The second two chapters deal with the Old Testament. The third chapter examines the New Testament. The final chapter offers a summation. Carroll does not propose solutions for the national problems. Rather, as promised, he offers help for those who are trying to deal with illegal immigration as Christians.   <\/p>\n

I found this book to be most helpful. It is focused, concise, and well-argued. I recommend Christians at the Border<\/i><\/a><\/i> highly to anyone who is seeking a biblically-Christian perspective on illegal immigration.  <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I have recently read a book that addresses the issue of illegal immigration from a Christian perspective and want to recommend it to you. The book is Christians at the Border: Immigration, the Church, and the Bible by M. Daniel Carroll R. First, a word about the author. Dr. M. Daniel Carroll Rodas is uniquely…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[181,179],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1158","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-book-reviews","category-illegal-immigration"],"yoast_head":"\nSeeking a Christian Perspective on Illegal Immigration: A Helpful Resource - Mark D. 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Roberts","description":"Mark D. Roberts: Thoughtfully Christian Reflections on Jesus, the Church, and the World","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/1ff094a57b7e41f534434b1723df3d73","name":"Mark D. Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1158","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1158"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1158\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1158"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1158"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1158"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}