Finding Jesus at the Border: Opening Our Hearts to the
Stories of Our Immigrants Neighbors by Julia Lambert Fogg, a pastor and New
Testament scholar, is a personal observation of the immigrant situation in the
United States. It is a book which seeks to show American Christians what they
can do to help our immigrant neighbors. According to Fogg, it is not a book to
explain the complicated US immigration law and policy but to help readers to
understand how the experience of migration and border crossers reveals God’s
work in exciting and transformative ways. Using real immigration stories, Fogg
attempts to draw parallels with Jesus’s life and teachings and the immigrant’s
stories and attempts to put a human face on the immigration stories and debate.
Fogg argues that Christians need to step out of their comfort zones and learn
to cross the social, ethnic, and religious borders and encourages them to
become advocates in their own communities and be an example of Christ to the
DACA dreamers, asylum seekers and undocumented immigrants.
Finding Jesus at the Border is not the book I was
expecting. I am a little disappointed. I was excited and intrigued to read it,
but it quickly faded to disappointment with each chapter. I excited to read stories
from immigrants and while there were stories from a few immigrants, it felt
very flat. Fogg quickly focuses on the immigration issues and her biblical
interpretations are inconsistent, and at times, a stretch. Overall, this book
did not add anything new and basically calls for Christians to care for the
immigrants as individuals not just a number on the news. While she provides
names of organizations to get involved with, Fogg does not provide any contact
information for these groups such as websites. I appreciate Ms. Fogg’s passion
and concern for the immigrants who are coming to the US simply for a better
life and I agree that Christians need to be more involved because children of
God are involved; however, I feel she fells short in her goals. I do not
recommend Finding Jesus at the Border.
Finding Jesus at
the Border:
Opening Our Hearts
to the Stories of Our Immigrants Neighbors
is available hardcover, paperback, and eBook
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