Half way through realized how academic the writing was. Don't know if that changed my outlook on it. Could be a textbook, felt like it overstated a lot. But it was good material, think of immigration (as with all of life) through a specifically theological lens. God's kingdom transcends mans' law. ( )

If this is the best that Evangelical Christianity can do in urging Christians to abandon any thought of thinking there is something wrong with immigrants crossing into this country illegally, the argument will not be won biblically. This is a horribly one-sided approach, full of poor logic. From the opener where Carroll states that he doesn't want to use the phrase illegal alien because it is pejorative, but then turns around and calls groups he disagrees with "fringe" groups—as well as other pejorative titles—to the end where he basically shrugs off Romans 13 and says, "My argument up to this point makes that passage a moot point," the book is full of logical problems and sub-par exegesis. Granted it is for a lay audience, but I am unconvinced by his arguments.

That said, I am not unconvinced that Christians should be in the forefront of working on effective legislation in dealing with the immigrant issue in the U.S. Christians should be looking for ways to serve those around us, be hospitable, and share the gospel—something Carroll never seems to get around to. Instead he keeps talking about how many of these illegal immigrants (sorry, undocumented workers) are Christians and how that should make a difference. Why?

I am hoping for a better argument out of the next book I read on this issue. ( )

If this is the best that Evangelical Christianity can do in urging Christians to abandon any thought of thinking there is something wrong with immigrants crossing into this country illegally, the argument will not be won biblically. This is a horribly one-sided approach, full of poor logic. From the opener where Carroll states that he doesn't want to use the phrase illegal alien because it is pejorative, but then turns around and calls groups he disagrees with "fringe" groups—as well as other pejorative titles—to the end where he basically shrugs off Romans 13 and says, "My argument up to this point makes that passage a moot point," the book is full of logical problems and sub-par exegesis. Granted it is for a lay audience, but I am unconvinced by his arguments.

That said, I am not unconvinced that Christians should be in the forefront of working on effective legislation in dealing with the immigrant issue in the U.S. Christians should be looking for ways to serve those around us, be hospitable, and share the gospel—something Carroll never seems to get around to. Instead he keeps talking about how many of these illegal immigrants (sorry, undocumented workers) are Christians and how that should make a difference. Why?

I am hoping for a better argument out of the next book I read on this issue. ( )

Daniel Carroll, an Old Testament scholar at Denver Seminary, discusses the history and impact of Hispanic immigration on the United States and its people and explains some of the complexities of the immigration issue, including the issue of undocumented immigrants, which are missing from general discourse. He then walks the reader through what the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, has to say to followers of God/Jesus about their stance towards immigrants. His goal is not to present an exhaustive treatise on the subject, but to encourage believers to begin to think Biblically about the subject. This book is a great place to begin reading about this very important issue. The appendix is also full of useful information for further reading. Very well done. CJV

A helpful introduction to the contemporary issue of human migration, Christians at the Border is composed of two main sections: an overview of American immigration policy and a study of migration (and related themes) in the Bible. Section one is a brief, but helpful, outline of historic shifts in American immigration policy and current perspectives on the contemporary Hispanic immigration. The second section, consisting of three chapters, is the heart of the book: a study of migration-related themes in the Bible (two chapters drawn from the OT, one from the NT). While not an exhaustive study, Carroll, a professor of OT at Denver Seminary, exhibits a deep understanding not only of the biblical material, but also the theological implications and practical applications draw from these texts. B ( )