Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands

Contributions by Orlando Espín, Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández, M. Daniel Carroll R. (Rodas) Wheaton College and Gradu, Daisy L. Machado, Pedro Rios, Monica A. Maher, Craig Wong, John Fanestil, Ángel F. Méndez Montoya Edited by Sarah Azaransky

Publication date:

06 June 2013

Length of book:

204 pages

Publisher

Lexington Books

Dimensions:

235x160mm
6x9"

ISBN-13: 9780739178621

Religion and Politics in America's Borderlands brings together leading academic specialists on immigration and the borderlands, as well as nationally recognized grassroots activists, who reflect on their varied experiences of living, working, and teaching on the US-Mexico border and in the borderlands. These authors demonstrate the groundbreaking claim that the borderlands are not only a location to think about religiously, but they’re also a place that reshapes religious thinking. In this pioneering book, scholars and activists engage with Scripture, theology, history, church practices, and personal experiences to offer in-depth analyses of how the borderlands confront conventional interpretations of Christianity.

Introduction: The Border and the Borderlands
Sarah Azaransky
Part I: The Borderlands as a Religious Resource
Chapter One: Immigration and Christian Doctrine
Orlando Espín
Chapter Two: Alternately Documented Theologies: Mapping Border, Exile, and Diaspora
Carmen M. Nanko-Fernández
Chapter Three: How to Shape Christian Perspectives on Immigration?: Strategies for Communicating Biblical Teaching
M. Daniel Carroll R.
Part II: The Borderlands as a Political and Religious Reality
Chapter Four: Borderlife and the Religious Imagination
Daisy L. Machado
Chapter Five: A Tour of the Border in San Diego: Militarization of the Line and Criminalization of Immigrants
Pedro Rios
Chapter Six: Spiritualities of Social Engagement: Women Resisting Violence in Mexico and Honduras
Monica A. Maher
Part III: The Borderlands as a Call to Action
Chapter Seven: The Subversive Act of Breaking Break: How the Eucharist Transforms the Immigration Conversation
Craig Wong
Chapter Eight: A Divided Friendship: The Struggle to Save San Diego’s Historic Border Park
John Fanestil
Chapter Nine: Vicissitudes of the Margins: An HIV/AIDS Theological Journey
Ángel F. Méndez Montoya

This pioneering book offers an in-depth analysis of the ways the borderlands confront Christianity. Every page insists that immigration and the borderlands must be at center of the study of Christianity. The arguments are new and important. Simply put, it is a landmark volume.