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Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration
Many American Christians have good intentions, working hard to welcome immigrants with hospitality and solidarity. But how can they do that in a way that puts immigrant neighbors first rather than pushing them to the fringes of white-dominant culture? That's exactly the question Karen González explores in Beyond Welcome.
A Guatemalan immigrant, González draws from the Bible and her own experiences to examine why the traditional approach to immigration ministries and activism can be at best incomplete and at worst harmful. By advocating for moving immigrants to the center of the conversation, González helps readers grow in discipleship and recognize themselves in their immigrant neighbors. Accessible to any Christian who is called to serve immigrants, this book equips readers to take action to dismantle white supremacy and xenophobia in the church. They will emerge with new insight into our shared humanity and need for belonging and liberation.
A Guatemalan immigrant, González draws from the Bible and her own experiences to examine why the traditional approach to immigration ministries and activism can be at best incomplete and at worst harmful. By advocating for moving immigrants to the center of the conversation, González helps readers grow in discipleship and recognize themselves in their immigrant neighbors. Accessible to any Christian who is called to serve immigrants, this book equips readers to take action to dismantle white supremacy and xenophobia in the church. They will emerge with new insight into our shared humanity and need for belonging and liberation.
169 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2022
29 people are currently reading
1645 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
September 28, 2022
I love how this book counters the popular white Christian evangelism approach to immigration. The selected Bible verses & dissection of immigration throughout the Bible firmly support Gonzalez’s conclusions. Her firsthand stories are invaluable. This is a must-read for Christians, especially those in ministry.
March 6, 2025
A fresh perspective from Karen- she shares Biblical stories of immigration, encourages radical welcome and equality, and emphasizes refugee rights while refusing to exploit. Probably the best book i’ve read on immigration, and it opened new perspectives for me.
October 19, 2022
With globalization, immigration and relocations are fast becoming a norm. Many immigrants uproot themselves because of commercial opportunities, jobs, family links, or simply a desire to start life afresh in a new land. Others flee for refuge because of wars and various forms of persecution. Emigrating from their original home countries is just the first part of the story. Immigrating to their new countries of choice is the second. How do they adjust to the new cultural climate? What are the expectations of them from people in their host country? Is adaptation by immigrants and acceptance by native citizens enough for cultural amalgamation? This book takes a critical look at our existing structures of welcoming new immigrants, probing the cultural challenges as well as the role of the Church. Author and professor Karen González deals with the issue of moving beyond superficial acts of welcome that often appears more as lip service. She offers a three-part approach to discuss this issue. Part One looks at "Words and Myths" that many people use, oblivious to any underlying sneaky or subconscious forms of micro-aggression. She asks questions that most people might not even think of. Are assimilation strategies just and fair? Is it right to tell immigrants to forsake their cultural background just for the sake of assimilation? How can words alone become a barrier to true welcome? What about the myth of the "good immigrant?" This book essentially challenges this deeply-held belief. In a passionate pushback against many such "norms," author Karen Gonzalez says that welcoming foreign immigrants needs to go beyond expectations of cultural conformance as well as the myths of the "good immigrant." She makes us ponder on biblical relevance, especially on the distinction between "good" and "bad" immigrants. We cannot depend only on immigrants to change. Hosts and natives need to learn the cross-cultural differences too! One of the key instruments is language. As the saying goes: "It takes two to tango," society will be a lot closer and friendlier if everyone can do their part to build bridges. Gonzalez gives a powerful example of how she connected with Russian speakers by trying to speak using her limited Russian knowledge. Words carry significant meaning, and the author shows us that words can heal as well as hurt.
Part Two gives us a biblical perspective of welcoming the stranger. She reminds us that our backgrounds often inform our biblical interpretation. Like the parable of the prodigal son. While most people focus on the unconditional love demonstrated by the father, those who had experienced actual famine see it differently. This also prompts a re-examination of how we interpret the way we see immigrants. Are we trying to kill off another culture in the name of cultural assimilation? She points to a white superiority culture that is often the problem behind true immigrant acceptance. True welcoming is linked to biblical hospitality. We learn how the hospitality shown by Jesus can be a model for us to learn from. Ultimately, it is all about belonging and feeling belonged.
Part Three offers a look at the history of immigration. It is also a desire to search for a home where one can belong. From the early beginnings of how Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, people have been searching for a place that they can call home. Using her wide exposure to different countries and people groups, González senses the common desire to belong and to move to a place where one can live. Ireland for example has a history of emigration and immigration. One of the biggest emigrations from Ireland happens during the great potato famine in the 18th century. Many white people in the West have Irish roots. She was trying to tell us that all cultural groups have experienced people moving from one country to another. If that is so, it is a powerful reminder that many of us are directly or indirectly impacted by immigration movements in the past.
My Thoughts
==============
While this book looks at the way we should welcome immigrants entering our respective countries, author Karen González makes it clear that we all need to re-examine our preconceived notions of immigration, immigrants, and our sense of identity. I like the way she challenges us to forsake any old misconceptions and to put on new ways to see immigration matters. I like the way González debunks the myths surrounding the common perceptions of immigration. The first two chapters are powerful and ought to be must-reads. There are some words that I find the author's clarifications very helpful. For instance, a migrant (within one country) from an immigrant (moving across different countries); "refugee" (status applied for outside the country), and "asylee" (status applied for when inside the country). For the latter, it seems like a combination of the words "asylum: and "refugee."
Some of the popularly held beliefs can be a bit difficult to eliminate. For instance, there is a popular saying that when one is in Rome, one is expected to do what the Romans do. It is a way to tell people to get on board with the culture, customs, and curriculum of the new country. Language is a key instrument in bridging cultural differences. González challenges immigrants to learn the language of the land as much as possible. At the same time, she urges hosts to refrain from telling immigrants to go back to their own countries. By reminding us that nearly every family has an immigrant link in the past, we should all be mindful to reject all forms of discrimination. We all need to be ready to extend our hands of welcome beyond handshakes, hugs, and humble words. Our actions need to support our words of welcome. Christians need to go back to the Bible to learn from the way Jesus welcomed people from all walks of life into his fellowship. After all, he died for the world right?
Finally, I have always believed that our humanness should be the lowest common denominator in the acceptance of relationships. This humanness transcends citizenship status, our levels of prosperity, or any ethnic distinctions that we have. It is dangerous to think of any one ethnic group being superior to others. This causes problems like what happened to Hitler's claim of Aryans being the superior race. Whether it is anti-semitism or racial discrimination. the moment we forget that we are all human, we easily belittle others. That is why it is important to ask: "What does it mean to be human?" Let the Bible inform us that we are all sinners in need of grace. In that light, let us approach all people with kindness and grace because we have all been given kindness and grace in Christ. We all need a home. Being human is about helping one another find that home as an act of human solidarity. Biblically, that means loving our neighbours. That implies accepting them no matter where they come from, and if they happen to move in next door, go beyond welcome to offer hospitality and goodwill.
How do we make immigrants feel welcome in our countries? If in doubt, pick up and learn from this excellent book.
Karen González is a writer, speaker, and immigrant advocate who emigrated from Guatemala as a child. She attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology, and she has worked in the nonprofit sector for thirteen years. In addition to her first book, The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey to Belong, she has written for Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and the Baltimore Sun. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Rating: 5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Brazos Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
Part Two gives us a biblical perspective of welcoming the stranger. She reminds us that our backgrounds often inform our biblical interpretation. Like the parable of the prodigal son. While most people focus on the unconditional love demonstrated by the father, those who had experienced actual famine see it differently. This also prompts a re-examination of how we interpret the way we see immigrants. Are we trying to kill off another culture in the name of cultural assimilation? She points to a white superiority culture that is often the problem behind true immigrant acceptance. True welcoming is linked to biblical hospitality. We learn how the hospitality shown by Jesus can be a model for us to learn from. Ultimately, it is all about belonging and feeling belonged.
Part Three offers a look at the history of immigration. It is also a desire to search for a home where one can belong. From the early beginnings of how Adam and Eve were cast out of the Garden of Eden, people have been searching for a place that they can call home. Using her wide exposure to different countries and people groups, González senses the common desire to belong and to move to a place where one can live. Ireland for example has a history of emigration and immigration. One of the biggest emigrations from Ireland happens during the great potato famine in the 18th century. Many white people in the West have Irish roots. She was trying to tell us that all cultural groups have experienced people moving from one country to another. If that is so, it is a powerful reminder that many of us are directly or indirectly impacted by immigration movements in the past.
My Thoughts
==============
While this book looks at the way we should welcome immigrants entering our respective countries, author Karen González makes it clear that we all need to re-examine our preconceived notions of immigration, immigrants, and our sense of identity. I like the way she challenges us to forsake any old misconceptions and to put on new ways to see immigration matters. I like the way González debunks the myths surrounding the common perceptions of immigration. The first two chapters are powerful and ought to be must-reads. There are some words that I find the author's clarifications very helpful. For instance, a migrant (within one country) from an immigrant (moving across different countries); "refugee" (status applied for outside the country), and "asylee" (status applied for when inside the country). For the latter, it seems like a combination of the words "asylum: and "refugee."
Some of the popularly held beliefs can be a bit difficult to eliminate. For instance, there is a popular saying that when one is in Rome, one is expected to do what the Romans do. It is a way to tell people to get on board with the culture, customs, and curriculum of the new country. Language is a key instrument in bridging cultural differences. González challenges immigrants to learn the language of the land as much as possible. At the same time, she urges hosts to refrain from telling immigrants to go back to their own countries. By reminding us that nearly every family has an immigrant link in the past, we should all be mindful to reject all forms of discrimination. We all need to be ready to extend our hands of welcome beyond handshakes, hugs, and humble words. Our actions need to support our words of welcome. Christians need to go back to the Bible to learn from the way Jesus welcomed people from all walks of life into his fellowship. After all, he died for the world right?
Finally, I have always believed that our humanness should be the lowest common denominator in the acceptance of relationships. This humanness transcends citizenship status, our levels of prosperity, or any ethnic distinctions that we have. It is dangerous to think of any one ethnic group being superior to others. This causes problems like what happened to Hitler's claim of Aryans being the superior race. Whether it is anti-semitism or racial discrimination. the moment we forget that we are all human, we easily belittle others. That is why it is important to ask: "What does it mean to be human?" Let the Bible inform us that we are all sinners in need of grace. In that light, let us approach all people with kindness and grace because we have all been given kindness and grace in Christ. We all need a home. Being human is about helping one another find that home as an act of human solidarity. Biblically, that means loving our neighbours. That implies accepting them no matter where they come from, and if they happen to move in next door, go beyond welcome to offer hospitality and goodwill.
How do we make immigrants feel welcome in our countries? If in doubt, pick up and learn from this excellent book.
Karen González is a writer, speaker, and immigrant advocate who emigrated from Guatemala as a child. She attended Fuller Theological Seminary, where she studied theology and missiology, and she has worked in the nonprofit sector for thirteen years. In addition to her first book, The God Who Sees: Immigrants, The Bible, and the Journey to Belong, she has written for Christianity Today, Christian Century, Sojourners, and the Baltimore Sun. She lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Rating: 5 stars of 5.
conrade
This book has been provided courtesy of Brazos Press and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.
October 13, 2022
I’ll be thinking about Karen’s book and wisdom for a long time to come.
August 28, 2022
Thank you to Baker Academic & Brazos Press and NetGalley for an ARC of this in exchange for an honest review!
As an open-minded, open-hearted Christian, I find it so disheartening when those who claim to know the love of God weaponize that love against anyone that they don't understand. This book does such a good job of pulling on scripture to show us that our land is not our land - it's the land of the Creator, and we are its tenants. I highly encourage anyone who is curious to pick this book up and learn the ways in which we can all, regardless of our differing religious beliefs, be better and do better when it comes to the treatment of immigrants as a whole.
I give this book 3 stars as it did seem to get repetitive with information and points made at about the 60% mark. I would also encourage readers to be relatively familiar with scripture or have a Bible/google handy as the author does use a lot of very specific Biblical references! Overall, I do think I got a lot from this book and liked the way the author took ownership of her own mistakes in the past in the way she presents immigration.
Also, this book is a good reminder that Jesus was FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE JUST THE COOLEST.
As an open-minded, open-hearted Christian, I find it so disheartening when those who claim to know the love of God weaponize that love against anyone that they don't understand. This book does such a good job of pulling on scripture to show us that our land is not our land - it's the land of the Creator, and we are its tenants. I highly encourage anyone who is curious to pick this book up and learn the ways in which we can all, regardless of our differing religious beliefs, be better and do better when it comes to the treatment of immigrants as a whole.
I give this book 3 stars as it did seem to get repetitive with information and points made at about the 60% mark. I would also encourage readers to be relatively familiar with scripture or have a Bible/google handy as the author does use a lot of very specific Biblical references! Overall, I do think I got a lot from this book and liked the way the author took ownership of her own mistakes in the past in the way she presents immigration.
Also, this book is a good reminder that Jesus was FOR THE PEOPLE AND THE JUST THE COOLEST.
August 22, 2022
This is a helpful book for Christians seeking to understand a more nuanced perspective of immigration. González is an immigrant advocate who immigrated to the US from Guatemala. She combines personal stories with a theology of belonging to highlight considerations that Christians from the dominant culture in the US may have missed. She discusses the problem with assimilation, the myth of the good immigrant, the importance of language and rhetoric, the consequences of biblical interpretation, Jesus’ hospitality, and ethical storytelling, among other issues. She concludes with a vision for “The Kin-dom Where Everyone Belongs.”
This is a quick read that covers a lot of ground. González challenges common myths regarding immigration & details the harmful consequences. I appreciate that she discusses how immigrants who hold multiple marginalized identities (those who are Black, disabled, and/or belong to the LGBTQ+ community) experience additional oppression. I loved her explication of familiar biblical narratives through the lens of immigration. She has a needed perspective and shares with wisdom from her experiences as an immigrant & from being in relationship with other immigrants. I recommend this to Christians who want to understand how & why to center immigrants in our response to immigration.
This is a quick read that covers a lot of ground. González challenges common myths regarding immigration & details the harmful consequences. I appreciate that she discusses how immigrants who hold multiple marginalized identities (those who are Black, disabled, and/or belong to the LGBTQ+ community) experience additional oppression. I loved her explication of familiar biblical narratives through the lens of immigration. She has a needed perspective and shares with wisdom from her experiences as an immigrant & from being in relationship with other immigrants. I recommend this to Christians who want to understand how & why to center immigrants in our response to immigration.
February 28, 2025
Somehow the author manages to take the story of Joseph- where God ordained that he should save the people of Egypt and broader lands amidst a famine- and paint him as a villain. At times she forgets large principles in Scripture, such as the authority of government (which includes borders), and at times she twists it to serve her purpose. Proposing the idea of blocking government employees’ cars is so antithetical to the Gospel idea of justice I was shocked she seriously believed it.
August 31, 2025
An absolute 10/10 for me. This book is relevant regardless of whether or not you have a faith background, or which side of the political line you stand on. It is an absolute must-read for anyone who wants to be well-rounded and have a deeper understanding of immigration policy. González right away highlights how crucial it is that immigrants are centered in conversations around immigration policy, particularly in the United States (though it's still incredibly relevant in Canada, and other nations where xenophobia and racism are present). My biggest takeaways were the chapters on Ethical Storytelling and the Myth of the Good Immigrant. González has a fantastic way of directly connecting to scripture in a refreshing way. The Bible is filled with stories of migration and displacement, which we need to remind ourselves of.
While I already have a stake in the game as a Canadian immigrant to the United States, I think this is a must-read for anyone that is having conversations about immigration in their schools, workplaces, churches, and close circles. There is always SO much to learn and absorb, and immigration policy carries significant weight at all times. It is particularly important in this political climate where xenophobia and racism are being normalized. Learn how to talk about it, and in a way that honours our immigrant neighbours and respects their stories, not exploits their trauma for the consumerism of others (but that's another tangent for another day). I could write far more about this book, and of particular convictions and callouts that I needed to hear, but please - read it for yourself.
While I already have a stake in the game as a Canadian immigrant to the United States, I think this is a must-read for anyone that is having conversations about immigration in their schools, workplaces, churches, and close circles. There is always SO much to learn and absorb, and immigration policy carries significant weight at all times. It is particularly important in this political climate where xenophobia and racism are being normalized. Learn how to talk about it, and in a way that honours our immigrant neighbours and respects their stories, not exploits their trauma for the consumerism of others (but that's another tangent for another day). I could write far more about this book, and of particular convictions and callouts that I needed to hear, but please - read it for yourself.
September 10, 2025
I so appreciate Karen's perspective here and the ways that she weaves her own story into larger themes of migration and belonging. This book was really thought-provoking and challenging to me in my own work with immigrants and refugees. I wish this book went deeper in some areas but I think it would be a great catalyst to spark meaningful group discussions.
March 12, 2023
4.2/5 ⭐️
Convicting and compelling insight based on a Christian perspective on immigration in the American standard. While not everything written i fully agreed with the other 89% was insightful and beautifully written! Definitely a read to grab if youre curious. Will be thinking about for a long time to come❤️
“The hospitality of Jesus requires us to be regular guest at unfamiliar tables, with only the motives of learning and listening”
Convicting and compelling insight based on a Christian perspective on immigration in the American standard. While not everything written i fully agreed with the other 89% was insightful and beautifully written! Definitely a read to grab if youre curious. Will be thinking about for a long time to come❤️
“The hospitality of Jesus requires us to be regular guest at unfamiliar tables, with only the motives of learning and listening”
March 23, 2023
An essential read especially for white Christians like me who are “progressive” on this issue but have to constantly relearn how to de-center ourselves in the narrative.
October 31, 2022
Karen Gonzalez tackles a topic that is difficult for many Christians in American today today - race and immigration - and shares her experience and expertise with compassion and understanding. She challenges our idea of what church should be, and how to truly welcome believer of all backgrounds, especially those different than us. I was especially challenged by the chapter calling out culture centric bible reading, and that in North America we are more similar to Potipher, Pharaoh, and the pharisees than Joseph or the Israelites. Well worth the read!
November 25, 2022
“Centering immigrants in our Christian response to immigration means that we make room for their integration but do not pressure them to assimilate. We recognize that people are allowed to bring their full selves into every space even as they are adapting to a new country. The act of speaking another language, eating the food of one’s homeland, and listening to music from our cultures is not a threat to the host country’s way of life.”
This is a major theme of Karen Gonzalez’s new book, Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration.
Gonzalez uses the example of Rahab, from the Old Testament – a sex worker whose life “challenges everything the Israelites believed about goodness, worthiness and inclusion.” Despite this reality, Gonzalez points out that: “But unlike many of us, she does not seem to question whether she is worthy of inclusion. She seems to know deep in her soul that her status as a human being is enough to make her deserving of belonging.”
Gonzalez challenges the dominant (white) culture’s view. “I do not know any good immigrants. Good immigrants, according to American mythology, work hard and keep their heads down, never dreaming of accessing public benefits. They are eternally grateful for admission to this great country and never critique it. They speak English fluently without an accent, and fully assimilate into American culture…”
And as they perform jobs nobody else wants, “they are invisible but essential.”
In describing pitting immigrants with DACA status vs. other immigrants, including those with disabilities, Gonzalez asks: “…[Is it biblical or even practical to think of people as good or bad immigrants.”
As Gonzalez continues to challenge the dominant culture’s view of immigrants, she brings up an interesting point. Many (white) evangelicals and fundamentalists use the bible to quote scripture to defend their views, claiming that the bible is the word of God. Says Gonzalez, “Many of us were taught that the Bible itself is the Word of God, but John’s Gospel opens with a clarion declaration: Jesus is the Word of God.”
So, it would seem, especially to a Christian, how Jesus treated others and Jesus’ life itself would be much more impactful than a scripture quote.
Gonzalez is very good at describing the linguistic tightrope the US uses to define its immigration policy.
“Refugees flee a place because their lives are at risk… Refugees are literally running from persecution, violence, or the threat of death. It matters very much whether we call people ‘immigrants’ or ‘refugees,’ whether we think they are coming because they might have a better life here in North America or because it is the only way they will have any life at all…
[W]hen you tell refugees to go away they suffer, and they die.
We don’t like to think about that, so we change our language, calling these same people ‘immigrants’ or worse yet, ‘illegals’ – nameless, faceless immigrants without the legal right to be in the United States. Never mind that ‘illegal’ is an adjective and not a noun – it allows us to reduce a human being to their legal status, thereby absolving ourselves of all responsibility for our neighbors in need.”
The issue of who is more sovereign, God or the Bible, is actually a reflection of a bigger question. Gonzalez writes: “For many Christians, the challenging part of becoming recovering ethnocentric people is that most of us do not realize that our expression of faith also carries a culture… When we do not pay attention to how God has been present in another culture and how the Spirit is revealing God’s very self in local cultural expressions, we will then impose our own Christian culture on others.”
d
The issue of ethnocentricity extends itself into the practice of Christian hospitality.
Gonzalez offers a different type which is called reciprocal hospitality. “What I am referring to,” she writes, “is the kind of hospitality that is truly engaged, where nonimmigrant Christians listen and learn at the feet of immigrants they have welcomed to their countries… the kind where their [immigrants’] dignity and choices are respected and decision are not made on their behalf.
“When hospitality is not reciprocal, those belonging to the dominant culture unconsciously begin to think of immigrants as having less in every way.
Gonzalez quotes Christine D. Pohl who describes the danger of ethnocentrically driven hospitality. “There is a kind of hospitality that keeps people needy strangers, while fostering an illusion of relationship and connection. It both disempowers and domesticates guests while it reinforces the hosts’ power, control and sense of generosity. It is profoundly destructive to the people it welcomes.”
Hospitality founded on the expectation of assimilation or payback isn’t the hospitality that Jesus extended.
“In Jesus’ understanding, Christian hospitality should extend to those who could not benefit you in any way – those who were poor and others on the margins…”
Gonzalez goes on to reflect on the original meaning of “Mi casa es su casa.”
“It is an expression that is well known in English – almost like a hospitality cliché. But like many expressions that have become cliches, we do not think about what they are expressing or the deep truths found within them: what is mine is also yours. Make yourself at home because you are in your own home. There is no mine and no yours, only ours.
“How does that phrase reimagine the way we think about hospitality to strangers and immigrants? How does it move us beyond the host and guest dichotomy and into reciprocal hospitality?”
Taken further, this idea opens us up to wonder: who owns the land in the first place?
At this point, Gonzalez takes Native Peoples’ culture into account.
“The land cares for humans, and the humans care for the land. People and land are different but equally valuable in this worldview because they need one another.
“Furthermore, the land does not belong to human beings – it belongs to God, the Creator.”
Unfortunately, the history of the earth seems to be one in which the dominant culture treats the earth as something to be exploited for commercial gain, with no thought of relationship, without thought to consequences.
And under this mindset, the earth is artificially sectioned off into countries and borders between them.
And Gonzalez poses the question: “Perhaps rather than condemn immigrants who enter the country unlawfully, we should applaud them for subverting an unjust system, for obeying God’s laws above human-made ones.”
Rather than throw up her arms in dismay, Gonzalez offers hope. “Change can and does happen, but it requires us to take the first step of reimagining the world and changing the narrative… [W]hy is it radical to believe in open borders? Why is it radical to proclaim that the earth is the Lord’s?”
For anyone interested in pursuing a thoughtful discovery of immigration from a theological point of view, Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration by Karen Gonzalez is a must-read.
This is a major theme of Karen Gonzalez’s new book, Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration.
Gonzalez uses the example of Rahab, from the Old Testament – a sex worker whose life “challenges everything the Israelites believed about goodness, worthiness and inclusion.” Despite this reality, Gonzalez points out that: “But unlike many of us, she does not seem to question whether she is worthy of inclusion. She seems to know deep in her soul that her status as a human being is enough to make her deserving of belonging.”
Gonzalez challenges the dominant (white) culture’s view. “I do not know any good immigrants. Good immigrants, according to American mythology, work hard and keep their heads down, never dreaming of accessing public benefits. They are eternally grateful for admission to this great country and never critique it. They speak English fluently without an accent, and fully assimilate into American culture…”
And as they perform jobs nobody else wants, “they are invisible but essential.”
In describing pitting immigrants with DACA status vs. other immigrants, including those with disabilities, Gonzalez asks: “…[Is it biblical or even practical to think of people as good or bad immigrants.”
As Gonzalez continues to challenge the dominant culture’s view of immigrants, she brings up an interesting point. Many (white) evangelicals and fundamentalists use the bible to quote scripture to defend their views, claiming that the bible is the word of God. Says Gonzalez, “Many of us were taught that the Bible itself is the Word of God, but John’s Gospel opens with a clarion declaration: Jesus is the Word of God.”
So, it would seem, especially to a Christian, how Jesus treated others and Jesus’ life itself would be much more impactful than a scripture quote.
Gonzalez is very good at describing the linguistic tightrope the US uses to define its immigration policy.
“Refugees flee a place because their lives are at risk… Refugees are literally running from persecution, violence, or the threat of death. It matters very much whether we call people ‘immigrants’ or ‘refugees,’ whether we think they are coming because they might have a better life here in North America or because it is the only way they will have any life at all…
[W]hen you tell refugees to go away they suffer, and they die.
We don’t like to think about that, so we change our language, calling these same people ‘immigrants’ or worse yet, ‘illegals’ – nameless, faceless immigrants without the legal right to be in the United States. Never mind that ‘illegal’ is an adjective and not a noun – it allows us to reduce a human being to their legal status, thereby absolving ourselves of all responsibility for our neighbors in need.”
The issue of who is more sovereign, God or the Bible, is actually a reflection of a bigger question. Gonzalez writes: “For many Christians, the challenging part of becoming recovering ethnocentric people is that most of us do not realize that our expression of faith also carries a culture… When we do not pay attention to how God has been present in another culture and how the Spirit is revealing God’s very self in local cultural expressions, we will then impose our own Christian culture on others.”
d
The issue of ethnocentricity extends itself into the practice of Christian hospitality.
Gonzalez offers a different type which is called reciprocal hospitality. “What I am referring to,” she writes, “is the kind of hospitality that is truly engaged, where nonimmigrant Christians listen and learn at the feet of immigrants they have welcomed to their countries… the kind where their [immigrants’] dignity and choices are respected and decision are not made on their behalf.
“When hospitality is not reciprocal, those belonging to the dominant culture unconsciously begin to think of immigrants as having less in every way.
Gonzalez quotes Christine D. Pohl who describes the danger of ethnocentrically driven hospitality. “There is a kind of hospitality that keeps people needy strangers, while fostering an illusion of relationship and connection. It both disempowers and domesticates guests while it reinforces the hosts’ power, control and sense of generosity. It is profoundly destructive to the people it welcomes.”
Hospitality founded on the expectation of assimilation or payback isn’t the hospitality that Jesus extended.
“In Jesus’ understanding, Christian hospitality should extend to those who could not benefit you in any way – those who were poor and others on the margins…”
Gonzalez goes on to reflect on the original meaning of “Mi casa es su casa.”
“It is an expression that is well known in English – almost like a hospitality cliché. But like many expressions that have become cliches, we do not think about what they are expressing or the deep truths found within them: what is mine is also yours. Make yourself at home because you are in your own home. There is no mine and no yours, only ours.
“How does that phrase reimagine the way we think about hospitality to strangers and immigrants? How does it move us beyond the host and guest dichotomy and into reciprocal hospitality?”
Taken further, this idea opens us up to wonder: who owns the land in the first place?
At this point, Gonzalez takes Native Peoples’ culture into account.
“The land cares for humans, and the humans care for the land. People and land are different but equally valuable in this worldview because they need one another.
“Furthermore, the land does not belong to human beings – it belongs to God, the Creator.”
Unfortunately, the history of the earth seems to be one in which the dominant culture treats the earth as something to be exploited for commercial gain, with no thought of relationship, without thought to consequences.
And under this mindset, the earth is artificially sectioned off into countries and borders between them.
And Gonzalez poses the question: “Perhaps rather than condemn immigrants who enter the country unlawfully, we should applaud them for subverting an unjust system, for obeying God’s laws above human-made ones.”
Rather than throw up her arms in dismay, Gonzalez offers hope. “Change can and does happen, but it requires us to take the first step of reimagining the world and changing the narrative… [W]hy is it radical to believe in open borders? Why is it radical to proclaim that the earth is the Lord’s?”
For anyone interested in pursuing a thoughtful discovery of immigration from a theological point of view, Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration by Karen Gonzalez is a must-read.
October 22, 2022
I finished this book in an afternoon and immediately pre-ordered a hard copy for my office bookshelf. In Beyond Welcome, author Karen Gonzalez does faithful theology from the ground up, putting her story in conversation with scripture, with the stories of BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ immigrants, and with North American social history and policy. She disrupts white middle class Christianity's illusions of "good" immigrants, the "worthy" poor, and a hospitality that doesn't make us uncomfortable.
I cannot wait to use this book in a book discussion group. No doubt, Gonzalez's readings of familiar biblical stories will make their way into my preaching and teaching, as well.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Brazos Press for a free e-copy in exchange for a review.
I cannot wait to use this book in a book discussion group. No doubt, Gonzalez's readings of familiar biblical stories will make their way into my preaching and teaching, as well.
Many thanks to NetGalley and Brazos Press for a free e-copy in exchange for a review.
January 31, 2025
A mixed bag tbh, a little under 3 stars overall, but a couple chapters were remarkably insightful so I’ll pull it up. The chapter on “Ethical Storytelling” is specifically really great.
October 18, 2023
I was first introduced to Karen Gonzalez with her 2019 book from Herald Press entitled The God Who Sees, a part-memoir, part-immigration policy reform, part-biblical reflection that began with the words “Will we live out the radical and subversive hospitality that Jesus modeled for us?” Four years later, Gonzalez has returned to continue the conversation with Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration.
Gonzalez starts with a discussion of assimilation. Many American Christians give positive lip service to immigration so long as it is discussed within the confines of assimilation. It is expected that immigrants leave behind their language, culture, traditions, and religion and embrace the American (and White evangelical Christian) way. Many of us truly do want diversity—but we want that diversity to conform to our leadership, our standard, and make us comfortable. A multi-ethnic group is fine, but only under the heading of an amorphous white monoculture. Or, as Gonzalez puts it “They want the comfort of knowing that white supremacy will not be toppled, though they would never use those words explicitly.” Gonzalez instead shows readers how forced assimilation dehumanizes immigrants and calls believers toward a more empathetic perspective.
The second part of the book details a biblical perspective on welcoming the stranger, recalling much of the content of The God Who Sees. She begins with an anecdote about how different cultural groups interpret the parable of the Prodigal Son (which, it should be noted, calling it such already belies a westernized interpretation of the story). In sharing the story with Russian and Kazakh students, the focus of the story was something well-known to them: famine. In sharing the story with an Ethiopian friend, the focus was on the shame brought in abandoning the family. Both of these perspectives are closer to what Jesus’s audience might have felt than the Western view where the prevailing trouble is in how the son spent his wealth. In this story and throughout this part of Beyond Welcome, Gonzalez shares the theological value that immigrants bring into majority cultures.
The final part moves to a history of immigration and, particularly salient for Americans, makes the case for how immigration is a near universal experience—though it is often much easier for those socialized as white. The final chapter of Beyond Welcome envision the community of the church as the Kin-dom of God. Not Kingdom. Kin-dom. The focus being on the universal kinship between all people made in God’s image and how that belongingness should—especially within the church—be extended to all.
The American church and American culture have an immigration problem. But the problem isn’t the immigrants, it’s our perspective toward them Beyond Welcome invites readers to go beyond the minimum requirements of co-existence and offers a biblical rich mandate of honoring and caring for those from other places.
Gonzalez starts with a discussion of assimilation. Many American Christians give positive lip service to immigration so long as it is discussed within the confines of assimilation. It is expected that immigrants leave behind their language, culture, traditions, and religion and embrace the American (and White evangelical Christian) way. Many of us truly do want diversity—but we want that diversity to conform to our leadership, our standard, and make us comfortable. A multi-ethnic group is fine, but only under the heading of an amorphous white monoculture. Or, as Gonzalez puts it “They want the comfort of knowing that white supremacy will not be toppled, though they would never use those words explicitly.” Gonzalez instead shows readers how forced assimilation dehumanizes immigrants and calls believers toward a more empathetic perspective.
The second part of the book details a biblical perspective on welcoming the stranger, recalling much of the content of The God Who Sees. She begins with an anecdote about how different cultural groups interpret the parable of the Prodigal Son (which, it should be noted, calling it such already belies a westernized interpretation of the story). In sharing the story with Russian and Kazakh students, the focus of the story was something well-known to them: famine. In sharing the story with an Ethiopian friend, the focus was on the shame brought in abandoning the family. Both of these perspectives are closer to what Jesus’s audience might have felt than the Western view where the prevailing trouble is in how the son spent his wealth. In this story and throughout this part of Beyond Welcome, Gonzalez shares the theological value that immigrants bring into majority cultures.
The final part moves to a history of immigration and, particularly salient for Americans, makes the case for how immigration is a near universal experience—though it is often much easier for those socialized as white. The final chapter of Beyond Welcome envision the community of the church as the Kin-dom of God. Not Kingdom. Kin-dom. The focus being on the universal kinship between all people made in God’s image and how that belongingness should—especially within the church—be extended to all.
The American church and American culture have an immigration problem. But the problem isn’t the immigrants, it’s our perspective toward them Beyond Welcome invites readers to go beyond the minimum requirements of co-existence and offers a biblical rich mandate of honoring and caring for those from other places.
January 6, 2023
An exploration of how Christians can better embody Jesus for the immigrant among them.
The author, herself an immigrant to America from Guatemala, often speaks of her experiences in her life in America, as a teacher, as an advocate for immigrants, and in mission work in Kazakhstan.
She addressed the expectations of Americans regarding assimilation and what has often been lost in that process, let alone how many groups are not quite allowed to assimilate because they are considered the other. She discusses the idea of the "good immigrant" and the standards to which immigrants are unfairly held. She speaks of the power of language for connection and sharing. She considers how the Bible is read and interpreted differently in different cultures and what happens when one group decides their reading is more normative. She spoke of Jesus' hospitality and the kind of hospitality which we often find threatening yet necessary for truly sharing in life. She spoke of the need to belong, the struggle of belonging in a foreign land, and how God's people should be a place of belonging. She then considers how plenty of people move even within America yet are not considered immigrants and how frequently people have been on the move throughout time. She warns us about using other people's stories without their permission and/or making them the object of our purposes rather than the subject of their own experiences. She concludes by envisioning a community of God's people as a "kin-dom," where all find belonging as brothers and sisters in Christ before God the Father.
Her perspective is very helpful and her exhortations are worth considering, uncomfortable as they may prove for many in the dominant culture.
**--galley received as part of early review program
The author, herself an immigrant to America from Guatemala, often speaks of her experiences in her life in America, as a teacher, as an advocate for immigrants, and in mission work in Kazakhstan.
She addressed the expectations of Americans regarding assimilation and what has often been lost in that process, let alone how many groups are not quite allowed to assimilate because they are considered the other. She discusses the idea of the "good immigrant" and the standards to which immigrants are unfairly held. She speaks of the power of language for connection and sharing. She considers how the Bible is read and interpreted differently in different cultures and what happens when one group decides their reading is more normative. She spoke of Jesus' hospitality and the kind of hospitality which we often find threatening yet necessary for truly sharing in life. She spoke of the need to belong, the struggle of belonging in a foreign land, and how God's people should be a place of belonging. She then considers how plenty of people move even within America yet are not considered immigrants and how frequently people have been on the move throughout time. She warns us about using other people's stories without their permission and/or making them the object of our purposes rather than the subject of their own experiences. She concludes by envisioning a community of God's people as a "kin-dom," where all find belonging as brothers and sisters in Christ before God the Father.
Her perspective is very helpful and her exhortations are worth considering, uncomfortable as they may prove for many in the dominant culture.
**--galley received as part of early review program
December 3, 2022
Received an early review copy and didn’t make it past the introduction before realizing this was the typical CRT attack on evangelicalism. The attempt to validate the argument through Biblical references fails. One quotation should suffice to demonstrate the author’s view of the Bible.
“As I have grown in my awareness of how deeply words matter, I know it is important, not to refer to God as ‘he because God is not male - all of humankind is made in God’s image. I have learned to say, ‘enslaved people,’ instead of slaves, prioritizing their humanity, and to say, ‘neighbors or siblings’ instead of brothers and sisters, because gender is not limited to two possibilities. I recognize how changing my words has the power to reveal grace and truth, just as it has the power to harm or destroy.”
It is not possible to have a “Christian” perspective by stripping the integrity from the Bible and then attempting to use it authoritatively. Words do matter, Inspired Words in Scripture matter, ours only matter when they are in alignment with them. The issue addressed by the author is important, I would look for other options to address it.
“As I have grown in my awareness of how deeply words matter, I know it is important, not to refer to God as ‘he because God is not male - all of humankind is made in God’s image. I have learned to say, ‘enslaved people,’ instead of slaves, prioritizing their humanity, and to say, ‘neighbors or siblings’ instead of brothers and sisters, because gender is not limited to two possibilities. I recognize how changing my words has the power to reveal grace and truth, just as it has the power to harm or destroy.”
It is not possible to have a “Christian” perspective by stripping the integrity from the Bible and then attempting to use it authoritatively. Words do matter, Inspired Words in Scripture matter, ours only matter when they are in alignment with them. The issue addressed by the author is important, I would look for other options to address it.
February 22, 2025
The author does a great job of putting 'immigration' and 'immigrants' in perspective. Spoken as someone who immigrated as a youth, and learned about stances those of us raised here take for granted, she sheds some light on the issue of not only immigration, but also just how we interact with people who are different.
One thing she talked about, which I would be interested in learning more, is the semantics of labels. She mentioned identifying people as those who have immigrated, rather than 'immigrants'. I believe this would be effective for the short term, though not the longer term. My family immigrated, and I am first born here. I remember stories of my parents being called "Displaced persons" which aligns with her suggestion of not calling people, for example, "displacees" or similar. This DP term had all the stigma that our current 'immigrants' has, and once something becomes part of the language, it is how we talk about the issues that puts a positive or negative spin on whatever term we use.
Overall, a fascinating woman telling a humbling story. Please give her a read (or listen, as I hear the audio book) and let her words enter your own psyche.
One thing she talked about, which I would be interested in learning more, is the semantics of labels. She mentioned identifying people as those who have immigrated, rather than 'immigrants'. I believe this would be effective for the short term, though not the longer term. My family immigrated, and I am first born here. I remember stories of my parents being called "Displaced persons" which aligns with her suggestion of not calling people, for example, "displacees" or similar. This DP term had all the stigma that our current 'immigrants' has, and once something becomes part of the language, it is how we talk about the issues that puts a positive or negative spin on whatever term we use.
Overall, a fascinating woman telling a humbling story. Please give her a read (or listen, as I hear the audio book) and let her words enter your own psyche.
December 26, 2023
I'm in love with everything that Karen Gonzalez writes. I appreciate and admire her boldness when presenting theological arguments as an immigrant and woman of color herself. At the same time, she presents her ideas in a way that those of us that have not gone to seminary can understand. The author challenges us in the ways we think about land and I found that one of the most valuable parts of the book. She doesn't shy away from her convictions and I love that. The author also makes us reflect on the ways we talk about immigrant people and their experiences in our effort to advocate for them. The center throughout this book is always immigrant people and how we should embrace a mutual relationship with them as Jesus would have done. This along with her first book, is a must read for anyone in the US but especially Christians that are working closely with immigrants.
November 5, 2022
Beyond paternalistic charity to kinship
I appreciated how Gonzalez engages scriptures to call Christians to walk the talk. By highlighting the dissonance between praxis and nationalistic inclined speak, she exposes the unbelief birthing fear of the 'other.' She expertly though subtly points to theology of land that is in tandem with aboriginal beliefs of ownership as key to practicing hospitality in a Jesus like manner. Indeed the earth and it's fullness belong to God and all that is in it!
I recommend this to all who want to practice hospitality in Christ like paradigm shifting ways.
I appreciated how Gonzalez engages scriptures to call Christians to walk the talk. By highlighting the dissonance between praxis and nationalistic inclined speak, she exposes the unbelief birthing fear of the 'other.' She expertly though subtly points to theology of land that is in tandem with aboriginal beliefs of ownership as key to practicing hospitality in a Jesus like manner. Indeed the earth and it's fullness belong to God and all that is in it!
I recommend this to all who want to practice hospitality in Christ like paradigm shifting ways.
December 15, 2022
I appreciated González’s perspective she offers from a variety of lived experiences. I especially loved the segments on reciprocal hospitality and ethical storytelling. These concepts are often neglected and overlooked, while simultaneously being so crucial to the process of connecting with and caring for newcomers. This book is a great tool for individuals and groups seeking to welcome and support immigrants; it teaches how to cultivate an approach that is both holistic and honors the dignity of others.
April 11, 2024
Karen González provides a thought-provoking read about the conversation of immigration and what it means for the Church in the West. Our thoughts and opinions have been shaped by a variety of factors, such as politics, socioeconomic status, race, gender, and education. These influence how we view those seeking new places to call home, i.e., immigrants, asylees, and refugees. Yet our primary influence should be our love for God and our love for our neighbor. Our ethics should be Christ-centered and one that values the humanity and story of all people made in the image of God.
June 21, 2023
How best do we help immigrants and refugees? (who when you really boil it down are the same thing. People leaving their homeland for a better opportunity). How do we preserve their dignity? How do we say the right thing, vote for the right policy and all that jazz.
I enjoyed this for the religious take, something sorely missing in many conversations on immigration that I see. It was worth a read and planted a few small seeds in my mind
I enjoyed this for the religious take, something sorely missing in many conversations on immigration that I see. It was worth a read and planted a few small seeds in my mind
July 26, 2023
Brilliant and challenging. Karen González doesn’t mince words as she shines a light on the systemic inequalities—the gaping wound—of our approach to immigration. She calls us to acknowledge the wide gap between our own responses an the example of hospitality and radical inclusion Jesus has shown us… may we be willing to challenge our understanding of our own actions and be willing to disrupt the harmful narratives.
September 20, 2024
This book offered rich, powerful, life-changing perspective. I will be considering its stories and ideas for years to come. Karen's voice is thoughtful, vulnerable and transparent as she authentically shares her own journey. Understanding her background and posture towards herself and others allows her to take actual steps to enact change for a better world. Her ideas about land, belonging, ethical storytelling, naturalization and more are timely for the current Western culture.
May 11, 2023
Beyond Welcome... an inclusive book that correlates the similarities in the Christian Bible with immigrants to America. Very opinionated and full of passion. It's an okay read, but I also really enjoyed certain parts. would recommend to anyone who wants ideas on how to help immigrants and respect their lifestyle and culture. Creates a sense of open mindedness while reading.
January 7, 2024
An interesting read, contrasting how biblical immigrants and refugees are applauded while the immigrants and refugees in our spaces in the present day are chastised for merely trying to survive. The realities our immigrant and refugee neighbors face shared in this book are heart breaking and touching and raw.
June 19, 2024
Short, thought-provoking look at immigration. So much food for thought. Changing perspective from “we’re helping outsiders” to “we’re all outsiders in need of help.” I am paraphrasing (and not accurately) but I may need to buy my own book so I can write in it. Definitely worth reading for those who consider themselves Christians.
August 16, 2025
I read this for a church bookclub and it was kind of a yawner, like a reference you’d use for a sermon or such. I did, however, enjoy the message: that we don’t need to dignify immigrants and people different than us because God has already done that. Her section on the land and the artificiality of borders was compelling too.
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