God's People on the Move: Biblical and Global Perspectives on Migration and Mission

On the highways and byways of every continent hundreds of millions of immigrants are constantly on the move. Because of growing inequalities of wealth caused by unregulated economic globalization political and ethnic conflicts environmental degradation instant communication and viable means of transportation more and more people are migrating than ever before. Crossing international borders whether compelled or voluntarily is a major characteristic of our present epoch. No countries or regions are immune from this reality. Facing the growing scope complexity and impact of the current worldwide phenomenon Gods People on the Move seeks to develop appropriate biblical and missiological responses to the issue of human migration and dislocation. The book is divided into two major sections. Part one Biblical Perspectives on Migration and Mission contains six essays that focus on various biblical themes or texts that deal with migration and mission. Part two Contemporary Issues of Migration and Mission contains six essays that address different immigration issues around the world. The contributors to this volume are women and men from different ethnic backgrounds working and living on five continents. The internationality of the contributors gives this volume a unique global perspective on migration and mission. Global in scope and ecumenical in spirit this biblical and theological study on migration makes a genuine contribution to the churchs reflection on the meaning of migration. Drawing on both biblical and missiological studies the essays collected here demonstrate that the migration of peoples is deeply embedded in our biblical history. The staggering plight of migrant peoples today not only calls for a response of justice and compassion but invites us to probe deeply into our understanding of God and of human dignity. --Donald Senior President emeritus Catholic Theological Union Chicago IL This book is a magnificent addition to the burgeoning literature on the theology of migration. It provides extremely rich biblical perspectives on migration and discusses the urgent issues of mission among and by migrants be they refugees undocumented workers returning failed migrants urban or rural migratory dwellers. I most enthusiastically recommend Gods People on the Move not only to pastoral workers but also to academic theologians. --Peter C. Phan Ignacio Ellacuria Chair of Catholic Social Thought Department of Theology Georgetown University Washington D.C. The Christian church must respond to the overwhelming challenges of worldwide migration. Fundamental to these efforts should be a fresh and creative engagement with the Bible that can speak into these new global realities. Gods People on the Move is a wonderful resource for our time: experienced missiologists from various traditions steeped in the Scriptures and committed to their particular contexts demonstrate the relevance of the word of the God who loves the immigrant. --M. Daniel Carroll Rodas Distinguished Professor of Old Testament Denver Seminary Littleton CO Gods People on the Move is not just a reflection about theology and migration but about what it means to be human before God. As it speaks about those crossing over geographical borders yesterday and today it also speaks about passing over from hostility to hospitality from alienation to communion and from nationalism to the reign of God. --Daniel G. Groody Associate Professor of Theology University of Notre Dame Notre Dame IN vanThanh Nguyen SVD SThD is an associate professor of New Testament Studies and the Director of the Master of Divinity Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago Illinois. He is the author of Peter and Cornelius: A Story of Conversion and Mission and Stories of Early Christianity. John M. Prior PhD lectures in the contextual theology postgraduate program at St. Pauls Institute of Philosophy Ledalero Ind