This book is mostly an explanation on what being an "alien" meant in the days of the Bible; the differences between being a legal/resident alien and being a "foreigner", or illegal immigrant, are discussed.

I wrongly assumed it would focus on applying those Biblical principles to the current immigration "crisis", as alluded to in the title. It did certainly touch on this, and the final chapter sums it all up and applies it to our current situation, but that wasn't the bulk of the book.

The text was somewhat repetitive, and unfortunately, it was rather dry reading (think history textbook). That said, I agreed with most of Hoffmeier's positions, and do think it could be helpful for those wanting to know what the Bible says about immigration. As a supplemental text to a more thorough history book, or especially the Bible, it would add lots of insight.

A quote that pretty well sums up the author's position:

"The Bible clearly distinguishes between the status of a legal alien (Hebrew 'ger') and a foreigner (Hebrew 'nekhar' and 'zar'), and one consequence of this is that there really is a difference between the legal standing of a present-day documented alien and an illegal immigrant. Therefore it is legally and morally acceptable for a government to deal with those in the country illegally according to the nation's provisions. The Christian insists, however, that they be dealt with in a humane manner. Expatriation (as Abraham experienced) in itself is not inhumane, but it must not be done in a heartless manner." (p.157) ( )

A much clearer and even-handed handling of the biblical text as it relates to issues of immigration than the last book I read. Hoffmeier relates that an alien in Israel (gur) was one who was very similar to a legal immigrant in today's America, not an illegal one. The one hiccup came at the end, when Hoffmeier used the word "should" in relating how to apply OT provisions concerning legal aliens instead of "could." Granted, for a government or individuals to claim biblical standing for their decisions, they "should" follow biblical examples. Hoffmeier takes great exception with individuals/churches who claim "God's love" for people, but then fail to apply clear mandates from Scripture for their actions. Well worth reading for anyone who is wrestling with the issues of immigration from a biblical perspective. ( )

A much clearer and even-handed handling of the biblical text as it relates to issues of immigration than the last book I read. Hoffmeier relates that an alien in Israel (gur) was one who was very similar to a legal immigrant in today's America, not an illegal one. The one hiccup came at the end, when Hoffmeier used the word "should" in relating how to apply OT provisions concerning legal aliens instead of "could." Granted, for a government or individuals to claim biblical standing for their decisions, they "should" follow biblical examples. Hoffmeier takes great exception with individuals/churches who claim "God's love" for people, but then fail to apply clear mandates from Scripture for their actions. Well worth reading for anyone who is wrestling with the issues of immigration from a biblical perspective. ( )

Of the modern political controversies, the question surrounding illegal immigration is the one that causes me the most self-doubt. I have long held that contempt of law should never be rewarded and that amnesty is not the proper response. However, in the last few years, God has taught me to love justice. My compassion for the immigrant wars with the clear sense of right and wrong concerning the law. So, a while back (read a year and a half) I elected to receive an early review galley copy of a book on the subject. I shamefully have just gotten around to reading it.

The book is written by an Old Testament scholar at Trinity International University and attempts to collect the biblical evidence that might be applied to the issue of illegal immigration in an easy to ready format. I generally appreciate the books narrative structure, essentially tracing the story of Israel from Abraham to the Exile and then jumping to Jesus before concluding. Unfortunately, this narrative approach does not pay the dividends one might expect. Hoffmeier’s book contains lengthy paraphrasing of biblical stories set off by inordinately long block quotes of biblical text. He largely fails to actually make an argument when he works through this material instead choosing to leave his points only loosely connected to the present discussion.

Hoffmeier also makes several interpretive arguments that are more assertions than arguments. For example, he attempts to align certain Hebrew words with legal resident and non-legal resident arguing that the text makes an important distinction between them. This might be the case, but Hoffmeier offers no philological evidence to back up his claim with the exception of noting that the LXX uses proselytos indicating a religious understanding of the term for some. He does provide footnotes for this material, but he does not incorporate the arguments apparently given by the texts he cites. More troubling is Hoffmeier’s tendency to seamlessly weave together archeological material with the text of the Old Testament to make his arguments. Much of the information he provides is interesting but ultimately irrelevant, and awkwardly pins the text to the archeological material treating them as if they are the same sort of thing.

Hoffmeier’s consideration of the New Testament is extremely terse, and one wonders at the wisdom of spending six chapters on the Old Testament and rushing through the New Testament material. His points are generally fine, his argument based on Romans 13 is largely agreeable, but he makes awkward material choices. He spends a long time arguing that the “least of these” in Matthew 25 should only apply to Christians or disciples of Jesus , leaving us to infer that this means that the text cannot apply to illegal immigrants. Then, in the next chapter, he points out that the vast majority of illegal immigrants are Christians. I was left scratching my head at his logical inconsistency.

Ultimately, I largely agree with Hoffmeier’s conclusions, but I cannot help but say that he has done a poor job arguing them. Perhaps the great shortcomings of the book should be attributed to its obvious orientation to lay readers, but the book fails if it is read as a primer for ethical reflection on the issue of illegal immigration. If you want an easy to read book that will discuss some of the issues in a lay-friendly manner and do not mind its hasty conclusions, then this book would at least make a decent starting point. If you are hoping for substantive exegesis and ethical argumentation, look elsewhere. ( )

The Immigration Crisis thoughtfully analyzes the ethical dilemma of illegal immigration and what the Christian response should be through a study of the Old and New Testaments. After a brief introduction to the moral and legal complexities involving the practices of "sanctuary" and amnesty toward illegal immigrants, Hoffmeier presents readers with various hermeneutical options in the application of biblical laws for today. He maintains that having a biblical worldview is the best way to evaluate contemporary problems; thus, the author spends the majority of the book exploring all the cases in the Bible that pertain to immigration and the treatment of immigrants.

While readers can get lost in the lexical discussion of words such as alien, foreigner, sojourner, and resident, it is helpful to know how the Law views each of these people. This sets the tone for the rest of the book by establishing the difference between aliens (permanent residents, sojourners or legal immigrants) and foreigners (travellers, invading enemies or illegal immigrants), indicating that illegal immigrants are not to be treated the same as legal immigrants, which is a logical argument. Furthermore, Hoffmeier effectively demonstrates how the practice of "sanctuary" as carried out today has no biblical basis after an examination of the parameters surrounding the cities of refuge in Israel.

However, after spending much time in the Old Testament, it is unfortunate that the last two chapters about the Christian perspective are so short in comparison. The author does explain why the New Testament is largely silent on how we are to regard aliens and foreigners but the reader is left wanting more analysis and clarification on the immigration crisis specifically and not just on general legal matters. This book offers the perspective that Christians are to treat others with God’s justice, yet it does not fully develop the concept of how Christians are to extend this justice and mercy to illegal immigrants, other than to ask these people to apply for immigration status legally. This teaching may be an ideal principle but it still does not address the practicalities that face countless suffering immigrants on a daily basis. ( )