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The topic of immigration is at the center of contemporary politics and, from a scholarly perspective, existing studies have documented that attitudes towards immigration have brought about changes in both partisanship and voting behavior. However, many scholars have missed or misconstrued the role of religion in this transformation, particularly evangelical Protestant Christianity. This book examines the historical and contemporary relationships between religion and immigration politics, with a particularly in-depth analysis of the fault lines within evangelicalism-divisions not only between whites and non-whites, but also the increasingly consequential disconnect between elites and laity within white evangelicalism. The book's empirical analysis relies on original interviews with Christian leaders, data from original church surveys conducted by the authors, and secondary analysis of several national public opinion surveys. It concludes with suggestions for bridging the elite/laity and racial divides.
Ruth M. Melkonian-Hoover: (Ph.D., Emory University) is Chair and Professor of Political Science at Gordon College, Massachusetts. She has contributed chapters to Faith in a Pluralist Age (2018) and Is the Good Book Good Enough? (2011). She has published in a wide range of journals including Social Science Quarterly, The Review of Faith & International Affairs, Latin American Perspectives, Political Research Quarterly, Comment, and Capital Commentary.
Lyman A. Kellstedt: (Ph.D., University of Illinois) is Professor of Political Science (emeritus) at Wheaton College, Illinois. He has authored or coauthored numerous articles, book chapters, and books in religion and politics, including Religion and the Culture Wars (1996), The Bully Pulpit (1997), and The Oxford Handbook of Religion and American Politics (2009).
List of contents
1. Introduction: Religion and the Politics of Immigration Reform.- 2. U.S. Immigration History, Laws, and Protestant Christian Responses.- 3. Immigration in the 2000s: Immigration Reform, Executive Orders, and Evangelical Leadership.- 4. Immigration Attitudes among American Religious Groups.- 5. The Evangelical Kaleidoscope: Racial/Ethnic Similarity and Difference.- 6. Religion Does Matter: Alternative Measures and Contextual Effects.- 7. Conclusion: Evangelical Christianity and Immigration Reform: What Comes Next?.
About the author
Ruth M. Melkonian-Hoover is Chair and Professor of Political Science at Gordon College, Wenham, MA, USA.
Lyman A. Kellstedt is Emeritus Professor of Political Science at Wheaton College, Wheaton, IL, USA.
Summary
Provides one of the first balanced efforts written by social scientists for both a scholarly and Christian lay audience.
Delivers content that is rigorously grounded, offering original interviews, church data, and public opinion data analysis
Offers an historical overview of Christian activism and lay opinion on immigration in the US
Additional text
“The authors’ scholarly expertise in the academic field of religion and politics is evident in their careful and informative conceptualization of evangelical identity, beliefs, and behavior. … There is no doubt that Melkonian- Hoover and Kellstadt have produced a very thoughtful deep dive into evangelical policy attitudes. Their expertise and tenacious approach to a huge amount of data makes Evangelicals and Immigration an essential resource for those interested in religion, race, and politics.” (Janelle Wong, Sociology of Religion, Vol. 80 (4), 2019)
“As national debates over issues like border walls, Dreamers and asylum continue, Evangelicals and Immigration is a helpful text for anyone seeking to better understand the important role evangelicals play in these debates.” (Napp Nazworth, The Christian Post, christianpost.com, January 17, 2019)
Report
"The authors' scholarly expertise in the academic field of religion and politics is evident in their careful and informative conceptualization of evangelical identity, beliefs, and behavior. ... There is no doubt that Melkonian- Hoover and Kellstadt have produced a very thoughtful deep dive into evangelical policy attitudes. Their expertise and tenacious approach to a huge amount of data makes Evangelicals and Immigration an essential resource for those interested in religion, race, and politics." (Janelle Wong, Sociology of Religion, Vol. 80 (4), 2019)
"As national debates over issues like border walls, Dreamers and asylum continue, Evangelicals and Immigration is a helpful text for anyone seeking to better understand the important role evangelicals play in these debates." (Napp Nazworth, The Christian Post, christianpost.com, January 17, 2019)
