Karen González and Beyond Welcome

Karen González is a speaker, writer, storyteller, and immigrant advocate, who herself immigrated from Guatemala as a child. Karen is a previous guest who shared her story on episode #166. Today, Karen and I talk about normalizing movement of population, why being a stranger in a strange land should give Christians empathy, and what to do about Christian nationalism. Karen’s work reminds us of God’s view of immigrants and challenges us to serve, care for, and love them. You won’t want to miss this episode.

Listen to Karen’s story today wherever you get your podcasts!

Stories Karen shared:

• How her first book, The God Who Sees, was received
• Why movement of people between countries (and states) is normal
• What it’s like being a stranger in a strange land
• What it means to “center” immigrants in the conversation
• What we lose if we require assimilation instead of Christlikeness
• The difference between integration and assimilation
• The rise of Christian nationalism and what to do about it
• The difference between a nationalistic view and the way Jesus sees people

Great quotes from Karen:

People have always moved for the reasons they move today.

When you are who you are, it’s flaws and all.

We ask people to conform to our image.

Resources we mentioned:

• Karen’s website
• Beyond Welcome: Centering Immigrants in Our Christian Response to Immigration by Karen González
• Journey to the Common Good by Walter Brueggemann

Related episodes:

• Karen Gonzalez and the God Who Sees
• Kristin Kobes Du Mez and Knowing Church History
• D.L. Mayfield and the Gift of Paying Attention.