Explores the power of faith to drive resistance to anti-immigration policies in the United StatesGods Resistance chronicles the work of faith-based activists who have mobilized to counter the effectsof mass detention and deportation. Focusing on Southern California, home to a large undocumentedpopulation, the authors examine which strategies have been most effective, as well as the obstacles that faith presents to organizing effectively. In-depth interviews with over forty activists, leaders ofcongregations, lay participants, and immigrants allow us to hear at first hand the challenges andoccasional triumphs of this work.The authors show how faith-based organizations have a distinctive set of advantages to leverage insocial movements that are often overlooked and underappreciated by secular activist organizations, but they also face particular challenges that can hinder their effectiveness. The volume offers insights into how these advantages can be maximized, and how the obstacles can be overcome. The powerfultestimony from asylum seekers and detained immigrants found in these pages, along with the concreteexamples of effective strategies, are indispensable for anyone invested in the fight to recognize thehumanity of one of the nations most vulnerable populations.

Brad Christerson (Author)Brad Christerson is Professor in the Department of Sociology at Biola University and co-author ofThe Rise of Network Christianity, Growing Up in America: The Power of Race in the Lives of Teensand Against All Odds: The Struggle for Racial Integration in Religious Organizations.Alexia Salvatierra (Author)Alexia Salvatierrais the Academic Dean of the Centro Latino and the Associate Professor of Mission and Global Transformation at Fuller Theological Seminary and co-author ofBuried Seeds: Learning from the Vibrant Resiliency of Marginalized Christian Communities.Robert Chao Romero (Author)Robert Chao Romero is Associate Professor in the Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. He is the author of several books, includingThe Chinese in Mexico, 1882-1940 andBrown Church: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity.Nancy Wang Yuen (Author)Nancy Wang Yuen is a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) consultant for Peoplism and author ofReel Inequality: Hollywood Actors and Racism.