Borders are places of collision. People and politics, compassion and cruelty, law and lawlessness, hope and despair, idealism and ideology, life and death--all collide at the border. But these collisions have human faces. North and south, rich and poor, nuns and nones, desperation and courage--a spirit draws all these poles together and a spirituality animates their encounter.? Precious Precarity examines the spirituality that emerges between life and death, when vulnerable raced migrants must leave their homelands and traverse harsh environments to seek safety in an often-unwelcoming foreign land. The spirituality of displaced people mingles with that of volunteers, advocates, and environmentalists at the southwestern US-Mexico border, creating a unique and distinct spirituality in the borderlands. It's a spirituality shaped by the reality of death and the passionate quest for safety and for life. Informed by interviews, activism, scholarship, original art, and a practiced compassion, Precious Precarity takes readers beyond the headlines, policy debates, good intentions, and bad faith that too often dominate our understanding of the borderlands to reveal the ways in which human experience endures life's travails, transcends its vagaries and vanities, and persists in the face of danger and even death.
Helen T. Boursier is a practical theologian, activist, author, artist, and ordained Presbyterian minister who has been a volunteer chaplain with displaced migrants since 2014. She is the author of several books, including, Desperately Seeking Asylum: Testimonies of Trauma, Courage, and Love (2019).
When (or perhaps, if) future theologians and ministers survive the crises of our day to look back on life in the 2020s, I am convinced that they will define our times in terms of a complex intersection of contributions and challenges: the needed corrective of contextual, diverse, non-Eurocentric voices in the church and academy, a rise in awareness of the impact of man-made climate change, ongoing attempts to overcome a problematic bifurcation between pastoral and systematic theology, and--likely above all--our response as a human race to the staggering numbers of people on the move. In Precious Precarity, Helen Boursier offers a gritty and textured account of a spirituality of the borderlands which weaves together many of these themes that define Christian witness in our day, one which highlights the enduring goodness to be encountered in the "badlands." --Michael M. Canaris, PhD, associate professor of ecclesiology and systematic theology, and co-director, Miguel Pro, S.J. Iniciativa de Protagonismo Pastoral, Loyola University Chicago Helen Boursier's book Precious Precarity will break your heart and lift you toward a new appreciation for life, love, and the possibility of a future worth living. Using Ecclesiastes to ground and frame what she calls the "spirituality of dissent" at the border, she interprets what it means to live a hope-against-hope life in an unjust environment. Boursier uses migrants' own words to communicate their experiences of death and relentless suffering as they seek a new life on the other side of the border. Their words show how tenaciously they cling to their trust in a God who is with them and protecting them; a faith that sustains their quest for sanctuary and transforms those who meet and support them. The book is a clarion call to religious leaders and other practitioners of the Global North to leave our functional patterns of indifference and apathy to what is happening at the border since, in truth, our lives and futures are deeply intertwined with these asylum seekers. This is a timely work that can speak persuasively to our shared time of precarious living. Practical theologians, pastors, and secular volunteers will find the stories and insights compelling and inspiring. The visual illustrations are remarkable and help bring the text to life, while the incredible number of quotes and references invite the reader to explore more deeply the themes and questions raised in the text. The bibliography is a treasure in itself. --Rev. Dr. Sharon G. Thornton, PhD, professor emerita, Andover Newton Theological School, and author of Broken Yet Beloved: A Pastoral Theology of the Cross This book is a must-read: a brilliant, compelling, and timely exploration of one of the greatest ethical, theological, and political challenges of our time. How do we counter the political denial of the humanity of those families migrating to the United States in search of safety, and instead honor their integrity and profound courage? Boursier provides an evocative resource for this vital work, honoring the spiritual resilience and deep faith of those families seeking safety and the life-changing solidarity of those volunteers and advocates who support them with compassion and creativity in this painful and precarious endeavor--the search for a safe place that can become home, where justice is embodied and all can thrive. --Sharon D. Welch, author of After the Protests Are Heard: Enacting Civic Engagement and Social Transformation
