John J. Fitzgerald addresses here one of life's enduring questions - how to achieve personal fulfillment and more specifically whether we can do so through ethical conduct. He focuses on two significant twentieth-century theologians - Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel and Pope John Paul II - seeing both as fitting dialogue partners, given the former's influence on the Second Vatican Council's deliberations on the Jews, and the latter's groundbreaking overtures to the Jews in the wake of his experiences in Poland before and during World War II. Fitzgerald demonstrates that Heschel and John Paul II both suggest that doing good generally leads us to growth in various components of personal fulfillment, such as happiness, meaning in life, and freedom from selfish desires. There are, however, some key differences between the two theologians - John Paul II emphasizes more strongly the relationship between acting well and attaining eternal life, whereas Heschel wrestles more openly with the possibility that religious commitment ultimately involves anxiety and sadness. By examining historical and contemporary analyses, including the work of the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, the philosopher Peter Singer, and some present-day psychologists, Fitzgerald builds a narrative that shows the promise and limits of Heschel's and John Paul II's views.

"This timely and humane book redirects our attention from headlines that frame issues of ethnicity and religion as divisive and conflict-ridden to the quiet and unswerving work of persons of faith who promote understanding and compassion. As such, this book not only opens our eyes to the work of religious activists, it also provides insight into ourselves. It is an excellent study that offers much to scholars interested in immigration, religion, and social movements, and I certainly hope it will inspire policy makers and public officials as well."--Cecilia Menjivar, author of "Fragmented Ties: Salvadoran Immigrant Networks in America"
"In this enlightening book, Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo explores the surprising ways in which diverse Muslim, Jewish, and Christian activists have engaged in projects of inclusion--from the workplaces of Los Angeles and Orange County to the San Diego-Tijuana border. In the process, rather than imposing new layers of monotheistic religious separatism, they advance the democratic ideals of American pluralism."--Ruben G. Rumbaut, co-author of "Immigrant America and Legacies: The Story of the Immigrant Second Generation."
"Three of the most persistent themes in American history are immigration, race, and religious devotion. Pierrette Hondagneu-Sotelo brilliantly examines their interaction in recent U.S. politics. How to protect and nurture new immigrants is perhaps our nation's most morally urgent problem right now, even while mainstream politicians seem obsessed instead with 'protecting' our borders. This book shows how a small number of brave people, taking their religion seriously, are grappling with these fundamental issues."--James M. Jasper, CityUniversity of New York
"A much-needed corrective to our often skewed understanding of the role of religion in public life. With unusual sensitivity and perceptiveness, Hondagneu-Sotelo tells the compelling stories of activists from a variety of religious traditions who are guided by their faith to work for immigrant rights and social justice. They provide the rest of us with a 'moral blueprint' for living in an increasingly global world."--Peggy Levitt, author of "Transnational Villagers"
""God's Heart Has No Borders" makes vital contributions to current policy and scholarly debates about immigration. It will elevate the national conversation, providing a much-needed antidote to facile and polarizing readings of this complex phenomenon. Hondagneu-Sotelo's judicious and rigorous-yet-sensitive approach allows the voices, values, and experiences of religious activists working for immigrant rights to emerge with full moral force. At the scholarly level, she offers rich and fresh insights into the unique ways in which religion can contribute to transformative social action and civil public discourse."--Manuel A. Vasquez, co-editor of "Immigrant Faiths: Transforming Religious Life in America"

American environmentalism historically has been associated with the interests of white elites. Yet religious leaders in the twenty-first century have helped instill concern about the earth among groups diverse in religion, race, ethnicity, and class. How did that happen and what are the implications? Building on scholarship that provides theological and ethical resources to support the "greening" of religion, God and the Green Divide examines religious environmentalism as it actually happens in the daily lives of urban Americans. Baugh demonstrates how complex dynamics related to race, ethnicity, and class factor into decisions to "go green." By carefully examining negotiations of racial and ethnic identities as central to the history of religious environmentalism, this work complicates assumptions that religious environmentalism is a direct expression of theology, ethics, or religious beliefs.