Includes bibliographical references (pages 251-264) and index.

Introduction: Strangers among us -- Part 1. Strangers and scapegoats in sociological perspective. Constructing identity: the self, the social, and the stranger -- A stranger world: in-groups, out-groups, and the space between -- No more scapegoats: a stranger theology -- Part 2. Strangers on the margins. Strangers in the pew: girls and symbolic exclusion -- From stranger to neighbor: intersex persons and the church / by Val Hiebert -- Strangers at the borders: immigrants and the heart of the gospel message -- Strangers behind bars: examining the system of mass incarceration / by Scott Monsma -- Competing in cedar: Nike, superstar athletes, and the unseen strangers who make our shoes -- Part 3. Inviting strangers. Challenging the normal: the strange(r) reality of the gospel -- Pursuing the common good: three stories of the neighbor.

"A Christian sociologist explains how the problem of the stranger lies at the root of many problems humanity faces, such as racism, sexism, and nationalism, but that an identity in Christ frees us to love strangers as neighbors and friends"-- Provided by publisher.