Religion and immigration inspire passionate disagreements among Americans. But many of these debates are based on out-dated assumptions. For one thing, most people think immigrants cut off their ties to their countries of origin as they become American or at least that they should.But more and more, people continue to invest, vote, and raise children in their homelands at the same time that they put down strong roots in the U.S. What's more, they use religion to do so. They belong to religious communities that integrate them into this country, and at the same time, connect them to others of the same faith around the world. Immigrants are changing the face of religious diversity in the U.S., helping to make American religion just as global as economic and politics and subtly challenging the very definition of what it means to be an American.

Many Americans fear that the traditions and beliefs newcomers import will unravel our social fabric, but my conversations with immigrants suggest the opposite. Hot button issues like gay rights and the death penalty evoke passionate responses on both sides. Most people, however, care much more about bread and butter issues like jobs, education, and health care. Their respect for family, neighborliness, and the law bolsters American values and steadies our religious boat rather than rocks it. What's more, people who know how to live lives that cross cultures are miles ahead of most of us. They are the translators and bridge-builders that America so desperately needs. They bring to light that the challenges we face are produced by forces operating inside and outside our borders, but at the same time, so are the solutions.