Journal Of Latin American Theology Volume 16 Number 1

This issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology addresses several themes: we continue our up-to-date analysis of Christianity in each country in Latin America; we examine how a Christian community in Central America is responding to the COVID-19 pandemic; and we celebrate the life and ministry of Juan Stam, a giant of a man and in uential member of the FTL who passed into the presence of the Lord on October 16, 2020. Leopoldo Cervantes-Ortiz reviews Juan Stam’s more than seven decades of teaching, writing, and mentorship while Stam’s daughter and editor Rebeca Stam offers a more intimate look at his later life. Luis Carlos Marrero Chasbar helps us understand the complex interplay of the varieties of Christianity in Cuba, then David López discusses how religious persecution has shaped Protestant involvement in the current political arena in Colombia. Tomás Gutiérrez describes the evangelical church in Peru with an eye toward the impact of the coronavirus in the country, and Heidi Michelson and the sisters and brothers of Casa Adobe in Costa Rica share how they walk with God and serve their neighbors in the midst of the pandemic. This volume closes with two samples of theopoetry that re ect on different aspects of the Christian faith in quarantine and a book review of David Kirkpatrick’s A Gospel for the Poor.

This issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology is dedicated to the memory of C. René Padilla (1932–2021). In “The Life and Legacy of C. René Padilla,” historian Daniel Salinas presents the essential events of René’s life and ministry. In 2008, Darren C. Marks published René’s own account of his theological journey in Shaping a Global Theological Mind. We are grateful to reprint “My Theological Pilgrimage,” in which René described the factors that contributed to his development as a theologian and practitioner. Next, the five children René had with his late wife Catharine Feser Padilla offer a heartfelt overview of their father’s life. A sample of tributes from friends and family members then describes not only René’s writings and mental brilliance but also his humility, hospitality, courage, and gentleness as a mentor. And the three poets included herein give testimony to René’s unflagging dedication to encouraging and publishing other writers across the genres. Next, historian Dinorah Méndez reviews René’s last literary venture, Raíces de un evangelio integral: misión en perspectiva histórica and demonstrates that the primary theological emphasis of René’s life—misión integral—has been practiced by the people of God in their various contexts throughout history. Finally, with the combined efforts of several scholars, we have compiled as complete a bibliography of René’s published works as possible.

The articles in this issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology focus on history, mission, politics, migration, and worship. Luis Tapia Rubio discusses the colonial nature of Bartolomé de Las Casas’s sixteenth-century mission in Latin America and sits with the disturbing question of whether or not it is possible for Christian mission to be anything but colonial. Valdir Steuernagel summarizes key points from the Lausanne Congresses on World Evangelization and diagnoses current challenges leading up to Lausanne IV in September 2024. Darío López R. illustrates the antidemocratic nature of fundamentalist evangelicals active in Latin American politics through the case study of the 2021 presidential elections in Peru. Milton Mejía discusses the same political phenomenon but in the context of Colombia’s decades-long armed conflict. His case study is the 2016 referendum on the peace agreement, which evangelical opposition helped tip the balance to reject. Mariani Xavier seeks to “humanize” immigrants by highlighting five biblical insights on immigration and then outlining action steps for Christians to put these biblical insights into practice. Fabio Salguero Fagoaga diagnoses one reason that Christians fail to offer robust hospitality to immigrants and refugees: aporophobia, or discrimination against the poor. The book reviews in this volume approach these same themes from different perspectives, as the film review and theopoetry do from the posture of worship.

Journal of Latin American Theology: Christian Reflections from the Latino South Special issue on the Comentario biblico contemporaneo Vol. 11, No. 1, Spring 2016 The Journal of Latin American Theology enters its second decade with this current issue, which presents an English-language sample of the exciting Comentario biblico contemporaneo (CBC, Contemporary Bible Commentary), forthcoming in Spanish from publisher Certeza Unida and in English from Zondervan. This full-Bible, one-volume commentary has been years in the making and contains some of the finest biblical exegesis and pastoral theology by contemporary Latin American Protestant leaders. This issue includes the CBC's commentaries on three entire books of the Bible: Ruth, Obadiah, and Galatians; as well as seven of the short articles included in the CBC which treat some of the most vital issues for the church today, including migration, racism, and sexual identity. We are overjoyed to present this gift from the Latin American church to English-speaking Christians around the globe.

Special Issue on Being Faithful to God in the Era of Trump What does it look like to live as citizens under God's reign and as seekers of God's justice in today's world? Donald Trump was inaugurated as the US president on January 20, 2017. Whenever there is a new person in that position, it is good for followers of Jesus Christ to pause and reflect under the light of Scripture regarding not only the new president's policies but also our own responsibilities as the people of God. This issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology is our invitation to pursue that hard work of reflection and action. The resounding message is that Christians today need to express a faithful public witness that Jesus Christ is Lord. The articles herein discuss certain facets of such faithfulness: what it means to be the people of God, just stewardship of money in light of international trade agreements, living simply and working hard to care for the planet God has entrusted to us, Christ-centered as opposed to fear-based relations between native-born and foreigners, understanding and acting upon the biblical connection between shalom and justice, and responding carefully to those who face scarcity in the land of plenty. May our readers be equipped to live as more faithful representatives of God's all-encompassing reign.

This issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology contains articles from some of the newest members of the FTL who presented papers in local chapters in fulfillment of an essential requirement for active membership in the FTL: the presentation of a written work reflecting original theological thought, rigorous dialogue with other pertinent sources and research instruments, and relevance to Latin American situations. Through this requirement, the FTL provides a strong impetus to practical scholarship and fosters relevant, robust contextual theological reflection. This issue showcases men and women from Colombia, Puerto Rico, Honduras, El Salvador, Uruguay, and Argentina who explore many aspects of church, generosity, identity, art, the prophetic imagination, and liberation.

This volume of the Journal of Latin American Theology and the fall 2019 volume are dedicated to providing an up-to-date analysis of Christianity in current Latin American societies. This issue focuses on selections from the Caribbean and South America. An excellent array of Christian leaders representing these regions have risen to the task. First, they situate readers in the contemporary political and social context of their country. Next, they describe contemporary Christianity in their nation, both Protestant and Catholic, as the respective churches respond to their national challenges. Then they explore what followers of Jesus in their countries would want to share with the larger worldwide church and what Christians in their nations need to learn from Christian sisters and brothers from around the globe. An introductory overview of recent religious changes throughout Latin America, written by Fernando Bullon, sets the stage to help us understand the context of Protestantism in the region. The Dominican Republic is covered by Perfecto Jacinto Sanchez; Panama by Marina Medina Moreno and Jocabed Solano; Ecuador by Rodrigo Riffo; Bolivia by Eva Morales and Drew Jennings-Grisham; Brazil by Marcus de Matos; Paraguay by Flavio Florentin; Argentina by Juan Jose Barreda and Diana Medina Gonzalez; and Chile by Luis Cruz-Villalobos. This volume, together with the second issue of 2019, will make an excellent textbook in universities and seminaries for all who want to understand Latin American Christianity today. We pray that these country studies lead readers to prayers of solidarity and reflection upon how God is walking among us in our various contexts.

This issue of the Journal of Latin American Theology presents some of the papers given at the Seventh Latin American Conference of the Red Internacional de Educación Superior Cristiana (RIESC). Designed around the theme “Higher Education, Christian Identity, and Public Impact in Latin America,” the authors herein explore the challenges and the people involved in the three primary tasks of a university: teaching, research, and community engagement through university extension projects. Alberto Salom Echevarría’s keynote address lays out the seven primary challenges that secular and faith-based universities alike are facing. The three articles that follow feature concrete examples of successfully facing some of the challenges. These are by Joel Aguilar and Ruth Padilla DeBorst with CETI; Alejandra Ortiz and Josué Olmedo with IFES; and Humberto Shikiya and Milton Mejía with Qonakuy. In the next four articles, professors in different fi elds interact with the RIESC conference theme from within their specifi c disciplines. This includes Adelaida Jiménez in educational sciences; José Alcántara Mejía in literature and the arts; Arturo González-Gutiérrez in engineering; and Ingrid Beatriz Martell in health sciences. After the fi nal statement from the conference, book reviews by Sidney Rooy and Arturo González-Gutiérrez continue the theme of Christian higher education. A fi lm review by Samuel Lagunas explores the worldview of a Protestant evangelical indigenous woman, and two poems close this volume with refl ections on God’s work as the Divine Educator and as the tender Creator of woman.