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In Our Own Voices: Latino/a Renditions of Theology
A fresh, ecumenical approach to systematic theology in a Latino/a voice.
U.S. Latino/a theology has emerged as one of the most dynamic and creative theological developments in the last thirty years. Reflecting the diversity as well as commonality among Latino/a theologians, this ecumenical team of men and women, both Catholic and Protestant, explore some of the core symbols and doctrines of Christianity from a distinctively Latino/a perspective. Beginning with the doctrine of God, Creation, and human being, the authors present diverse perspectives on Christology, the church, and the kin-dom of God (la familia de Dios).
Contributors Luis N. Rivera-Pagán; Jeanette Rodríguez; Carmen Nanko-Fernández; Michelle A. González; Michael Lee; Roberto S. Goizueta; Harold J. Recinos; Ada María Isasi-Díaz.
U.S. Latino/a theology has emerged as one of the most dynamic and creative theological developments in the last thirty years. Reflecting the diversity as well as commonality among Latino/a theologians, this ecumenical team of men and women, both Catholic and Protestant, explore some of the core symbols and doctrines of Christianity from a distinctively Latino/a perspective. Beginning with the doctrine of God, Creation, and human being, the authors present diverse perspectives on Christology, the church, and the kin-dom of God (la familia de Dios).
Contributors Luis N. Rivera-Pagán; Jeanette Rodríguez; Carmen Nanko-Fernández; Michelle A. González; Michael Lee; Roberto S. Goizueta; Harold J. Recinos; Ada María Isasi-Díaz.
- GenresTheologyChristianity
197 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2010
14 people want to read
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October 21, 2017
It took me a while longer than I would have liked to finish reading this one, mostly because it marked my return to more dense, academic writing after a decent hiatus. I'm also a little surprised and humbled by how much slower I need to read through those texts, especially after not engaging with them for a bit. With that said, despite not tearing through this, I really enjoyed it!
I think the premise is really powerful and important, and needed! The focus on Latinx explorations of concepts and doctrines that are more traditional or core to the Christian religion made this more readily accessible to someone like me who has familiarity with those, and genuinely did make it stand out in contrast to similar Latina anthologies (A Reader in Latina Feminist Theology: Religion and Justice and Fleshing the Spirit: Spirituality and Activism in Chicana, Latina, and Indigenous Women’s Lives) of academic essays that focused more on esoteric and syncretistic practices of Christian spirituality.
There's a distinct range here, which I mostly appreciated. Essentially all writers come from or align with a liberationist perspective that emphasizes the goal of promoting justice within theology study (which is great!!!) but come at that from different angles and prioritize that in different ways. They also, at times, engage with the same works and even each other's featured works, which leads to the book almost feeling conversational (and a little awkward at times, like when one author tears apart the work of the previous one!).
I think I most appreciated what this offered as a collection of essays and voices, and think the works are made more significant by speaking alongside each other. In my opinion, the standouts are the essays by Gonzalez, Valentin, and Lee, and I really didn't care for either on ecclesiology, but when held together they all work to better articulate the common themes of Latinx theology while still allowing for nuance from perspective to perspective. The trends that felt most consistent to me were (1.) an emphasis on liberationist, justice-oriented understandings of the ministry and ongoing call of Jesus, (2.) a recognition of the humanity and immanence of Jesus, especially as a marginalized person ultimately crucified and therefore in solidarity with those living crucified realities today, (3.) a prioritization of praxis over abstract theory and doctrine, and (4.) an appreciation for community ushered forth by Latinx value placed on "la familia."
I think the premise is really powerful and important, and needed! The focus on Latinx explorations of concepts and doctrines that are more traditional or core to the Christian religion made this more readily accessible to someone like me who has familiarity with those, and genuinely did make it stand out in contrast to similar Latina anthologies (A Reader in Latina Feminist Theology: Religion and Justice and Fleshing the Spirit: Spirituality and Activism in Chicana, Latina, and Indigenous Women’s Lives) of academic essays that focused more on esoteric and syncretistic practices of Christian spirituality.
There's a distinct range here, which I mostly appreciated. Essentially all writers come from or align with a liberationist perspective that emphasizes the goal of promoting justice within theology study (which is great!!!) but come at that from different angles and prioritize that in different ways. They also, at times, engage with the same works and even each other's featured works, which leads to the book almost feeling conversational (and a little awkward at times, like when one author tears apart the work of the previous one!).
I think I most appreciated what this offered as a collection of essays and voices, and think the works are made more significant by speaking alongside each other. In my opinion, the standouts are the essays by Gonzalez, Valentin, and Lee, and I really didn't care for either on ecclesiology, but when held together they all work to better articulate the common themes of Latinx theology while still allowing for nuance from perspective to perspective. The trends that felt most consistent to me were (1.) an emphasis on liberationist, justice-oriented understandings of the ministry and ongoing call of Jesus, (2.) a recognition of the humanity and immanence of Jesus, especially as a marginalized person ultimately crucified and therefore in solidarity with those living crucified realities today, (3.) a prioritization of praxis over abstract theory and doctrine, and (4.) an appreciation for community ushered forth by Latinx value placed on "la familia."
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