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Washington Theological Consortium - EcuNotes #14
(September 2002)
THE TIES THAT BIND; AFRICAN AMERICAN AND HISPANIC AMERICAN/LATINO/A
THEOLOGIES IN DIALOGUE. Edited by Anthony B. Pinn and Benjamin Valentin.
New York/London: Continuum, 2001.
Although both African American and Hispanic/Latino/a theologies emerged
in the wake of the civil rights movement and the Chicano awakening
in the 1960s, their similarity in struggles did not produce significant
theological dialogue. The dozen essays and responses in the present
volume represent a major effort at fostering that long-over-due discussion.
Six pairs of theological conversation-partners from various Christian
denominations reflected on a half-dozen topics that show some basic
commonalities (e.g., discrimination, social-political-economic marginalization,
commitment to struggle, emphasis on the local religious community,
family-oriented values, etc.) as well as some important differences
(e.g. African American Christianity is predominantly Protestant, while
Hispanics/Latinos/as have a Catholic background). This volume is an
excellent example of much needed cross-cultural ecumenical dialogue
as well as a text suitable for courses in contextual theology.
CHANGING TIDES: LATIN AMERICA AND WORLD MISSION TODAY. By Samuel
Escobar. Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2002.
This book first discusses "the changing face of Christian World
Mission today" and then examines "Mission in Latin America"
and finds that for Roman Catholics, mission has often been directed
to establishing the Church, while for Protestants, mission has usually
focused on personal conversion. Escobar finds that Latin American
Evangelicalism and Pentecostalism are rooted in various Pietistic
and Holiness movements, while Roman Catholic re-evangelization has
been prompted by the Second Vatican Council and CELAM (Latin American
Episcopal Conference). Although there is some commonality in Protestant
and Catholic missionary methods, even some imitation, ecumenical
dialogue in Latin America has been minimal to date. This volume,
a combination of historical narrative, biblical reflections and
theological analyses coupled with the author's impressive familiarity
with missiological trends, provides many thought-provoking challenges
for both missiologists and ecumenists.
David Maldonado Jr., CROSSING GUADALUPE STREET: GROWING UP HISPANIC
AND PROTESTANT. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2001.
In this nostalgic but very engaging narrative, Maldonado, president
of Iliff School of Theology in Denver, shares his experience of
growing up in Seguin, Texas, in the 1940s and 1950s, when the town
was segregated three-ways among Euroamericans, African Americans
and Mexican Americans. Maldonado experienced a double marginalization:
as a Latino in an Anglo world and as a Protestant in a Catholic
barrio. "Crossing Guadalupe street" is Maldonado's metaphor
for recalling and honoring this dual legacy which became "the
foundation of my ethnic and religious identity." Yet, if the
animosity between Católicos and Protestantes that characterized
the religious atmosphere of that pre-ecumenical era has largely
been dispelled by the good will emerging after the Second Vatican
Council, ecumenism -- especially Hispanic ecumenism -- still has
a wide street to cross.
EcuFact: Although the June 2002 issue of AUBURN STUDIES: "In
Whose Hands: A Study of Theological School Trustees" will primarily
interest administrators, there is a notable ecufact: "One third
of those living in the U.S. will switch denominations or religious
traditions in their lifetime, and two-thirds of Protestants will
do so" (13). AUBURN STUDIES is available on line: www.auburnsem.org.
John Radano, "John Paul II and a Common Date for Easter,"
Ecumenical Trends 31/5 (May 2002) discusses both a 1975-proposal
for observing Easter on a fixed Sunday in April and a 1997-proposal
for a moveable yet commonly accepted date that would follow the
Nicene norm of observing Easter on the Sunday following the first
vernal full moon as calculated using modern astronomical methods
and data.
William G. Rusch, "An Ecumenist Looks at Two Centuries,"
Ecumenical Trends 31/6 (June 2002) provides an interesting status-report
on the ecumenical movement that emphasizes both the contributions
by and the challenges facing the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America.
In Ecumenical Trends 31/7 (July-August 2002), there is a discussion
of "The Church's Relationship to Salvation" from Orthodox
(Helen Theodoropoulos) and Presbyterian (Robert A. Cathey) perspectives
with a Roman Catholic response (Thomas Baima).
Upcoming Consortium Events:
The Pastoral Studies group of the Consortium will sponsor a day
on "Boundary Issues" for ministers, priests and lay ministers
at Washington Theological Union from 9:30 to 3:00 on Saturday, October
26. This will consist of and in-depth workshop conducted by Rev.
Quinn Connors of St. Luke's Institute and an ecumenical presentation
by a number of the pastoral studies directors. Lunch is included.
The fee per person is $15. To register, call the Consortium Office
at 202-832-2675
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