“I think that Christ was a heavy radical.” As a statement of politicized spirituality by a religious Latino, this comment suggests progressive associations with Catholic liberation theology, especially for those familiar with ’80s Latin American solidarity movements. But Arlene M. Sánchez Walsh—a DePaul University professor of religious studies—records these thoughts from John Luna, a 50-something Southern California Chicano and member of… return to article
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Reader Comments (3)Page 1 of 1 pagesWhile you wouldn’t know it by name, I am a Latino and former Pentecostal (my father is from Paraguay, and my mother is Puerto Rican—and they both went to Bible school with Sonny Arguinzoni). While I am no longer a Pentecostal (I’m an Episcopalian), the ethos of the variety of Latino Pentecostalism in which I was raised planted the seeds that blossomed into a commitment to a leftist social and political vision. Ortiz and Sanchez Walsh have hit the nail right on the head with respect to the gap that exists between Anglo and Latino Pentecostals (and evangelicals, more generally). The social principles that I was raised with made a clean break away from the right-wing dogmas embraced by so many Anglo evangelicals easier than for my spouse who grew up in Anglo fundamentalist churches. Latino Pentecostals need to be encouraged by progressives (particularly other Latino Christians) to continue support for issues that separate them from their more conservative Anglo peers. The upshot may be that they will move to embrace a broader progressive socio-political vision. If we don’t stand with them where we are able, the Christian Right may very well find more to exploit in the Latino community beyond their labor.
Posted by Andrei Buckareff on Jan 6, 2004 at 8:40 PM Great book! It is now required reading in my missiology classes at Azusa Pacific University’s School of Theology!
Posted by Enrique Zone-Andrews on Jan 8, 2004 at 4:57 AM Page 1 of 1 pages -
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