Contextual Theology for Latin America : Liberation Themes in Evangelical Perspective

by Heaney, Sharon E.

• ISBN13: 9781842275153
• ISBN10: 1842275151
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2008-03-30
• Publisher: Authentic Media

Summary

In the context of Latin America, the theology of liberation is both dominant and world renowned. However, this context and the pursuit of theological relevance belong also to other voices. Orlando E. Costas, Samuel Escobar, J Andrew Kirk, Emilio A. Nunez and C. Rene Padilla are thinkers who have sought to bring an evangelical understanding of liberation to the people of Latin America. Despite their influence on national and international theology, and despite their transformative contribution to the praxis of churches ministering in contexts of poverty, their thought has not been systematised to date. This work deals with this lacuna presenting the vitality of Latin American evangelical theology which seeks to be biblical, relevant and missiologically effective, thus offering a liberation which is holistic and grounded in the kingdom of God. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Sharon E. Heaney teaches Religious Studies at Bloxham School, Oxfordshire.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. xv
Acknowledgements	p. xvii
Abbreviations	p. xix
Introductions	p. 1
Introduction	p. 1
Conspectus	p. 6
The Latin American Context in Evangelical Perspective	p. 13
Introduction	p. 13
A Brief History of Latin America	p. 14
The Colonisation of the New World by the Old	p. 14
Revolution and Independence	p. 21
The Role of the Catholic Church in Latin America Prior to the Twentieth Century	p. 23
The Immediate Context of Liberation Theology	p. 27
Post-conciliar Latin American Catholicism	p. 27
The Early Development of a "Theology of Liberation"	p. 33
The Contribution and Influence of ISAL	p. 36
Conclusion	p. 40
Latin American Evangelicalism: A Perspective	p. 43
Introduction	p. 43
A Discussion on the Term "Evangelical"	p. 43
The History of the Evangelical Presence in Latin America	p. 48
The Foundation and Influence of the Latin American Theological Fraternity	p. 59
Conclusion	p. 68
Contextual Methods: Liberationists and Evangelicals	p. 71
Introduction	p. 71
"A New Way to Do Theology": A Brief Overview of Liberationist Method	p. 71
The Latin American Evangelical Critique of Liberationist Method	p. 76
Praxis Under the Authority of Scripture	p. 77
The Point of Departure: Historical Context or Biblical Text	p. 81
Ideology in the Light of Scripture	p. 84
The Search for a Latin American Evangelical Theological Method	p. 89
Conclusion	p. 90
Contextual Hermeneutics: The Use of Scripture by Liberationists and Evangelicals	p. 93
Introduction	p. 93
The Foundational Issue of Biblical Authority	p. 94
The Hermeneutical Circle	p. 106
A Brief Overview of Biblical Material Used in the Theology of Liberation	p. 113
The Search for a Contextual Evangelical Hermeneutic	p. 118
Conclusion	p. 123
General Themes in Latin American Contextual Theology	p. 127
Introduction	p. 127
Humanity	p. 128
Sin	p. 132
Liberation	p. 136
Salvation	p. 140
Conversion	p. 143
The Kingdom of God	p. 146
Conclusion	p. 155
The Search for a Latin American Evangelical Christology	p. 157
Introduction	p. 157
The Image of Christ in Latin America	p. 158
The Latin American Evangelical Critique of Liberation Christology	p. 164
The Search for a Latin American Evangelical Christology	p. 170
Conclusion	p. 181
The Search for a Latin American Evangelical Ecclesiology	p. 183
Introduction	p. 183
The Latin American Evangelical Critique of Liberationist Ecclesiology	p. 184
The Challenge of the "New Ecclesiology"	p. 193
The Latin American Evangelical Critique of Church Growth Theory	p. 197
The Search for a Latin American Evangelical Ecclesiology	p. 202
Conclusion	p. 210
The Search for a Latin American Evangelical Missiology	p. 211
Introduction	p. 211
The International Evangelical Dialogue Regarding Mission	p. 212
The Latin American Evangelical Contribution at Lausanne	p. 212
The Latin American Evangelical Call for Holistic Mission since Lausanne	p. 215
Mission as Discipleship	p. 219
The Latin American Evangelical Understanding of Discipleship	p. 219
The Implications of Discipleship for Mission	p. 221
Mission as Transformation	p. 224
Mission as Social Responsibility	p. 229
Mission as Social Responsibility in Light of the Kingdom of God	p. 230
Mission as Social Responsibility in Light of the Latin American Context	p. 231
Mission as Social Responsibility in the Church	p. 236
Mision Integral	p. 238
Conclusion	p. 242
Conclusion	p. 245
Bibliography	p. 257
General Index	p. 289
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