Justo L. González : missionary of Hispanic theology in the United States / Angel D.Santiago-Vendrell ; foreword by Zaida Maldonado Pérez

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Santiago-Vendrell, Angel Daniel, author.

Contributor:

Maldonado Pérez, Zaida, 1957- writer of forward.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Hispanic American theologians--United States--Biography.

Hispanic American theologians.

Hispanic American theology--History--20th century.

Hispanic American theology.

González, Justo L.

United Methodist Church (U.S.)--Biography.

United Methodist Church (U.S.).

Genre:

Biographies.

Physical Description:

xix, 281 pages ; 24 cm

Place of Publication:

Waco, Texas : Baylor University Press, [2026]

Summary:

"Two of celebrated Hispanic theologian Justo L. González's major works, The Story of Christianity and A History of Christian Thought, continue to be used as primary textbooks in undergraduate and seminary programs throughout the United States. But few of his literary students and admirers know the details of his biography, in particular the significance of his contribution to the emergence of Hispanic theology in the United States during the past five decades. In this biography, Angel Santiago-Vendrell gives fresh attention to González's role in a rapidly changing theological landscape. Born in Cuba in 1937 and profoundly shaped by the 'revolutionary decade' of the 1950s, González studied theology at Yale, Basel, and Strasbourg, where he encountered George Lindbeck, Karl Barth, and Yves Congar. He became good friends with Martin Luther King, Jr., during the 1960s while teaching at the Evangelical Seminary in Puerto Rico. He later went on to serve at Candler School of Theology and then to take various denominational positions in the United Methodist Church. His work for the Fund for Theological Education led to the creation of the Hispanic Theological Initiative in 1998. Although González is best known as a prolific author, Santiago-Vendrell argues that his most enduring contribution to Western Christianity is as a pioneer in Hispanic theology. González's story reveals new strategies for the advancement of Hispanic people, the largest ethnic/racial group in the United States but with the lowest proportion of educated leaders, pastors, and professors. His example of perseverance in Christian vocation calls Hispanic believers to remember and reignite their witness. Santiago-Vendrell presents González's life and work as embodying a missional passion rooted in the gospel of incarnation, of God's work in history." -- Publisher, inside flaps of dust jacket.

Contents:

Foreword / Zaida Maldonado Perez

Introduction

Justo L. González : early life and ministerial formation

Encountering revolution in unexpected places : the years in Puerto Rico, 1961-1969

The years at Candler School of Theology, 1969-1976

The beginnings of a Hispanic religious intelligentsia : encountering the God of the poor in liberation theologies

The consolidation of a Hispanic religious intelligentsia : theological education for Hispanics and the Hispanic Summer Program, 1987-1999

The creation of the Hispanic Theological Initiative, 1996-1999

Bible, theology, and ecumenism: a historian in the service of the church

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 257-275) and index.

ISBN:

9781481324014

1481324012

OCLC:

1548256755

Publisher Number:

90104777612