The Story of Christianity is a book written by Justo Gonzalez; a native of Cuba. Gonzalez serves on the faculty of the Interdenominational Theological Center which is located in Atlanta Georgia. He attended Yale University, where he received his M.A. and Ph.D. in historical theology; in fact Dr. Gonzalez is the youngest person at Yale to be awarded a Ph.D. He is also one of the first generation Latino theologians and instead of growing up Catholic, comes from a protestant background. In addition to writing many other books, Gonzalez is also Cokesbury’s publishing chief narrator of the Christian Believer study video lessons course and the recipient of the Ecumenism Award from the Theological Consortium in Washington, which he received as a
His central aim is not just to provide one example of a legitimate, contextual (Hispanic) perspective. He also is eager to show that embracing different theological perspectives from around the globe is a necessary and unavoidable aspect of the church’s catholicity. González makes his case in the introduction.
Religion is cordially express with all origins of Hispanics groups. The vast majority of the Hispanic communities acknowledge religion in their every day activity. In the world, 90 percent of the Spanish-speaking world is Roman Catholic. When evaluating the Hispanic population in the United States it is, reveal that 70 percent of Hispanics are protestant (Census, 2002). It is relevant that church influences family life and community affairs, and gives spiritual meaning to Hispanic cultures. Family life is very strong among Hispanic groups.
In addition, I think that religion plays an important role in the life of the Latino family. The religious affiliation of Latinos in the United States is 68% Catholic. Perhaps religion strengthens relationships of people in local communities. The relationship between people can flourish and religious groups make a great contribution. Therefore, it is indispensable to understand Latino's religious
Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Volume I: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. Second Edi. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2010.
Caminero-Santangelo, Marta. 2007. On Latinidad: U.S. Latino Literature and the Construction of Ethnicity. Gainesville, FL: University Press of Florida.
"In Hispanic history, as in every variety of Western history, one never has the luxury of taking point of view for granted. Hispanics -- like Indians, Anglos, and every other group -- could be victims as well as victimizers, and the meanings of the past could be seen, at times, to be riding a seesaw" ( Limerick, 257).
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the culture and beliefs of four Hispanic groups. The groups I have chosen to cover are: Puerto Rican, Mexican, Dominican and Cuban. Included in the paper will be each group’s linguistic, social, economical, political, familial and religious ties or beliefs.
Ramon Gutierrez’s When Jesus Came, The Corn Mothers Went Away is an exploration of the merging of Spanish, Franciscan and Pueblo Indian cultures throughout Spain's “frontier” in its colonial American empire before Anglo contact. Gutierrez builds a foundation for his analysis by discussing Pueblo Indian life prior to outside contact, Franciscan theology, and the class structure of Spanish communities in each of its respective book sections. He examines meanings of the cultural interactions of gift exchange, ownership, trade, sexual rights, labor, kinship, social status, religious beliefs, and honor among many others using marriage as a window. His interpretation of the complex cultural meanings of marriage illustrates the ways in which the
While it is true that there is an overall decline in Christianity and religion in the west, there is a large influx of it in places such as Africa, Asia, and Latin America. Why is this the case? To answer this question, some background information on the spread if Christianity itself is helpful. After the crucifixion and death of Jesus, many of his followers, such as the apostle Peter, went out throughout parts of Europe, Asia, and reportedly parts of Africa to spread the word about him. The Apostle Paul was perhaps the greatest these in his many missionary trips throughout Asia and Europe. While Christianity was heavily persecuted in the Roman Empire under Emperors such as Nero, it managed to spread reasonably well. Christianity was popular
Gutiérrez’s statement is considered significant because the underline message is that theology must become lucid and malleable in order to fit the situations that the world faces. In the statement he uses words like “static” and “sterile”; words such as these depict a fruitless petrified concept that is incapable of advancing in a modern age. The quote symbolizes that if Theology is to reflect that world then it must remain current with the issues that the world faces. The statement merely shows the guidelines that Theology must abide by if it wishes to remain a part of the world we live in. Gutiérrez’s statement could be applied to humans as well; in order for us to create a better world we must learn to adapt to our current environment
Latin America represents 1/10 of the world's population, and geographically can be located from the land extensions of Mexico, until the Patagonia at Argentina. Some of the most relevant elements of today's culture in Latin America are; Religion, Values, Attitudes, Social structure, Social stratification, Language and Gift-giving hospitality. The predominant religion throughout history in Latin America has been Catholicism. From big cities to small villages, churches, basilicas, and cathedrals are found. Catholicism left its mark, from customs and values to architecture and art. During many years in many countries the Catholic Church had power over all civil institutions, education, and law. Nowadays religion
In America today, we are faced with several different minority groups arriving to the United States. The most common of all minority groups are the Hispanics. America is known for their language being English, but as the year's approach, that language has faded and a new face in English language has taken over, it's called Spanish. We as the people of America have become controversial over this major change, and due to that major bilingualism and political movements that have occurred from the government to the education departments. In this paper, I am going to talk about the four most common Hispanic groups in our country today and the political, social, linguistic, economic, religious, and familial conventions and/or statuses that they
The earliest recorded text teaching Christianity has its roots buried deep within Judaism. The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, as the Messiah, created a new ideology of worship. The Messiah is the savior for all people and of all sins. Paul carried the message of the Messiah to the Gentiles. His missionary journeys and establishment of churches enabled the spreading of the message throughout the Roman Empire. Christianity grew in acceptance; those that believed in the Messiah separated and began to worship on their own. This marked the beginning of the split of Judaism and Christianity.
The methods of Mujerista theology contain three major parts. The first part of this method is to allow Latinas to see and notice the oppressive structure that effect Latina women experience and make oneself able to be liberated within the community. This aspect of Mujerista theology is also about stopping the structures in society and the economy and make privilege and oppression exist and stop them from occurring. The second method for Mujerista theology helps Latinas to define what their future should be. This frame of thinking allows for a full and true liberation. The Latina women become active participants although they are oppressed which is important for liberation because, liberation occurs within the individual not within the whole