Theology in Latin American Context: A Look at Soteriology

Daniel Orlando Álvarez,Wilmer Estrada-Carrasquillo

doi:10.3390/rel12100839

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to describe a contextual theology in Latin America in dialogue with its cultures, histories, and peoples. This contextual theology must build from a Latin American context. For this reason, dialogue begins with mestizaje to begin to describe some of the cultural, ethnic, racial, and religious experiences giving shape to Latin America. The article specifically looks at the intersection and confluence of African, Amerindian, and European origins of Latin American peoples and explores how his could inform theological thought. The essay also considers Liberation Theology as an important theological stream. Throughout this essay, Pentecostalism becomes a case study by which an emerging theology from this tradition can be faithful to both its tradition and the cultures in context. It becomes evident that an emerging Latin American theology is profoundly intersectional, containing issues of race, culture, ethnicity, and popular religions. Theologians must walk through contested spaces. This dialogue requires patience, listening, compassion, and understanding.

Highlights

The purpose of this article is to describe a contextual theology in Latin America in dialogue with its cultures, histories, and peoples
In this essay we have explored powerful cultural, historical, and theological streams that arise from the Latin American context
We examined some of the African, Amerindian, Spanish, and Liberation streams of thought

Summary

Crucible of Races

The main undercurrent for this essay is that Latin America is a crucible (melting pot) of races, cultures, and traditions. In sifting through the deep currents of Latin American intermixture, perhaps one may recover a theology that is intercultural, interracial, and can point a way toward racial and cultural mutuality This can only happen in dialogue raising our concerns and talking through the complex nature of mestizaje and the intersecting or digressing web of relationships. With its interaction with the indigenous world and later with the African world, there arose theological issues that a Latin American soteriology must carefully investigate This struggle must work necessarily through issues of inequality, violence, and abuse of power. Liberation brought God’s option for the poor into the theological task This theology is the fruit of the awareness of the dynamics between those who hold power and those who live on the fringes of society—in many ways, this was prefigured by that interaction between that Spanish and Amerindian spirituality. Pentecostalism has the opportunity to enter into a robust dialogue with all these aforementioned streams and interact creatively with these expressions of the different Latin American cultures and create a soteriology in context

An Indigenous Spirituality

Spanish Spirituality

African Spirituality

Liberation Theology

A Pentecostal Soteriology

Conclusions