The Mestizo/a Community of the Spirit: A Postmodern Latino/a Ecclesiology

Oscar Garcia-Johnson

Jan 2009 · Princeton Theological Monograph Series Book 105 · Wipf and Stock Publishers

About this ebook

This work models a creative exercise in ecclesiology based on a Latino/a practical theology of the Spirit, which designs theological discourse based on its encounter with the Spirit in human culture. Hence, it is a theology appreciative of and attentive to the "multiple matrices and intersections" of the Spirit with cultures. Garcia-Johnson offeres an appreciative and critical analysis of the uses of culture among Latino/a theologians, followed by the proposal for a postmodern Spirit-friendly cultural paradigm based on the narratives of the cross and the Pentecost. He develops a practical theology for a Latino/a postmodern ecclesiology based on three native Latino/a theological concepts: mestizaje, accompaniment, and manana eschatology. The resulting ecclesial construct-The Mestizo/a Community of Manana-reflects a transforming manana vision and models the visible cruciform community in which the transforming praxis and historical transcendence of the Christ-Spirit works from within. The work sets forth practical guidelines for implementation of the ecclesial construct in the urban context of devastated communities and offers suggestions for further development in Latino/a theology.

About the author

Oscar Garcia-Johnson is an adjunct Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology and Hispanic Studies at Fuller Theological Seminary. In addition, he is an ordained minister serving as Regional Minister with the American Baptist Churches of Los Angeles. He lives with his wife Karla and his son Chris in Sylmar, California.