This essay develops a response to the historical situation of the North Atlantic world in general and the United States in particular through theological reflection. It offers an overview of some decolonial perspectives with which theologians can engage, and argues for a general perspective for a decolonial theology as a possible response to modern/colonial structures and relations of power, particularly in the United States. Decolonial theory holds together a set of critical perspectives that seek the end of the modern/colonial world-system and not merely a democratization of its benefits. A decolonial theology, Joseph Drexler-Dreis argues, critiques how the confinement of knowledge to European traditions has closed possibilities for understanding historical encounters with divinity, and thus possibilities of critical reflection. A decolonial theology reflects critically on a historical situation in light of faith in a divine reality, the understanding of which is liberated from the monopoly of modern/colonial ways of knowing, in order to catalyze social transformation.

In this Open Access book, Katharina Merian discusses memories of Marielle Franco from the perspective of the concept of dangerous memory introduced by the political theologian Johann Baptist Metz. Franco was an Afro-Brazilian human-rights activist and city councilor of Rio de Janeiro who was assassinated on March 14, 2018. Her murder elicited worldwide protest and empathy. Today she is considered an international symbol in the fight for human, women, and LGBTQ+ rights. Based on the memories of people from Franco’s inner circle, the study explores Franco’s life, what it meant to the people around her, and how her image was transformed following her murder. By critically engaging with Metz’s concept of dangerous memory, which concerns memories of suffering and unfulfilled hopes that challenge the present, Merian demonstrates that the memories of Franco represent a decolonial dangerous memory that sparks individual and collective self-empowerment among Black women, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and favela residents. This work not only contributes to a critical reappraisal of Franco’s story and the meaning of her memory in the Brazilian and international context but also proposes a differentiated understanding of dangerous memory that highlights the relationship between solidarity and self-empowerment in a moment of existential danger and threat. Katharina Merian is a senior research associate at the Faculty of Theology and Study of Religion of the University of Zurich in Switzerland.

Special Issue on Intersectional Methods and Moral Theology: Introduction Meghan J. Clark, Anna Kasafi Perkins, and Emily Reimer-Barry Cartographies in the Wilderness: A Decolonial Theological Reflection on Intersectionality Rufus Burnett, Jr. An Interdisciplinary Theological Method from the Knowledge of the Forgotten Alexandre A. Martins The Case for Intersectional Theology: An Asian American Catholic Perspective Hoon Choi Enfleshing the Work of Social Production: Gender, Race, and Agency Kristin E. Heyer Intersectionality at the Heart of Oppression and Violence against Women in Law: Case Studies from India Julie George, SSpS Intersectionality and Orthodox Theology: Searching for Spandrels Rachel Contos Black Feminism, Womanism, and Intersectionality Discourse: A Theo-Ethical Roundtable jennifer s. leath, Nontando Hadebe, Nicole Symmonds, and Anna Kasafi Perkins

A new perspective on spirituality and social change as seen through the work of six visionary thinkers In Liberating Spiritualities, Christopher D. Tirres offers an in-depth exploration of spirituality as a catalyst for social transformation, showcasing the profound insights of six distinguished twentieth-century liberation thinkers from across the Américas. This thought-provoking work examines the contributions of Marxist philosopher José Carlos Mariátegui, renowned educator and philosopher Paulo Freire, innovative constructive theologian Virgilio Elizondo, influential cultural and feminist theorist Gloria Anzaldúa, activist mujerista theologian and social ethicist Ada María Isasi-Díaz, and groundbreaking ecofeminist theologian Ivone Gebara. Tirres examines the distinct yet interconnected philosophies of these figures, showcasing their unified critique of colonial Christendom and their deep commitment to the marginalized. He adeptly articulates how their diverse religious and philosophical backgrounds come together in a shared vision of spirituality as a fundamental aspect of human life and intelligence. He further illuminates how these thinkers advocate for spirituality as a non-reductive, life-affirming practice, transcending traditional boundaries and offering an integrated approach to faith, culture, and social justice. Their collective insights form a persuasive case for re-envisioning spirituality as a crucial element in the quest for a more just and compassionate world. Liberating Spiritualities is not only a tribute to these six influential figures but also a critical reflection on the relevance of their ideas in today’s global context. Tirres’s transdisciplinary study bridges liberationist and pragmatic insights, offering readers a fresh, highly original interpretation of socially engaged spirituality, making this book an essential resource for those seeking to understand the transformative power of spirituality in the pursuit of social justice and human dignity.

In this book, the author aims to explore the impact of 19th-century translations of the Bible into indigenous languages, with a specific focus on the Setswana translation. The translations have had a profound effect on the religio-cultural practices of the indigenous people, leading to erosion and alteration of their traditions and identities. I argue that it is crucial to consider the translator's intentions and the associated literature, such as journals and letters, to understand the translation process comprehensively. The Setswana Bible was the first to be translated in Africa, and tracing the intentions of Robert Moffat, the first translator, is imperative to understanding the impact of the translation on the receptor culture. The methodology adopted is interdisciplinary, drawing from linguistics, African languages, history, English literature, cultural studies, black studies and theology. I analyse the impact of the 1840 Gospel of Luke in the context of Setswana culture in South Africa, and my findings demonstrate that translations cannot be distinct from the translator. To gain a deep understanding of the implications of such texts, I adopt a methodology that analyses significant historical literature and primary sources, including the records and works of The British and Foreign Bible Society, The History of the London Missionary Society, and the journals, letters and writings of missionaries such as Robert Moffat and John Campbell.

This book contours Robert Beckford's recontextualization of African American Black and Womanist theologies of liberation. Making the black British experience a point of departure, Beckford's theological method appropriates two distinct approaches to pursue a contextual theology or a Black theology dub: first, a correlation of linguistic concepts from Black cultural history and urban life (Rahtid, Dread, and Dub) with the theological categories of "God," "Jesus," and the "Spirit"; second, a media theopraxis or inscribing of Black theology onto commercial television documentary filmmaking and studio-produced contemporary gospel music. In the My Theology series, the world's leading Christian thinkers explain some of the principal tenets of their theological beliefs in concise, pocket-sized books.

Drawing on the authors’ experiences as Black parents, researchers, teachers, and teacher educators, this timely book presents a multipronged approach to affirming Black lives and literacies. The authors believe change is needed—not within Black children—but in the way they are perceived and educated, particularly in reading, writing, and critical thinking across grade levels. To inform literacy teachers and school leaders, the authors provide a conceptual framework for reimagining literacy instruction based on Black philosophical and theoretical foundations, historical background, literacy research, and authentic experiences of Black students. This important book includes counternarratives about the lives of Black learners, research conducted by Black scholars among Black students, examples of approaches to literacy with Black children that are making a difference, conversations among literacy researchers that move beyond academia; and a model for engaging all students in literacy. Affirming Black Students’ Lives and Literacies advocates for adopting a standard of care that will improve and support literacy achievement among today’s Black students by rejecting deficit presumptions and embracing the fullness of these students’ strengths. Book Features: A counternarrative of Black literacy history, lives, and learners. Narrative examples of Black literacy scholarship, by Black scholars who embrace their faith-walk as an integral part of their holistic approach to literacy teaching and learning.Discussion questions to spur conversations among school administrators, parents/caregivers, politicians, reading researchers, teacher educators, and classroom teachers. An array of extant Black scholarship that should inform literacy praxis and research. A conceptual framework, CARE, that is applicable for all learners with a focus on Black literacy learners.

Bringing together theologies of liberation and decolonial thought, Decolonial Love interrogates colonial frameworks that shape Christian thought and legitimize structures of oppression and violence within Western modernity. In response to the historical situation of colonial modernity, the book offers a decolonial mode of theological reflection and names a historical instance of salvation that stands in conflict with Western modernity. Seeking a new starting point for theological reflection and praxis, Joseph Drexler-Dreis turns to the work of Frantz Fanon and James Baldwin. Rejecting a politics of inclusion into the modern world-system, Fanon and Baldwin engage reality from commitments that Drexler-Dreis describes as orientations of decolonial love. These orientations expose the idolatry of Western modernity, situate the human person in relation to a reality that exceeds modern/colonial significations, and catalyze and authenticate historical movement in conflict with the modern world-system. The orientations of decolonial love in the work of Fanon and Baldwin—whose work is often perceived as violent from the perspective of Western modernity—inform theological commitments and reflection, and particularly the theological image of salvation. Decolonial Love offers to theologians a foothold within the modern/colonial context from which to commit to the sacred and, from a historical encounter with the divine mystery, face up to and take responsibility for the legacies of colonial domination and violence within a struggle to transform reality.

This is the first of two volumes of essays from the Ecclesiological Investigations International Research Network's 14th International Conference focused on decolonizing churches and theology, addressing oppressions based on gender, racial, and ethnic identities; economic inequality; social vulnerabilities; climate change and global challenges such as pandemics, neoliberalism, and the role of information technology in modern society, all connected with the topic of decolonization. The essays in this volume focus on decoloniality in religious and theological dialogue, migration, history, and education, written from historical, dogmatic, social scientific, and liturgical perspectives.

This second volume in the series on "An Earthed Faith" will address the following question: "Given what we know about the Anthropocene, how does one even begin to answer the question: What is this God up to, and how ought humans respond?” This is a question of theological method, including the sources and interlocutors of Christian theology, its aims and starting points, social theories shaping it, and presuppositions grounding it. Addressing this question is the classic task of doing contextual theology, namely describing and analysing a particular context and considering how this context may best be addressed theologically and practically. The question highlights the need for prophetic theology to discern the “signs of the time”, to recognise a “moment of truth” (Kairos) and to discern counter-movements of the Spirit. The question of method opens the door to constructive critique of how theology has been done and should be done.