2013 Articles

Editor’s Introduction

Wyman, Jason

This special issue of Union Seminary Quarterly Review has taken some time to put together, but it collates rich and varied works all reflecting on one topic explored at the Union Seminary Quarterly Review Conference at Union Theological Seminary for graduate students with the theme of "The Future of Liberation Theology." Originally conceived by Union Ph.D. candidates Jeremy Kirk and Makito Nagasawa, the conference sought to bring together the broadest possible number of perspectives on Liberation Theology and what is in store for the movement in the future as it has confronted challenges on many different fronts. Union is an especially fitting place for the topic, given how central to its mission Liberation Theology has been since it broke onto the scene. In the end, the accepted entries were put into five different broad categories depending on what aspects of the future of liberation theology they addressed: Praxis Reconsidered, Identity, Challenges from Postcolonialism and Posmodernity, and Envisioning the Future of Liberation Theology. Graduate students came from across the country and the world for passionate discussions in these areas. To conclude the day, all of the graduate students had the opportunity to receive critique and encouragement, and to engage the leading professionals working on contemporary Liberation Theology. These experts included Ivan Petrella, Andrea Smith, Eboni Marshall, and Patrick Cheng.