Description
Book SynopsisIn Christianity, Empire and The Spirit, Néstor Medina uncovers the cultural processes that play a crucial role in influencing how people understand reality, express the Christian faith, and think about God. He uses decolonial thinking, Latina/o theology, and Pentecostal theology to show how the cultural dimension is a central feature in the biblical text; was the force that coopted Christianity from the imperial era of Constantine onwards; and undergirded Western European colonialism and the missionary project. He engages with Protestant and Catholic articulations on “culture” and demonstrates how most theologians perpetuate Eurocentric frames for considering the relation between Christianity and the cultural dimension. Alternatively, he offers a theological proposal that recognizes the Spirit at work in the phenomena of cultures.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements Introduction The Problem with “Culture” The Cultural The Chapters 1. Toward a Broad Description of the Cultural Introduction Social Dimension of the Cultural Contested Nature of Cultural Traditions The Dynamic between Cultures The Dynamic Character of Cultures The Breadth of the Cultural Religion (Christianity) as a Cultural Element The Cultural and Theology Concluding Comments 2. Culture in Early Christianity Introduction The Bible as Cultural Document The Early Christians and the Cultural 3. The Cultural on the Other Side of the Imperial Mirror Introduction The Emergence of “Western Europe” Constructing Knowledge Systems about the Rest of the World Western European Imperialism: A Cultural Project 4. The Cultural, Missions, and Mainline Protestants Theologians Introduction Protestant Missions and Evangelization as Extension of Empire (Re)Connecting Christianity and Culture (the Cultural) among Protestants Reestablishing the Connections 5. Richard Niebuhr and the Enduring Debate Introduction Introduction Richard Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture Niebuhr’s Christ and Culture Reformulated? Bridging the Debates on the Cultural 6. Reviving the Debates on Christ and Culture in Contemporary Protestantism Introduction The WCC and the Rethinking of Gospel and Culture Rethinking the Role of the Cultural in the Christian Faith Conclusion 7. Inculturation, the Catholic Church and the Cultures of the World Introduction Evangelization and Assimilation Geopolitical Shifts and the Cultures of the World The Culturalization of the Church: Evangelization, and Inculturation Gospel and the Cultural: Theological Implications Conclusion 8. Understanding the Cultural Pneumatologically Introduction Culture as Starting Point and Base for Our Reflection The (Inter)Cultural and Divine Revelation Final Remarks Conclusion Index
