The Pedagogical Problem with White Professors

December 21, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

A few years ago, during a search for a New Testament professor, I asked two questions during the interview – two questions I ask of every candidate for a position with our institution regardless of rank or discipline. The first is innocent enough: “How important…

The Fallacy of Whiteness

December 15, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

White privilege is maintained when white ignorance is sustained. The demise of our democracy will not be at the hands of foreign entities. Democracy will fail at the hands of an ignorant and uninformed electorate seeking demagogues as saviors. Some whites choose to dance with…

The death of Christianity in the U.S.

November 13, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

Christianity has died in the hands of Evangelicals. Evangelicalism ceased being a religious faith tradition following Jesus’ teachings concerning justice for the betterment of humanity when it made a Faustian bargain for the sake of political influence. The beauty of the gospel message — of…

The Cultural Power of a Bow Tie

September 11, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

Using my own body as a canvas, I began in 2011 to exclusively wear bow ties. I work in an institute of higher learning, the kind of place where you might think the Roger Kimball quip, “There is something about the combination of denim and…

Can White People Teach Latinx Studies?

August 17, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

Remember the composition of religion departments back during the 1960s? They predominately and unapologetically consisted of white males – especially the so-called Ivies. Now imagine if one of these schools, realizing the need for different perspectives, decided that they wanted to have a feminist viewpoint…

The Pedagogical Failure Of Eurocentric Methodologies

May 4, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

I am convinced that all eurocentric philosophical thought and movements – yes all – are oppressive to those who come from colonized spaces. When I contemplate every philosophical contribution made by the so-called Age of Enlightenment, it becomes obvious that the French Revolution’s battle cry for Liberté,…

What do you do when the God of liberation fails to liberate?

April 27, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

To hope is not some wishful desire but an expected joy that God will bring about God’s purposes. Jürgen Moltmann argued for a hope based in a God who keeps promises, a God who is a step ahead of humanity making all things new. Moltmann’s hope is…

Never belonging: Random reflections on my last visit to Cuba

March 28, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

Returning to the land which witnessed my birth is always a gut-wrenching experience. Separation from my island has now been five times longer than Odysseus’ was from his. But unlike Odysseus, who was returning to a place he was familiar with, I am attempting to piece together…

On becoming a Muslim to be a Faithful Follower of Jesus

February 2, 2017 by Miguel De La Torre

  1.3K348 As a committed liberationist-leaning Christian, I may have no choice but to say the Shahada and convert to Islam if I wish to be faithful to my beliefs. One of the bedrock principles of any liberative faith tradition is “solidarity with the oppressed.” I discover…