All posts by:

Miguel De La Torre

How Should Christians Work to Overcome Oppression?

October 24, 2022 by Miguel De La Torre

Is it ethical for people of color within the U.S. who claim to be disciples of Christ to engage in violence against oppressors? The reality is that people of color are already living within a violent situation. According to a five-year study, unarmed people of color…

What’s in a Name?

October 16, 2022 by Miguel De La Torre

As Hispanic Heritage Month comes to a close, many wonder what the correct nomenclature to use. Is it Hispanic, or Latino, or Latino/a, or Latin@, or Latinoa, or Latinx? If the first step toward liberation is self-naming, then the fact that we are unable to…

I AGREE: CRITICAL RACE THEORY IS INDEED INCOMPATIBLE WITH SOUTHERN BAPTIST CONVENTION’S ‘FAITH AND MESSAGE’

December 14, 2020 by Miguel De La Torre

The six white men who lead the seminaries of the Southern Baptist Convention released a joint statement on November 30th denouncing Critical Race Theory. Specifically, they “declare[d] that affirmation of Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and any version of Critical Theory is incompatible with the Baptist Faith…

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 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…

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…