I am Latino. Soy Colombiano. I learned about God through Spanish lullabies, the stories of my abuelos, y the love of mami y papi. I was born into Spanish, and then translated al Ingles. After decades in Canada and the United States, my identity remains a puzzle. There is no box on the form for “complicated.” When I am asked where I am "really from" or why I have an accent, I am reminded that my Latinidad has no expiration date. Lately, I’ve realized that God wants me to honor the heritage of my faith. So, I have set out to search the roots of my faith.
To better comprehend the rhythm of my faith, I need to dig in and do the work. Therefore, I took to Twitter to inquire about the best books on Latinx theology. What follows is a curated list of suggestions I received. These are books by diverse authors from various traditions. It is a beautiful mix. An assortment of theology that tastes like tacos, sancocho, and sugarcane.
The following people contributed to this list of recommended books: Santiago Rodriguez, Michael Jimenez, Carolina Hinojosa-Cisneros, Jasmin Figueroa, Alicia Reyes-Barriéntez, Robyn Henderson-Espinoza, Jeremy V. Cruz, Deborah Saenz Gonzalez, Alejandro S. Escalante, Karen González, and Isaac Villegas.
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En la Lucha / In the Struggle: A Hispanic Women’s Liberation Theology by Ada María Isasi-Díaz
Hispanic Women: Prophetic Voice in the Church by Ada María Isasi-Díaz and Yolanda Tarango
Mujerista Theology: A Theology for the Twenty-first Century by Ada María Isasi-Díaz
The Faith of the People: Theological Reflections on Popular Catholicism by Orlando O. Espín and Roberto S. Goizueta
Mañana: Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective by Justo L. González
The Mestizo Augustine by Justo L. Gonzalez
The Touch of Transcendence: A Postcolonial Theology of God by Mayra Rivera
The Wiley Companion to Latino/a Theology, edited by Orlando Espín
Theologizing en Espanglish by Carmen Nanko-Fernández
Reading the Bible From the Margins by Miguel De La Torre
From the Heart of Our People: Latino/a Explorations in Catholic Systematic Theology, edited by Orlando O. Espín and Miguel H. Díaz
Handbook of Latina/o Theologies by Edwin David Aponte and Miguel De La Torre
Hispanic Women: Prophetic Voice in the Church by Ada María Isasi-Díaz and Yolanda Tarango
We Are a People!: Initiatives in Hispanic American Theology, edited by Roberto S. Goizueta
Caminemos con Jesus by Roberto S. Goizueta
Mestizo Christianity: Theology from the Latino Perspective by Arturo J. Bañuelas
Hispanic/Latino Theology: Challenge and Promise , edited by Ada María Isasi-Díaz and Fernando F. Segovia
Borderlands/La Frontera: The New Mestiza by Gloria Anzaldúa
Freedom Made Flesh: Mission of Christ and His Church by Ignacio Ellacuria
Faith Formation and Popular Religion: Lessons from the Tejano Experience by Anita de Luna
Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation by Ivone Gebara
Decolonizing Biblical Studies: A View from the Margins by Fernando F. Segovia
A Reader in Latina Feminist Theology: Religion and Justice , edited by María Pilar Aquino, Daisy L. Machado, and Jeanette Rodríguez
Galilean Journey: The Mexican-American Promise by Virgil Elizondo
Jesus for Revolutionaries: An Introduction to Race, Social Justice, and Christianity by Robert Chao Romero
Latinas Evangélicas by Loida I. Martell-Otero, Zaida Maldonado Perez, Elizabeth Conde-Frazier
Indecent Theology by Marcella Maria Althaus-Reid
The Queer God by Marcella Maria Althaus-Reid
The Gospel of Cesar Chavez by Mario Garcia and Virgil Elizondo
In Our Own Voices: Latino/a Renditions of Theology, edited by Benjamín Valentín
A Theology of Liberation: History, Politics, and Salvation by Gustavo Gutierrez
Good News from the Barrio: Prophetic Witness for the Church by Harold Recinos
Ignacio Ellacuria: Essays on History, Liberation, and Salvation, edited by Michael E. Lee
Christ Outside the Gate by Orlando Costas
Religion and Social Conflict by Otto Maduro
Other recommended authors: Ruth Padilla DeBorst, Javier Giraldo, Michelle Gonzalez, Enrique Dussel, Teresa Delgado, Clara Luz Ajo Lázaro, Geraldina Céspedes Ulloa, Chela Sandoval, Jean-Pierre Ruiz, M. Daniel Carroll, Efrain Agosto, Daisy Machado, Neomi de Anda, Nancy Pineda, Karen Gonzalez.
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