Justo Gonzalez

Justo L. González is a retired Latino Methodist historian, theologian, prolific author, and an influential contributor in the development of Hispanic or Latino/Latina theology.

Education

Justo L. González was born in Cuba on August 9, 1937, [CV online at [http://www.isedet.edu.ar/sitioweb/carnahan/2003.htm#publicaciones] ] attended United Seminary in Cuba, received his M.A. from Yale, and then went on to receive his Ph.D. He was the youngest person to be awarded the historical theology doctorate at Yale.

Teaching

González taught at Candler School of Theology of Emory University in Georgia for eight years followed by eight years at United Seminary. He also served as adjunct professor of history at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia and is now retired from the Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta, Georgia. [see [http://phpc.org/templates/cusprestonhollow/details.asp?id=29712&PG=Events&CID=558996&rDate=2007-04-22] ] He was also a member of the Rio Grande Conference of The United Methodist Church. [CV online at [http://www.isedet.edu.ar/sitioweb/carnahan/2003.htm#publicaciones] ]

He is a leading voice in the growing field of Hispanic theology, [Bañuelas, Arturo J. “U.S. Hispanic Theology: An Initial Assessment.” 1992. "Mestizo Christianity: Theology from the Latino Perspective." Ed. Bañuelas. Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1995. 53-82; Aponte, Edwin David and Miguel A. De La Torre, eds., "Handbook of Latina/o Theologies". St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2006; Fernandez, Eduardo C., "La Cosecha: Harvesting Contemporary United States Hispanic Theology, 1972-1998". Liturgical Press, 2000; De La Torre, Miguel A., and Edwin David Aponte, "Introducing Latino/a Theologies". Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2001. .] comparable to such figures as Virgilio Elizondo, Orlando Costas, [Rossing, John P. "Mestizaje" and Marginality: A Hispanic American Theology." "Theology Today" 45.3 (1988): 293-304. Online at [http://theologytoday.ptsem.edu/oct1988/v45-3-article3.htm] ] and Ada María Isasi-Díaz. González is one of the few first generation Latino theologians to come from a Protestant background. (See [http://www.religionlink.org/tip_061204.php#theologies list of Hispanic theologians] .) With Mexican-American United Methodist minister Roy Barton, González helped found the first academic journal related to Latino/a theology, "Apuntes" published by the Mexican American Program of Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University. [Cortez, Marc. "Mañana Theology: The Challenge of U.S. Hispanic Theology for Theological Education in the 21st Century." Paper presented to the Evangelical Theological Society, Portland, OR. April 3, 2004. Online at [http://www.marccortez.com/resources/mañana_theology.doc] ] . He also helped to found the [http://www.aeth.org/aboutaeth.htm Association for Hispanic Theological Education] , for which he has twice served as Executive Council Chair. [AETH website [http://www.aeth.org/Expresidents.exdirectors.htm] ] He was the first Academic Director of the [http://depts.drew.edu/hit/hsp/eng/index.html Hispanic Summer Program] [HSP website [http://depts.drew.edu/hit/hsp/eng/history.html] ] and helped found the [http://www.htiprogram.org/about/index.htm Hispanic Theological Initiative] . [see [http://www.baylor.edu/pr/news.php?action=story&story=44424] ]

A festschrift has been published for him: "Hispanic Christian Thought at the Dawn of the 21st century: Apuntes in Honor of Justo L. González," edited by Alvin Padilla, Roberto Goizueta, Eldin Villafañe (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 2005) with contributions from Roman Catholic and Protestant Latina and Latino theologians, historians, and biblical scholars.

Justo González is the main narrator for the video lessons of the Christian Believer study course from Cokesbury publishing.

Writings

In 1984–5 González wrote a popular two volume textbook entitled "The Story of Christianity" that covers the history of the church from founding till the present in a readable style. He is also the author of a three volume work titled "History of Christian Thought". Both works commonly are used as college and seminary textbooks.

Additional books include:
*"Acts: The Gospel of the Spirit"
*"The Apostle's Creed for Today"
*"The Changing Shape of Church History"
*"Christian Thought Revisited: Three Types of Theology"
*"Cristianismo : culto o profecía : el hecho religioso andino"
*"The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation"
*"Entre la cruz y la espada : evangelización o adoctrinamiento en América Latina"
*"Essential Theological Terms"
*"Faith and Wealth : A History of Early Christian Ideas on the Origin, Significance, and Use of Money"
*"For the Healing of the Nations: The Book of Revelation in an Age of Cultural Conflict"
*"The Liberating Pulpit"
*"Mañana : Christian Theology from a Hispanic Perspective"
*"Santa Biblia : The Bible through Hispanic Eyes"

Notes

Bibliography

*Gonzalez, Justo. "The Story of Christianity"
**"Volume One: The Early Church to the Reformation" (1984), Harper Perennial paperback: ISBN 0-06-063315-8
**"Volume Two: The Reformation to the Present Day" (1985), Harper Perennial paperback: ISBN 0-06-063316-6
**"The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Present Day" (1999), Peabody, MA: Prince Press, 2nd edition in complete in one volume: ISBN 1-56563-522-1