The Politics of Jes?s: A Hispanic Political Theology

The Politics of Jes?s is a powerful new biography of Jesus told from the margins. Miguel A. De La Torre argues that we all create Jesus in our own image, reflecting and reinforcing the values of communities--sometimes for better, and often for worse. In light of the increasing economic and social inequality around the world, De La Torre asserts that what the world needs is a Jesus of solidarity who also comes from the underside of global power. The Politics of Jes?s is a search for a Jesus that resonates specifically with the Latino/a community, as well as other marginalized groups. The book unabashedly rejects the Eurocentric Jesus for the Hispanic Jes?s, whose mission is to give life abundantly, who resonates with the Latino/a experience of disenfranchisement, and who works for real social justice and political change.

While Jesus is an admirable figure for Christians, The Politics of Jes?s highlights the way the Jesus of dominant culture is oppressive and describes a Jes?s from the barrio who chose poverty and disrupted the status quo. Saying "no" to oppression and its symbols, even when one of those symbols is Jesus, is the first step to saying "yes" to the self, to liberation, and symbols of that liberation. For Jesus to connect with the Hispanic quest for liberation, Jes?s must be unapologetically Hispanic and compel people to action. The Politics of Jes?s provocatively moves the study of Jes?s into the global present.


About the Author
Miguel A. De La Torre is professor of social ethics and Latino/a studies at the Iliff School of Theology. He is the author or editor of numerous books, including Santeria: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America (ForeWord Magazine Book of the Year finalist), Hispanic American Religious Cultures (CHOICE Outstanding Academic Award), and Reading the Bible from the Margins (Catholic Press Association First Place for Educational Books). He has produced or been featured in a number of documentaries, including Trails of Hope and Terror, based on his book by the same title. He has been interviewed in media ranging from CNN and Al-Jazeera America to Time and The Denver Post. Internationally known for his work on social ethics, he has served as the president of the Society of Christian Ethics, on the editorial board of the Journal of the American Academy of Religion, and executive officer of the Society of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion.