It is clear to those who attend our Latino/a churches that many believers have never thought of how their immigrant experience and heritage might impact their reading of the Bible. Our hope is that this book might stimulate more Bible readings from that perspective, for the sake of Latino/a churches as well as for those from other communities who could learn much from Latinos/as.

Each chapter explores a different portion of Scripture, exploring what it might suggest about just discipleship and drawing that discussion into dialogue with a contemporary justice issue. So, for example, I explore Deuteronomy’s feasts as practices that shape the community for justice, and bring that into dialogue with the contemporary issue of economic segregation.

We wanted to provide, in one volume, a beautiful example of socially located exegesis, attentive to the power and authority of the Biblical text in its historical context along with insights that are born out of one’s culture and experience.

The biggest “aha” moment for me was learning about the non-Western influences that shaped Western culture and civilization. This clearly problematizes the claim of cultural independence (also, superiority or inferiority), which has a  significant implication for global theological reflection. It means that theological constructions in non-Western contexts should be free to draw helpful insights from  outside our cultures without thinking that we are using something foreign.

In many colleges and universities there has been an interest in attracting more Hispanic students but not enough focus on attracting Hispanic faculty. We wanted to hear Hispanic professors describe their journeys in the academy and the challenges they faced because we believe that representation is important.

I wanted to bring Black voices together to address the value of Black lives, theologically, biblically, and sermonically—especially in the wake of George Floyd’s murder and many other events like that in our nations’ history.

I think, with other scholars, that the Spirit is neglected in discussions about Paul’s soteriology in Galatians. I wanted to demonstrate that one of Paul’s chief concerns in the letter is to argue that the Galatians have everything they need in Christ to live a life pleasing to God because they have the Spirit.

We believe followership is something in its own right, not just the lack of leadership. . . . One can follow well and one can follow poorly. Furthermore, the first call of every Christian is to be a follower (of Christ, but also of those who have walked the road of discipleship before you). We should take that call seriously.

First, that because God is a covenantal God who has entered time and space to be in relationship and partnership with us, who we are matters to God. That is the basis of faith and theology, which must take into consideration our context and identity.

The literature on the apostle Paul can be overwhelming for just about anyone. So, we took as much research on Paul as we could and condensed it into a single volume. We address questions related to the New Perspective, pistis Christou, miraculous gifts, Paul’s eschatology, and so on.

Humility begins as submission to God and develops into a way of life that pursues peacemaking. Humility ought not be rare but should be a Christian identity marker (as it was in the early years of the Jesus movement). It is also not episodic but is meant to be a basic characteristic of the Christian’s daily life.

Family, love, belonging. These really stand out to me. Many people think Galatians is about a theology of justification by faith. That’s true, but justification, in my view, is part of a larger reality of being incorporated into the family of God by faith in Christ, the Son of God.