“Protest without fiesta is empty” — Virgilio Elizondo, author of The Galilean Journey and The Future is Mesitzo

What a joy hanging out at our recent Reconcilers Weekend with speakers Elizondo (so-called “father of Hispanic theology”) and Kit Danley, whose Neighborhood Ministries is a remarkable sign of hope at “ground zero” of America’s immigration challenge (and is one of our Teaching Communities for MDiv students).

Free video and audio is now available on ITunes of the weekend’s four talks: “Jesus the Mestizaje Savior,” “The Experience and Vision of Mestizaje,” “Meeting Jesus in the Barrio,” “Stories of Mestizaje.”

We wrestled with the in-between, “hyphenated” identity of Jesus as a Galilean and the implications for our own lives.  What a joy for the Center for Reconciliation to co-sponsor with the Hispanic House of Studies.  About 130 people participated over the weekend (we offered translation into Spanish, with significant Latino participation), and 15 Divinity School faculty members had a vibrant lunch conversation with our guests.  Getting to this place was shaped by a powerful 2010 journey to the U.S./Mexico border led by “Desert Father” Max Cisneros (the fuller story is told here).

About the Author: Chris Rice is co-director of the Center for Reconciliation at Duke Divinity School. He is author of Reconciling All Things, Grace Matters, and More Than Equals. He writes regularly at the blog Reconcilers.

Related Reconcilers Posts:   The Future is Mestizo: Beyond Integration and Diversity to New Creation