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Rubén Rosario Rodríguez

Rubén Rosario Rodríguez is the Clarence Louis and Helen Steber Professor of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University. His teaching and research interests range from comparative religious ethics, to theological anthropology, to liberation/political theologies; recent publications include Christian Martyrdom and Political Violence (Cambridge University Press, 2017), Theological Fragments: Confessing What We Know and Cannot Know about an Infinite God (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023), and he is editor of the T&T Clark Handbook of Political Theology (Bloomsbury/T&T Clark, 2019).

Symposia

Revivals: Now & Then

If nothing else, the national public attention and copy-cat movements following the Asbury Revival speak to the need for spiritual revival—as in the Great First Awakening, most people are dissatisfied with established religion and are looking for ways to experience a genuine spiritual awakening.

Ukraine: What Ought to be Done?

As many Ukrainian scholars and intellectuals have opined, the Western media has allowed Russia and Putin to set the narrative for the invasion.

Perspectives on Asian Americans and the Spirit of Racial Capitalism

“Christianity redounds to its own political economy, first by making economy a general feature of creaturely existence and second by relating the kingdom of God to the economy of God, speaking of God’s reign as God’s grace. Racism and racial capitalism—epitomized but not exhausted by white supremacist Christian religion—are distortions of God’s kingdom and economy, rejections of divine rule and divine desire” (Asian Americans and the Spirit of Capitalism, 15).

Resisting the Powers: Walter Wink’s Legacy Reexamined

Walter Wink was a controversial figure when he was alive, so it is not surprising his critique of the powers and principalities continues to draw criticism while inspiring new generations of Christians to engage in nonviolent resistance against structural injustice.

Making Sense of Minority Christian Voting Trends: Complicating the Liberal/Conservative Binary
Whose Face is on the Coin? Economic Justice and Political Theology

“Whose head is this, and whose title?” They answered, “The emperor’s.” Jesus said to them, “Give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” And they were utterly amazed at him. (Mark 12:16-17, NRSV)

Be Not Afraid: Pandemic in a Time of Political Uncertainty

This timely “flash” symposium explores how the crisis generated by COVID-19 might be analyzed through the lenses of political theology.

The Theopolitics of Vaccinations

A collection of diverse reflections on faith, spirituality, and the anti-vaxxer crisis…

Perspectives on Christ and the Common Life
Citizenship, Globalized Religion, and the Tightening of Borders

Globalized religions like Christianity and Islam speak of their communions as universal and welcoming of all people, yet are often caught up in the nationalist and protectionist discourses of individual nations.

Public Art as Political Theology

Public art as political theology brings sacred images to the political arena…even when the uses of sacred images transgress deeply held religious convictions for the sake of much needed social transformation.

Criminalizing Latinidad

The recent criminalization of Latinx people has led to a “zero tolerance” deportation policy and consequent separation of children from their families. Can we shift the public discourse in order to preserve the basic dignity of all people?

Pandemic, Pandemonium, and Public Health: Reflections on COVID-19

This second “flash” symposium seeks to continue our discussion on COVID-19, but from a broader, public angle.

Essays

Blood Covered Hands – But Not in Ukraine

Paul J. Griffiths contends that the hands of every American taxpayer now drip with blood because the U.S. is supporting Ukraine’s war of self defense. American hands might be covered in the blood of innocents from Afghanistan to Somalia to Yemen, but there has been no transgression in Ukraine. In fact, from the perspective of Christian just war reasoning, it can be argued that the U.S. and Europe have not done enough.

The Judgment of Solomon: Can the Mission Remain Divided Without Killing the University?

The horror stories threaten to overwhelm us. But what can we do? How can we employ the Catholic mission of these institutions to slow down and reverse the corporate takeover of Catholic higher education?

Defending Racial Particularity within Tran’s “Deep Economy” of Grace

Racial identity as a source of cultural, political, and personal pride predates the North Atlantic slave trade; therefore, racial identity must be part of the calculus when articulating a theological anthropology.

Editorial Response: Further Complicating the Binary

If there is one common thread which cuts through the essays in this symposium, it is the powerful testimony of the important role that religion plays in shaping the socio-political viewpoints of many conservative religious minorities.

A “Themed Identity” Theologian Responds to John Milbank

When a white scholar embraces a liberationist perspective it is considered pioneering. When I do it I am being “political” not scholarly, then I get labeled a troublemaker. This is the reality Milbank’s tweet is trying to erase, and the reason I spoke out.

The “New” New: Challenging Political and Public Theology

Rather than understanding political theology as a single school of thought, I seek to define political theology as a more inclusive category by looking at the rich historical resources within each of the Abrahamic religions that help each tradition unpack the complex relationship between the political and theological spheres

Unresolved Tensions: Common Humanity vs. Ethnographic Frameworks

At stake is the very possibility of democratic politics. Without minimizing or devaluing the experience of oppressed and marginalized communities, the way forward—as Luke Bretherton has convincingly argued—necessarily entails nurturing some form of cohesive social vision.

Remembering David A. Sánchez (1960-2019)

David A. Sánchez, Associate Professor of Early Christianity at Loyola Marymount University, died unexpectedly on Saturday, April 6, 2019. He was a pioneering Latinx Biblical scholar whose impact reached beyond his discipline and included the Political Theology Network. We have asked mentors, colleagues, students, and friends to reflect on his many contributions.