St. Martin de Porres

Overview

"A fascinating contribution, not only to Hispanic theology but theology in general." --Ana Maria Pineda, Catholic Theological Union

"A superb, well-research and creative contribution to North American theology." --Orlando Espin, University of San Diego

"Lays a solid foundation for contemporary Latin American and Hispanic American theology". --Fernando F. Segovia, Vanderbilt Divinity School

The little stories and the traditions that grew up around Saint Martin de Porres of Peru are fascinating and every bit as charming as the stories told of Saint Francis of Assisi. But as Garci­a-Rivera shows, these deceptively simple stories reveal much more. For the first time Garci­a-Rivera unpacks these stories, using the semiotic method and insights garnered from the works of Robert Schreiter, Eugene Genovese, and Antonio Gramsci. To build this method of theological reflection Garci­a-Rivera addresses such questions as: does an authentic Latin American theology exist? If it exists, where and how can it be expounded? What does Saint Martin de Porres' beatification process tell us? How do the little stories reflect and extend the great theological debate of Valladolid in 1550, with Bartolom de las Casas and Juan Gines de Sepulveda arguing whether the Indians were even human beings? Using the semiotics of culture to delve into these stories, the author provides rich and astonishing insights into the power of the little story, told and retold over time by ordinary folk, that make possible the Big Story of universal principles of human reality.

A native of Havana, Cuba, Alex Garcia-Rivera received his doctorate in theology from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, as well as degrees in physics from Ohio State and Miami University. He is associate professor of systematic theology at the Jesuit School of Theology, Berkeley, California.