Miguel A. De La Torre
Encyclopedia
Miguel A. De La Torre is a professor of Social Ethics and Latino/a Studies at Iliff School of Theology
, a religious scholar, author, and an ordained minister.
. He left Queens, moving to Miami, Florida in his teens.
At nineteen years of age he began a real estate company in Miami called Championship Realty, Century 21
. The office grew to over 100 sales agents. During this time he obtained a Masters in Public Administration from American University
in Washington, DC. Eventually he was elected president of the Miami Board of Realtors. He was also active in local politics, becoming the founding president of the West Dade Young Republicans. In 1988 he was a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, District 115, but lost to Mario Diaz-Balart
.
In his early twenties he became a “born-again” Christian, joining University Baptist Church in Coral Gables, Florida. De La Torre dissolved the thirteen-year-old real estate company in 1992 to attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
in order to obtain a Masters in Divinity and enter the ministry. During his seminary training he served as pastor at a rural congregation, Goshen Baptist Church in Glen Dean, Kentucky.
in social ethics in 1999. According to the books he published, he focuses on ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. His works 1) applies a social scientific approach to Latino/a religiosity within this country; 2) studies Liberation theologies in the Caribbean and Latin America (specifically in Cuba); and 3) engages in postmodern/postcolonial social theory.
In 1999 he was hired to teach Christian Ethics at Hope College
in Holland, MI. In 2005 he wrote a column for the local newspaper, The Holland Sentinel, titled “When the Bible is Used for Hatred.” The article was a satirical piece commenting on Focus on the Family
’s James Dobson
outing of SpongeBob Square Pants. Dobson responded to the article.
A controversy over these articles ensued. A few months afterwards, De La Torre resigned his tenure and took the position of associate professor for social ethics at Iliff School of Theology
in Denver, Colorado.
Since obtaining his doctorate in 1999, De La Torre has authored numerous articles and books, including several books that have won national awards, specifically: Reading the Bible from the Margins, (Orbis, 2002); Santería: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2004); Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, (Orbis, 2004); and Encyclopedia on Hispanic American Religious Culture, Volume 1 & 2, (ABC-CLIO, 2009). Within the academy he has served as a director to the Society of Christian Ethics and the American Academy of Religion
. Additionally, he has been co-chair of the Ethics Section at the American Academy of Religion.
He is the founder and editor of the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion.
De La Torre has been an expert commentator concerning ethical issues (mainly Hispanic religiosity, LGBT civil rights, and immigration rights) on several local, national, and international media outlets. He also writes monthly articles for Ethics Daily which create controversies within Christian circles.
During the January, 2011 gathering of the Society of Christian Ethics, De La Torre was elected Vice-President of the organization and President-elect for 2012.
MULTI-AUTHORED BOOK PUBLICATIONS:
EDITED BOOKS:
ENCYCLOPEDIA EDITOR:
Iliff School of Theology
Iliff School of Theology is a graduate theological school adjoining the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.An average of 300-350 students attend the school each year in the following degree programs:* Master of Divinity...
, a religious scholar, author, and an ordained minister.
Biography
Born in Cuba months before the Castro Revolution, De La Torre and his family migrated to the United States as refugees when he was an infant. For a while the U.S. government considered him and his family as “illegal aliens”. He attended Blessed Sacrament School in Queens, New York and was baptized and confirmed by the Catholic Church. Simultaneously, his parents were priest/priestess of the religion SanteríaSantería
Santería is a syncretic religion of West African and Caribbean origin influenced by Roman Catholic Christianity, also known as Regla de Ocha, La Regla Lucumi, or Lukumi. Its liturgical language, a dialect of Yoruba, is also known as Lucumi....
. He left Queens, moving to Miami, Florida in his teens.
At nineteen years of age he began a real estate company in Miami called Championship Realty, Century 21
Century 21 Real Estate
Century 21 Real Estate LLC is a real estate agent franchise company founded in 1971. The Century 21 System consists of over 8,000 independently owned and operated offices. Other examples of such a system are Coldwell Banker, Engel & Völkers, ERA Real Estate, ...Century 21 has offices in more than...
. The office grew to over 100 sales agents. During this time he obtained a Masters in Public Administration from American University
American University
American University is a private, Methodist, liberal arts, and research university in Washington, D.C. The university was chartered by an Act of Congress on December 5, 1892 as "The American University", which was approved by President Benjamin Harrison on February 24, 1893...
in Washington, DC. Eventually he was elected president of the Miami Board of Realtors. He was also active in local politics, becoming the founding president of the West Dade Young Republicans. In 1988 he was a candidate for the Florida House of Representatives, District 115, but lost to Mario Diaz-Balart
Mario Diaz-Balart
Mario Rafael Diaz-Balart Caballero is the current U.S. Representative for , serving since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was elected in 2010 to succeed his brother, Lincoln Diaz-Balart. The district includes the city of Hialeah, along with several of Miami's southwestern suburbs...
.
In his early twenties he became a “born-again” Christian, joining University Baptist Church in Coral Gables, Florida. De La Torre dissolved the thirteen-year-old real estate company in 1992 to attended Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary
The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary , located in Louisville, Kentucky, is the oldest of the six seminaries affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention . The seminary was founded in 1859, at Greenville, South Carolina. After being closed during the Civil War, it moved in 1877 to Louisville...
in order to obtain a Masters in Divinity and enter the ministry. During his seminary training he served as pastor at a rural congregation, Goshen Baptist Church in Glen Dean, Kentucky.
Scholarship
De La Torre continued his theological training and obtained a doctorate from Temple UniversityTemple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in social ethics in 1999. According to the books he published, he focuses on ethics within contemporary U.S. thought, specifically how religion affects race, class, and gender oppression. His works 1) applies a social scientific approach to Latino/a religiosity within this country; 2) studies Liberation theologies in the Caribbean and Latin America (specifically in Cuba); and 3) engages in postmodern/postcolonial social theory.
In 1999 he was hired to teach Christian Ethics at Hope College
Hope College
Hope College is a medium-sized , private, residential liberal arts college located in downtown Holland, Michigan, a few miles from Lake Michigan. It was opened in 1851 as the Pioneer School by Dutch immigrants four years after the community was first settled...
in Holland, MI. In 2005 he wrote a column for the local newspaper, The Holland Sentinel, titled “When the Bible is Used for Hatred.” The article was a satirical piece commenting on Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family
Focus on the Family is an American evangelical Christian tax-exempt non-profit organization founded in 1977 by psychologist James Dobson, and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Focus on the Family is one of a number of evangelical parachurch organizations that rose to prominence in the 1980s...
’s James Dobson
James Dobson
James Clayton "Jim" Dobson, Jr. is an American evangelical Christian author, psychologist, and founder in 1977 of Focus on the Family , which he led until 2003. In the 1980s he was ranked as one of the most influential spokesman for conservative social positions in American public life...
outing of SpongeBob Square Pants. Dobson responded to the article.
A controversy over these articles ensued. A few months afterwards, De La Torre resigned his tenure and took the position of associate professor for social ethics at Iliff School of Theology
Iliff School of Theology
Iliff School of Theology is a graduate theological school adjoining the University of Denver in Denver, Colorado.An average of 300-350 students attend the school each year in the following degree programs:* Master of Divinity...
in Denver, Colorado.
Since obtaining his doctorate in 1999, De La Torre has authored numerous articles and books, including several books that have won national awards, specifically: Reading the Bible from the Margins, (Orbis, 2002); Santería: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 2004); Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, (Orbis, 2004); and Encyclopedia on Hispanic American Religious Culture, Volume 1 & 2, (ABC-CLIO, 2009). Within the academy he has served as a director to the Society of Christian Ethics and the American Academy of Religion
American Academy of Religion
The American Academy of Religion is the world's largest association of scholars in the field of religious studies and related topics. It is a nonprofit member association,...
. Additionally, he has been co-chair of the Ethics Section at the American Academy of Religion.
He is the founder and editor of the Journal of Race, Ethnicity, and Religion.
De La Torre has been an expert commentator concerning ethical issues (mainly Hispanic religiosity, LGBT civil rights, and immigration rights) on several local, national, and international media outlets. He also writes monthly articles for Ethics Daily which create controversies within Christian circles.
During the January, 2011 gathering of the Society of Christian Ethics, De La Torre was elected Vice-President of the organization and President-elect for 2012.
Works
BOOKS:- Liberation Theologies for Arm Chair Theologians, 2012.
- Genesis: A Theological Commentary on the Bible, 2011.
- Latina/o Social Ethics: Moving Beyond Eurocentric Thinking, 2010.
- Trails of Hope and Terror: Testimonies on Immigration, 2009.
- Liberating Jonah: Toward a Biblical Ethics of Reconciliation, 2007.
- A Lily Among the Thorns: Imagining a New Christian Sexuality, 2007.
- Leer la Biblia desde los Marginados, 2005.
- Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins, 2004.
- Santería: The Beliefs and Rituals of a Growing Religion in America, 2004.
- La Lucha for Cuba: Religion and Politics on the Streets of Miami, 2003.
- The Quest for the Cuban Christ: A Historical Search, 2002.
- Reading the Bible from the Margins, 2002.
- Ajiaco Christianity: Toward an Exilic Cuban Ethic of Reconciliation, Ph.D. diss., 1999.
MULTI-AUTHORED BOOK PUBLICATIONS:
- The Quest for the Historical Satan, co-authored with Albert Hernandez, 2011.
- Introducing Latino/a Theologies, co-authored with Edwin David AponteEdwin David AponteEdwin David Aponte is a Latino cultural historian, religious studies scholar, and contributor in the on-going development of U.S. Hispanic theology....
, 2001.
EDITED BOOKS:
- Beyond the Pale: Reading Christian Theology from the Margins, co-edited with Stacey Floyd-Thomas, 2011.
- Beyond the Pale: Reading Christian Ethics from the Margins, co-edited with Stacey Floyd-Thomas, 2011.
- Out of the Shadows, Into the Light: Christianity and Homosexuality, 2009.
- The Hope of Liberation within World Religions, 2008.
- AAR Career Guide for Racial and Ethnic Minorities in the Profession, 2007.
- Rethinking Latino/a Religion and Ethnicity, co-edited with Gaston Espinosa, 2006.
- Handbook on Latino/a Theologies, co-edited with Edwin David AponteEdwin David AponteEdwin David Aponte is a Latino cultural historian, religious studies scholar, and contributor in the on-going development of U.S. Hispanic theology....
, 2006. - Handbook on U.S. Theologies of Liberation, 2004.
ENCYCLOPEDIA EDITOR:
- Encyclopedia on Hispanic American Religious Culture, Volume 1 & 2, 2009.