Luther's theology has inspired many since 1517 when he nailed his ninety-five theses to the door of the Castle Church. It was the trigger for the Reformation, a change in the very fabric of Christianity that is still studied extensively to this day. Much of this work however has been conducted from either a European or North American perspective. With Lutheranism becoming more and more common in the southern hemisphere, new interpretations of Luther's theology are needed for these emergent and different contexts. In Transfiguring Luther, Vitor Westhelle offers a reading of Luther and his legacy that goes beyond the traditional geopolitics of Luther research, exploring realities where the Reformer's reception and the latent promise of his theology receive unsuspected appraisal. Westhelle provides both a revisitation of the past and an invitation to a new orientation. By establishing a texture rather than a rigid actuality, Westhelle allows the reader to reach their own conclusions about these seldom examined aspects of Luther's theology.

A New Social Contract in a Latin American Education Context is committed to what has become known as "perspective of the South:" understanding the South not as a geographical reference but as a vindication of the existence of ways of knowing and of living which struggle for their survival and for a legitimate place in a world where the respect for difference is balanced with the right for equality. The metaphor of the new social contract stands for the desire to envision another world, which paradoxically cannot but spring out of the entrails of the existing one. Could the same contract under which the colonial orders were erected serve as a tool for decolonizing relations, knowledge, and power? Consequently, what kind of education could effectively help structure a new social contract? These are some of the questions Streck addresses.

"A New Social Contract in a Latin American Education Context "is committed to what has become known as "perspective of the South: " understanding the South not as a geographical reference but as a vindication of the existence of ways of knowing and of living which struggle for their survival and for a legitimate place in a world where the respect for difference is balanced with the right for equality. The metaphor of the "new social contract "stands for the desire to envision "another world," which paradoxically cannot but spring out of the entrails of the existing one. Could the same contract under which the colonial orders were erected serve as a tool for decolonizing relations, knowledge, and power? Consequently, what kind of education could effectively help structure a new social contract? These are some of the questions Streck addresses.

Synopsis: In this important contribution to post-colonial theological studies, the argument is made that religious practices and teachings imposed on colonized peoples are transmuted in the process of colonization. The very theological discourse that is foisted on the colonized people becomes for them, a liberating possibility through a process of theological transformation from within. This is offered as an explanation of the mechanisms which have brought about the emergence of the current post-colonial consciousness. However, what is distinctive and unique about this treatment is that it pursues these questions with two basic assumptions. The first is that the religious expressions of colonized people bear the outward marks of the hegemonic theological discourse imposed on them, but change its content through a process called "transfiguration." The second is that the crises of Western Christianity since the Reformation and the Conquest of the Americas enunciates the very process through which post-colonial religious hybridity is made possible. This book unfolds in three parts. The first (the "pre-text") deals with the colonial practice of the missionary enterprise using Latin America as a case study. The second (the "text") presents the crisis of Western modernity as interpreted by insiders and outsiders of the modern project. The third (the "con-text") analyses some discursive post-colonial practices that are theologically grounded even when used in discourses that are not religious. Some of the questions that this project engages are: Is there a post-colonial understanding of sin and evil? How can we understand eschatology in post-colonial terms? What does it mean to be the church in a post-colonial framework? For those interested in the intersection of theology and post-colonial studies, this book will be important reading. Endorsements: "This focussed and insightful book is a significant addition to the ever-growing literature on postcolonialism and theological studies. Besides cogently demonstrating that the transaction between the colonizer and the colonized is not one-sided, an attractive feature is the author's attempt to redefine the traditional Christian teachings on sin, evil, church, and eschatology from a postcolonial perspective. This book should be high on the list for anyone who wants to know the new trends in theological discourse." --R. S. Sugirtharajah author of The Bible and Empire "Vitor Westhelle is emerging as one of the premier critics of our time. In this important volume, he unmasks the colonial beast and brings startling clarity to postcolonial movements. With fresh angles of vision, his incisive analysis ranges over many languages, cultures, genres, and conditions. This is a brilliant study that will command attention from many quarters, not least from theologians." --David Rhoads editor of From Every People and Nation: The Book of Revelation in Intercultural Perspective "A book of tremendous courage and insight. Professor Vitor Westhelle presents a searing critique of modern colonial projects, lifts up subaltern voices, and offers resources in doing postcolonial theology. Exploring the philosophical foundations of what makes postcolonial theology possible, this book makes a significant contribution to advancing the discourse. I recommend this text for scholars and students and the educated public who want to know about cutting-edge thinking in contemporary theology." --Kwok Pui-lan author of Postcolonial Imagination and Feminist Theology Author Biography: Vitor Westhelle is Professor of Systematic Theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. He is the author of The Scandalous God and an internationally sought-out speaker.

Is the church dying? Noted theologian Vtor Westhelle urges an emphatic no, and traces the church crisis to an "ecclesiological deficit," a lack of serious reflection on the real role of church as an ideal community and an institutional reality. He finds real consensus among the Reformers on what church should mean, and he traces the competing historical notions of church, their relations to the sources of Protestant religious conviction, and the gradual erosion of a sense for what it is the church actually "represents."