The appearance of the Virgin Mary on a hill in Guadalupe, Mexico in 1531 is perhaps the central tradition in Latino Catholicism. The vision, allegedly seen by recent convert Juan Diego, signalled the rise of Catholicism in the New World at a time when Protestantism was spreading throughout the old world. So what could a male, anglo protestant liturgist possibly have to say on the subject? In The Virgin of Guadalupe, Lutheran minister Maxwell Johnson recognizes that this tradition is not only important to Latin American Catholics, but to all Latin American Christians. Acknowledging the significance (if not, necessarily, the historical accuracy) of the appearance of the Virgin is not simply a Roman Catholic need by a necessity for all Christian churches among whom the Hispanic presence is growing. This is shown by the increased commemoration of Juan Diego on December 9, or of the Virgin of Guadalupe herself on December 12, on Protestant calendars. This increased recognition among Protestants coincides with the Pope's canonization of Saint Juan Diego in the summer of 2002. In step with this movement, Johnson considers the Virgin of Guadalupe from a Lutheran perspective and looks at ways in which she might be received into the evangelical or Protestant tradition.

Three leading scholars of Latino religious studies team up in this edited collection to present original meditations and reflections on Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most prominent religious images of the western hemisphere. Newest in the Celebrating Faith series, this book considers the meaning behind the symbol of Guadalupe. Because of the wide array of contributors, the figure of Guadalupe is examined from a variety of viewpoints: Catholic and Protestant, male and female, scholarly and liturgical. Written in a scholarly, yet spiritual manner, this analysis of Guadalupe recognizes her dual roles of maternal figure and inspiring evangelizer. Contributors discuss the history of Guadalupe and analyze how to carry out her message and teachings in contemporary society. The Treasure of Guadalupe is ideally suited to courses in Latino religious and cultural studies, and adds important contributions to the ongoing dialogue of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

It can come as no surprise that the ethnic makeup of the American population is rapidly changing. In this volume, John Francis Burke offers a mestizo theory of democracy and traces its implications for public policy. Mestizo, meaning "mixture," is a term from the Mexican socio-political experience that represents a blend of indigenous, African, and Spanish genes and cultures in Latin America in which the influences of these cultures remain identifiable but interact with each other in dynamic ways. Burke analyzes democratic theory and multiculturalism to develop a model for effectively dealing with cultural diversity. He applies this model to official language(s), voting, employment, housing, and free trade, concluding that in the United States we are becoming mestizo whether we like it or not.

When Christopher Columbus arrived in the New World in 1492, there began a new way of the cross, traced for five hundred years in the lives of the poor and oppressed peoples of the Americas. These short meditations on the stations--by such figures as Gustavo Guiterrez, Enrique Dussel, Leonardo Boff, Helder Camara, Elsa Tamez, and Jon Sobrino--reflect on the passion of Christ against the background of conquest. They write, as Virgil Elizondo says in his preface, to "invite our readers to take this journey with us, to share our suffering, to experience our crucifixion, and to taste in anticipation our Easter joy. We invite all--rich and poor, black and brown and white, clerics and lay people--to a profound conversion that will stimulate us to build a better world in the Americas, a world of the new humanity enjoying justice, freedom, and love."

Editorial. Ecology and poverty : cry of the earth, cry of the poor / Leonardo Boff and Virgil Elizondo -- I. Some problems. The present socio-economic system as a cause of ecological imbalance and poverty / Julio de Santa Ana -- Ecological consciousness in Amazonia: the indigenous experience / Berta G. Ribeiro -- Sacred earth: Mesoamerican perspectives / Sylvia Marcos -- II. A theological perspective. The cry of the earth? Biblical perspectives on ecology and violence / Christoph Uelinger -- Spirituality of the earth / Julia Esquivel Velasquez -- Liberation theology and ecology: alternative confrontation or complementarity? / Leonardo Boff -- Some premises for an eco-social theology of liberation / Jose ramos Regidor -- III. New horizons. Towards a new paradigm of production : from an economy of unlimited growth towards one of human sufficiency / Bastiaan Wielenga -- Ecology from the viewpoint of the poor / Eduardo Gudynas -- Principles for a socio-environmental ethic : the relationship between Earth and life / Charles Richard Hensman -- The theological debate on ecology / Rosino Gibellini -- Special column.

Pluralism and the dignity of theology / Peter Eicher -- Theology in the modern age, and before its end / Johann-Baptist Metz -- Conditions and criteria for authentic inter-cultural theological dialogue / Virgil Elizondo -- Speaking about God / Gustavo Gutierrez -- For women in men's worlds : a critical feminist theology of liberation / Elisabeth Schussler Fiorenza -- Example of Western theology taking modernity seriously : 'process theology' / Joseph Bracken -- From the generalisation of one triumphant particular to the search for true universality / Meinrad Hegba -- Differences and unity in the New Testament / Ernst Kasemann -- Theological pluralism and the mystery of the Church / Jean-Marie Tillard -- Theologies at the service of a common tradition / Nicholas Lash -- Theologies of the 'Periphery' and the 'centre' : encounter or confrontation? / Enrique Dussel.