With a specific focus on Los Angeles—and its unique history and culture— scholars explore wider issues of migration, transnationalism, and interfaith engagement as they relate to missiological thinking and practice.
In his lecture “City of Dreams: Los Angeles as a Cradle for Religious Activism, Innovation, and Diversity,” Richard Flory, senior director of research and evaluation at USC’s Center for Religion and Civic Culture, introduces the unique culture of Los Angeles and considers the dynamics between culture and place. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn response to Richard Flory’s lecture “City of Dreams,” Alexia Salvatierra, assistant professor of integral mission and global transformation, talks about what we can learn from LA’s recent history of immigration reform. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenRichard Flory and Alexia Salvatierra discuss LA’s history of immigration, religion, and culture in a Q&A moderated by Kirsteen Kim. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn his lecture “Missiological Reflections on the ‘In-Betweenness’ of Latino Protestantism,” Juan Martínez, president of Centro Hispano de Estudios Teológicos (CHET), explains the polycentric identity of Latino protestants, who inhabit a liminal space ethnically, sociologically, and religiously. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn his lecture “Catholicity: Migration, Religion, and World Christianity,” Gioacchino Campese, professor of the theology of human mobility at Pontifical Urbaniana University, considers the church’s eschatological call toward catholicity in the context of our changing and globalized world. WATCHTheology and Protest
+ ListenIn her lecture “Faith Resources: Muslim Migration to Los Angeles,” Zayn Kassam, John Knox MacLean Professor of Religious Studies at Pomona College, speaks about the positive influence of Muslim migrant communities in the US, even against the oppressive American realities of racism of Islamophobia. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIsaac Cuevas, Rabbi Aryeh Cohen, Salam Al-Marayati, and Nancy Yuen discuss responses to the immigration crisis from interfaith and interdisciplinary perspectives in this panel discussion moderated by Alexia Salvatierra. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn his lecture “Borders: Citizenship in California,” Jason Sexton, visiting research scholar at the California Center for Sustainable Communities at UCLA’s Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, surveys California’s—and LA’s—history of shifting borders and invasive violence, and asks what belonging and citizenship mean in such a place. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn response to Jason Sexton’s lecture “Borders: Citizenship in California,” Andrea Smith, professor of ethnic studies at UC Riverside, discusses indigenous sovereignty and our responsibility to the land, while drawing lessons from the Old Testament. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn response to Darren Dochuk’s lecture “Errands in the Wilderness,” Robert Chao Romero, associate professor of Chicana/o and Central American studies at UCLA, explores the history of Latino protestant communities in Los Angeles and the churches, institutions, and theologies that arose from them. WATCHTheology and Protest
+ ListenIn response to Darren Dochuk’s lecture “Errands in the Wilderness,” Robert Chao Romero, associate professor of Chicana/o and Central American studies at UCLA, explores the history of Latino protestant communities in Los Angeles and the churches, institutions, and theologies that arose from them. WATCHTheology and Protest
+ ListenIn her lecture “Making Their Mark: Asian Americans and the Californian ‘Christian’ Landscape,” Rebecca Y. Kim, Frank R. Seaver Chair of Social Science and director of the ethnic studies program at Pepperdine University, speaks about the impact made by Asian American Christians on the American church, despite the historic challenges of systemic exclusion and discrimination they faced and continue to face. WATCHTheology and Protest
+ ListenLee de Leon, Hyepin Im, and Kelvin Sauls discuss their work and various experiences with migrant communities in LA in this panel discussion moderated by Alexia Salvatierra. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn his lecture “Theological Approaches to Migration: Their Impact on Missional Thinking and Action,” Leopoldo A. Sánchez M., Werner R. H. and Elizabeth R. Krause Professor of Hispanic Ministries at Concordia Seminary, reflects on how various models of migration can shape how we understand our practice of mission and our call to love our neighbors. WATCHTheology and Protest
+ ListenRichard Flory, Alexia Salvatierra, Juan Martínez, Gioacchino Campese, Zayn Kassam, Jason Sexton, Darren Dochuk, Rebecca Y. Kim, and Leopoldo A. Sánchez M. discuss migration and missiology, with a focus on Los Angeles, in this panel discussion moderated by Kirsteen Kim. WATCHHolistic Healing and Wellness
+ ListenIn 2020, Fuller’s School of Intercultural Studies held its annual Missiology Lectures on “Migration, Transnationalism, and Faith in Missiological Perspective: Los Angeles as a Global Crossroads.”