Teología Práctica Latinoamericana

Journal credits

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Credits of the journal Teología Práctica Latinoamericana. Volume 4, Number 2, Year 2025.

Koinonia as an alternative community model

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When studying faith communities, especially koinonia, it is important to keep in mind that these communities do not exist in a vacuum, but develop in specific social, political and economic contexts. In many cases, these contexts are extremely complex: they are marked by social inequalities, diverse violence, forced displacement, corruption or cultural exclusion. In such cases, the New Testament koinonia model constitutes a prophetic response. In other words, koinonia is an inclusive community, where the value of each person is not determined by his or her social status or background, but by the inherent dignity of every daughter and son of God. This principle is extremely important in contexts of vulnerability and social exclusion, such as impoverished neighborhoods, indigenous communities, migrant groups and communities of sexual diversity, where people are invisibilized, stigmatized and dehumanized. Here, koinonia becomes an alternative faith community that dignifies, welcomes and empowers these people.

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Experiencing God to renew the church

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In this article, we examine the tension between traditional pastoral ministries, focused on healing and spiritual transformation based on conventional mission, and the proposal of inclusive Lutheran pastoral care, developed between 2005 and 2019. The latter seeks not only social transformation but also ecclesial renewal, prioritizing the experience of God from within the community and promoting the integration of historically excluded sectors. A distinction is made between experimental pastoral ministry, aimed at evangelizing specific populations, and experiential pastoral ministry, which first seeks to understand the realities of marginalized individuals before conveying a message of faith, challenging hegemonic notions of care and health. The inclusive Lutheran community positioned itself as a pioneer in opening its doors to LGBT+ individuals and promoting an unbiased interpretation of the Bible. Its key methodological principles are theoretical silence (suspending exclusionary theology to listen to marginalized voices and God) and operational disarmament (eliminating discriminatory actions and discourses). The necessary ecclesial renewal today demands this process of experimentation and learning, recognizing that diversity is a reality and inclusion an objective.

Epistemology of incarnated faith

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This article explores testimonies as a theological category within the scope of Practical Theology. It posits that a theology based on the critique of testimonial narratives and reflection on personal and communal experiences of faith witness constitutes a legitimate and essential source of theological knowledge. The ensuing discussion will succinctly outline its epistemological foundations, along with interactions and implications with other theological disciplines and wisdom traditions, in order to advance our understanding of both faith and pastoral praxis.

Koinonia and homeless people

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The article analyzes the contrast between traditional faith communities–hierarchical and focused on conversions–with the alternatives, based on koinonia, which prioritize social cohesion, participation and solidarity. These communities, rooted in primitive Christianity, reject proselytizing and emerge from everyday needs, fostering resilience and empowerment. The article is based on the case study of the “Chepe se baña” project (San José, Costa Rica), which works with homeless people. Through shared religious imaginaries and inclusive social actions, the project generates significant transformations without relying on traditional church structures. It is concluded that these communities, arising from the grassroots, are effective tools for social inclusion, integrating faith and liberating praxis in contexts of vulnerability.

Reproductions of prison Pentecostalism

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This study analyzes how and with what elements the Pentecostal prison space in the Lurigancho prison contributes to prison control and governance, in contrast to an institutional management characterized by corruption and uncontrolled privileges. For the analysis, the concept of “presonization” is used, which is placed in dialogue with the theories of Michel Foucault on power and institutionalized prison hierarchies, and Erving Goffman on prison as a total institution imposed on the inmate. In this process, the inmate-convert acquires agency through various tools provided by the church, which are observed in various religious practices, such as prayers, fasting and teachings. Although these practices promote individual and collective identity transformations, they do not manage to question, much less break with patriarchal structures, which means that through them the ideals accepted by society to be “good people” (good testimony) are legitimized.

The study used a qualitative methodology based on thematic analysis and a sample composed of 11 interviews with former inmates converted from Pentecostal churches in the Lurigancho prison. The analysis is enriched with my experience in pastoral work within the prison system and with some studies on prison ethnography, religious informality, criminal culture and on the role of evangelical groups in prison and their influence on collective religious imaginaries. Likewise, we rely on Francisco Durand’s proposal on the reproduction of Peruvian culture, which allows us to understand the extra- and intra-prison criminal culture that favors the processes of “presonization” in contrast to total institutional “imprisonment”.

Towards a transformative ecclesiology

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The Ancestral Healing Circles is a therapeutic instrument of the Ministry of Theosalud that is being developed from the demand for comprehensive care for people who suffer and live with diseases (chronic and terminal) that logically alter the balance of life as a whole. The biblical text of the Gospel of John 10:10 inspires us to pastoral accompaniment for all these people who wish to recover the balance and abundant life that the Master Jesus offers us. The Ancestral Healing Circles integrate different types of therapies for the healing process. In this article we present the development of this ecclesiological praxis to respond with the good news of shalom to the demands of integral health of individuals, families and vulnerable communities.

To flourish in an infertile land

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This article aims to explore, from the perspective of lived religion, how being brought up within a context of popular religiosity nurtures the religious bond among Nicaraguan migrant women. It highlights the need for this religiosity to be connected with a feminist-oriented pastoral accompaniment in order to support the development of resilience frameworks, personal identity, and the redefinition of their dignity as they seek settlement alternatives for their integral development and that of their families, as well as the creation of new networks of emotional support and care.

Complete Journal

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Koinonia has generally been interpreted as something solely subjective and affective. However, this model of human relations—present in early Christianity—constitutes a concrete form of community life that, as a counterculture, challenges dominant power structures, consumerism, individualism, and social exclusion. Koinonia thus emerges as an alternative paradigm for the development of faith communities in complex contexts: sexual diversity, theological education, vulnerability and social exclusion, deprivation of liberty, alternative healthcare, and migration.