The Lived Theology and Race Workgroup
Luis Pedraja
Professor of Theology and Academic Dean (Memphis Theological Seminary). B.A. Religion (Stetson University); M.Div. (Southern Baptist Theological Seminary); Ph.D. Philosophical Theology (University of Virginia).
Professor Pedraja's research interests include Latino/a theology, Liberation theologies, Process theology, Postmodernism, Religion and Culture, and other issues in contemporary theology.
He is the author of Jesus is my Uncle: Christology from a Hispanic Perspective (Abingdon 1999) and the editor of Más Voces: Reflexiones Teológicas de la Iglesia Hispana (Abingdon 2001). His contribution to other books include "Guidepost Along the Journey: Mapping North American Hispanic Theology," in Protestantes/Protestants: Hispanic Christianity within Mainline Traditions, edited by David Maldonado, Jr. (Abingdon 1999) and "Building Bridges between Communities of Struggle," in The Ties That Bind: African-American and Hispanic-American/Latino Theology in the United States, edited by Anthony Pinn and Benjamin Valentin (Continuum 2001). He is also the author of numerous articles. Pedraja is currently the editor of Apuntes, a bilingual journal and the oldest periodical dedicated to Latino/a theology.
Pedraja has served as pastor of several Baptist churches in Florida, Kentucky, and Virginia, including several Hispanic congregations. He has taught at the University of Puget Sound and Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. He has received grants from the Louisville Institute to conduct studies on the practice of testimonies in Hispanic Protestant churches and to lead a series of consultation on evangelism in a Hispanic context. Dr. Pedraja has served as a chair of the Hispanic American Religion, Culture, and Society group of the American Academy of Religion, and is currently a mentor for the Hispanic Theological Initiative and serving as President of La Comunidad, a society of Latino/a scholars of religion.
Professor Pedraja, a native of Cuba, has served as a volunteer with Habitat for Humanity, American Red Cross disaster teams, and is currently an official Spanish translator for the Memphis/Shelby County Emergency Management Agency. He is married to Amber Lamont Pedraja and lives in Memphis, Tennessee with her and their three dogs, three cats, and two fish.