Eleazar
S. Fernandez
Professor of Constructive Theology
Ordained minister in the United Church of Christ in the Philippines
Appointed 1993
Education
| B.A. |
Philippine
Christian University |
| M.Div. |
Union
Theological Seminary, Philippines |
| Th.M. |
Princeton
Theological Seminary |
| Ph.D. |
Vanderbilt
University |
Teaching
and Research
| • |
constructive
theology |
| • |
theological
voices from the global South |
| • |
theological
anthropology |
| • |
theology
of religions |
| • |
exposure-immersion
trips |
| • |
mission
and ecumenics |
| • |
globalization
and its challenges to theology and ministry |
Publications
Books
 |
Burning
Center, Porous Borders: The Church in a Globalized World
Wipf
& Stock, 2011 |
 |
Reimagining
the Human: Theological Anthropology in Response to Systemic
Evil
St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2004 |
 |
Realizing
the America of Our Hearts: Theological Voices of Asian Americans
Co-edited with Fumitaka Matsuoka
St. Louis: Chalice Press, 2003 |
|
Hacia
Una Theologia De La Lucha
Translated by Jesus Valiente Malla
Estella, Spain: Editorial Verbo Divino, 2002 |
 |
A
Dream Unfinished: Theological Reflections on America from
the Margins
Co-edited with Fernando Segovia
Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2001 |
 |
Toward
a Theology of Struggle
Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 1994 |
Articles and Essays:
“The
Church as a Household of Life Abundant: Reimagining the Church in
the Context of Global Economics.” In Theology That Matters:
Ecology, Economy, and God, edited by Darby Kathleen Ray. Fortress
Press, 2006.
“From
Babel to Pentecost: Finding a Home in the Belly of the Empire.”
In Semeia: The Bible in Asian America, edited by Tat-siong
Benny Liew. Atlanta: Society of Biblical Literature, 2002.
“Theology
of Struggle.” Dictionary of Third World Theology.
Maryknoll: Orbis Books, 2000.
“Cross-Cultural
Mission to Postcolonial Masters in a Globalized World.” In Unfaithing U.S. Colonialism, edited by Deborah Lee and
Antonio Salas. Berkeley: Pacific and Asian American Center for Theology
and Strategies, 1999.
“A
Filipino Voice: ‘Unfinished Dream’ in the Land of Promise.”
In Preaching Justice: Ethnic and Cultural Perspective,
edited by Christine Smith. Cleveland: The United Church Press, 1998.
“Confronting
the White Noise: Mission from the Experience of the Marginalized.”
In Beyond the White Noise: Mission in a Multicultural World,
edited by Tom Montgomery-Fate. St. Louis: Chalice Press, 1997.
Regular
Topics for Presentation
Upcoming
Engagements
Contact Eleazar at 651.255.6131. |
Significant
for my personal life is my growing realization that one’s
destination is already embedded in the journey, as the flower
in a bud, the spring in a freezing winter, or the butterfly
in a chrysalis. With this wisdom I have come to find a home
in the journey. Moreover, I have learned to cherish the banal,
laugh at myself when I discover my limited knowledge, and
marvel at serendipitous events even as I doggedly struggle
for the longed-for not-yet.
*
* *
“As
a constructive theologian, I consider it an important task
to enable faith communities to do theology that names their
pains and laments their anguish and celebrates their joys;
poetically articulates their longings for a better tomorrow;
orients their transforming actions to the here and now; and
equips them with courage to live as if the future were present
in the spirit of the One who was crucified and resurrected
with the people.”
* * *
“I
want to help students acquire theological skills to construct
a new and better tomorrow for them to inhabit in their present
journey. Moreover, I am committed to enlarging the social
and moral imagination of my students so they may have the
heart to welcome what has been considered impossible into
the range of the possible.”
*
* *
“I
am passionate about retrieving dangerous memories, naming
our pains in the present, and articulating our dreams of a
new and better tomorrow through ecumenical ministries committed
to making our hearts as large as the world at a time when
many hearts are constricting and walls of fear and hostilities
are rising.”
*
* *
“The
church’s relationship to the world was modeled by
early Christian communities: being ‘in’ the
world but not ‘of’ the world. The church embodies
radical love: caring for those who are suffering, affirming
ideas and practices that are life-giving, and uttering the
prophetic ‘no’ against various idolatries, be
they in the name of God, self-fulfillment, or national security.
“The seminary can be a true and relevant partner with
the church if it remains rooted in the life of the church
even as it helps the church expand its horizon outside its
walls. In recent years I have been engaged in conversations
about reimagining the church in light of the gospel and
in response to the challenges of our highly globalized world.
I am interested in integrating spirituality with issues
related to peace and reconciliation. I am looking for ways
to empower the people of God in the midst of growing cynicism
and despair.”
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