The Margins of Freedom in a Theology of the In-Between: Mestizo Trauma and Mestizo Healing

Shelly Rambo asserts that trauma is “a radical break [that] has occurred between the old self and the new one.” However, what happens when the identity of the old self was already radically broken? Willie James Jennings in Acts, Justo González in The Mestizo Augustine, and Virgilio Elizondo in Galilean Journey investigate the multifaceted identities of three different holy figures - Timothy, Augustine, and Christ - in the midst of traumatic events. In utilizing Rambo’s notion of the Middle, I will examine how these three authors seek to disrupt the binaries of trauma, offering a glimpse of mestizo freedom, healing, and liberation.