The Latina/o Religion, Culture and Society unit and the History of Christianity units invite scholars to explore the theme of Freedom by engaging William Yoo’s Reckoning with History through the lenses of history, theology, and social justice. Panelists should discuss how the legacies of settler colonialism and slavery have shaped—and continue to shape—religious thought, practices, and institutions, particularly within the context of American Christianity. This session calls for critical engagement with the paradoxes of freedom in religious and national narratives.
We encourage panelists to address the following questions: How did Christian theology support systems of oppression such as land dispossession and enslavement while proclaiming a gospel that is inherently liberative? How did Indigenous, Black, or Latine Christians resist and reimagine freedom within these oppressive systems? What can contemporary communities, especially those struggling for dignity, learn from this history as they grapple with ongoing inequities in church and society?