Ruth Padilla DeBorst is a
Latin American
Latin Americans ( es, Latinoamericanos; pt, Latino-americanos; ) are the citizens of Latin American countries (or people with cultural, ancestral or national origins in Latin America). Latin American countries and their diasporas are multi-et ...
evangelical
Evangelicalism (), also called evangelical Christianity or evangelical Protestantism, is a worldwide interdenominational movement within Protestant Christianity that affirms the centrality of being " born again", in which an individual exp ...
theologian
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing th ...
affiliated with the
Latin American Theological Fellowship The Latin American Theological Fellowship ( es, Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana or FTL) is an interdenominational Latin American organization which has emphasized the collaborative theological work of Latin American evangelicals.
Early hist ...
and based in
Costa Rica.
Biography
Padilla DeBorst was born in
Colombia as the eldest daughter of an American mother, Catharine Feser Padilla, and an
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechuan languages, Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar language, Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechuan ...
ian father, the theologian
René Padilla. She attended high school and university in
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, t ...
, receiving her
B.Ed.
A Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.) is an undergraduate professional degree which prepares students for work as a teacher in schools. In some countries such as Tanzania and Kenya, additional tasks like field work and research are required in order fo ...
at the
Instituto Nacional Superior en Lenguas Vivas in 1984, an
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. ...
in
Interdisciplinary Studies
Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...
at
Wheaton College Wheaton College may refer to:
* Wheaton College (Illinois), a private Christian, coeducational, liberal arts college in Wheaton, Illinois
* Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Wheaton College is a private liberal arts college in Norton, Massachus ...
in 1987, and a
PhD PHD or PhD may refer to:
* Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification
Entertainment
* '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series
* ''Piled Higher and Deeper
''Piled Higher and Deeper'' (also known as ''PhD Comics''), is a newsp ...
in theology from
Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original c ...
in 2016, under the supervision of
Dana L. Robert
Dana Lee Robert is an historian of Christianity and a missiologist. She is a professor at Boston University, where she has worked since 1984. She was the co-founder of thCenter for Global Christianity and Missionin 2001, one of the first universi ...
.
She is known for being an advocate of
integral mission
Integral mission or holistic mission describes an understanding of Christian mission that embraces both evangelism and social responsibility. With origins in Latin American, integral mission has influenced a significant number of Protestants aroun ...
, an evangelical form of
liberation theology
Liberation theology is a Christian theological approach emphasizing the liberation of the oppressed. In certain contexts, it engages socio-economic analyses, with "social concern for the poor and political liberation for oppressed peoples". ...
.
She is a former president of the
Latin American Theological Fellowship The Latin American Theological Fellowship ( es, Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana or FTL) is an interdenominational Latin American organization which has emphasized the collaborative theological work of Latin American evangelicals.
Early hist ...
(known in Spanish as Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana or FTL) and continues to serve on their board. She was a keynote speaker at the evangelical conference
Lausanne 2010, held in
Cape Town
Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second larges ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring count ...
.
Her first husband was killed in Ecuador when she was eight months pregnant and with two small children. She currently lives with her second husband, James Padilla DeBorst, in
San José, Costa Rica
San José (; meaning "Saint Joseph") is the capital and largest city of Costa Rica, and the capital of the province of the same name. It is in the center of the country, in the mid-west of the Central Valley, within San José Canton. San ...
, and they together lead the Comunidad de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios.
In Fall 2022, Padilla DeBorst would be joining the faculty of
Western Theological Seminary
Western Theological Seminary (WTS) is a private seminary located in Holland, Michigan. Established in 1866, it is affiliated with the Reformed Church in America, a mainline Reformed Protestant denomination in Canada and the United States.
...
as the Richard C. Oudersluys Associate Professor of World Christianity.
Works
*
See also
*
Integral mission
Integral mission or holistic mission describes an understanding of Christian mission that embraces both evangelism and social responsibility. With origins in Latin American, integral mission has influenced a significant number of Protestants aroun ...
*
Latin American Theological Fellowship The Latin American Theological Fellowship ( es, Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana or FTL) is an interdenominational Latin American organization which has emphasized the collaborative theological work of Latin American evangelicals.
Early hist ...
References
External links
7 Inspiring Women: Ruth Padilla DeBorst
{{DEFAULTSORT:Padilla DeBorst, Ruth
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
Wheaton College (Illinois) alumni
Boston University School of Theology alumni
Costa Rican evangelicals
Women Christian theologians
World Christianity scholars