Editorial

Amid a climate of misinformation and fake news, recording history has become increasingly difficult. Decolonial theory has played its part, helping us uncover the colonial epistemic apparatus designed to misrepresent the past, along with the disfigurement of the traditions, cultures, and knowledges of Indigenous communities around the world. In religion, traditions are also deeply polarized by different allegiances to nation, to ideologies, or to diverse social commitments. For those who claim to be Christians, this is a climate that requires much discernment and prophetic determination to remain unspoiled by hatred, discrimination, and a desire of revenge. We are also required to rethink, once again, our role as scholars of religion and theology.

Liberation theology has taught us that grassroots voices are the site and content of theological knowledge. They also exposed the economic, social, ethnoracial, and gender scaffolding that contributed to the oppression of the poor and marginalized masses. Latina/o/x theologies also helped us recognize the critical role that one’s cultural tradition plays in articulating people’s experiences of faith. They lifted the veil from the pretension of cultureless traditions and theological formulations. These theological traditions insisted on the contextual nature of the theological task. These schools, together with decolonial thinking, invite us to go back and retrace the threads of colonization in the very structures of knowledge and theology that we have inherited. They also challenge us to stand outside of the strictures of inherited theological methods and academic approaches to explore the possibilities for interpreting our own histories and traditions differently. As a result of these three strands of thought, the very construction of our identity, our understanding of our history, and our interpretation of our own sources of knowledge are under deep reconsideration.

This issue of Perspectivas exemplifies a rethinking of our celebrated Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz. The authors in this issue raise new questions, challenge what has been taken-for-granted, and introduce other lenses and understanding of her legacy and her role within the Catholic Church of her time. As they show, appreciating her legacy is a lot more complicated and requires consideration of recently discovered material. The articles in this collection urge us to reconsider Sor Juana’s life, faith commitments, and writings from the perspective of her being a Teacher of the Church. Consistent with the lives of San Martín de Porres and Óscar Romero, the guest editors and authors in this volume make the case for Sor Juana’s official recognition as a saint of the church. 

It is with pleasure and humility that we offer this new issue of Perspectivas 2026 to the broader community of scholars of religion and theology. 

The editorial team.