Theological Imagination in Education

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Written By Open Plaza

César ‘CJ’ Baldelomar, LL.M., J.D. and his mentor Dr. Hosffman Ospino survey possibilities

Salvation Mountain, a man-made visual environment created by Leonard Knight in the California Desert. Photo: April Morales

Salvation Mountain, a man-made visual environment created by Leonard Knight in the California Desert. Photo: April Morales

 

Catholic theologian Dr. Hosffman Ospino focuses on the dialogue between theology and culture, and the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, catechesis, and ministry. In this episode of OP Talks, Dr. Ospino engages in conversation with his mentee César ‘CJ’ Baldelomar, whose “Toward a Critical Theological Imagination” examines the role of imagination in knowledge production and the need for a critical, decolonial engagement with theology. Published on Open Plaza throughout a summer of Black Lives Matter protests, Baldelomar's three-part series of essays “urgently calls for critical theology theorists in hopes of liberating imaginations to envision what never was…If this call is not taken seriously, then perhaps the only remaining solution is indeed to press the restart button on the entire theological—and by extension, academic—enterprise.”

 
 
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César J. Baldelomar

A scholar with wide-ranging interests, César "CJ" Baldelomar is a doctoral candidate in Theology and Education at Boston College, where he is currently working on his dissertation and teaching in the International Studies and Theology departments. His research blends critical theory (especially postmodernism and poststructuralism) and decolonial thought, exploring how knowledge production (epistemology, theory, and scholarship) and consumption (teaching and learning) inform the formation of identities (ontologies). His work seeks to find different ways to imagine and talk about the self and about justice in an effort to envision possible sites of resistance. CJ is the author of several academic and popular articles and of the upcoming book, Fragmented Theological Imaginings (Convivium Press).

He holds two law degrees from St. Thomas University School of Law: a Master of Laws (LL.M) in Intercultural Human Rights and a Juris Doctor, with certificates in immigration law and international law. CJ also holds a Master of Theological Studies (MTS) in Religion, Ethics, and Politics from the Harvard Divinity School and a Master of Education (Ed.M) in Learning and Teaching from the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He is a former legal intern at the Southern Poverty Law Center and current Associate Member Representative of The Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS). You can read more of CJ's work here or learn more about him here.

 
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Hosffman Ospino

Dr. Hosffman Ospino is a native of Colombia, where he pursued undergraduate studies in Philosophy. He holds an MA in theology with concentration in Church History and a PhD in Theology and Education from Boston College. His research explores the dialogue between faith and culture, and the impact of this interchange upon Catholic theological education, catechesis, and ministry. He has served as the principal investigator for several nationally recognized studies on how the Hispanic Catholic presence is transforming parishes, schools and organizations. Dr. Ospino writes a bilingual monthly column for Catholic News Services (Journeying Together / Caminando juntos), and his writings have received several prizes from the Catholic Press Association. He has also authored and edited more than a dozen books, including Cultural Diversity and Paradigm Shifts in Catholic Congregations (Fordham University Press, forthcoming). An officer of the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States (ACHTUS), he is actively involved in ministry and faith-formation projects in various parts of the United States. Dr. Ospino has received many honors, among them the 2018 ACHTUS Virgilio Elizondo Award for his distinguished achievement in theology.

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