How do international encounters in Nicaragua connect spiritual formation and liberation theology to transform communities? Seekers of justice from around the world found inspiration in the Nicaraguan revolution and struggle for freedom. After recognizing the patronizing, neocolonial structure of missionary models of aid, pastor Leslie Penrose founded a nonprofit organization, JustHope, with core values of solidarity, mutuality, collaboration, and sustainability in partnership. Hundreds of participants have joined this quest to enact the compassionate and just ethics of the Hebrew prophets and the liberating power of Jesus. Inspiring stories of Nicaraguan-led creativity exploring a new future with volunteers from the U.S. are told by pastoral theologian and ethicist Kathleen McCallie. Framed as an interdisciplinary case study of seminary students traveling for solidarity to explore social justice with JustHope, the book offers glimpses of one group's journey. Readers explore possibilities for an international partnership between U.S. volunteers and Nicaraguan community organizers. The Nicaraguan base-community model offers critiques of and alternatives to the church in the U.S. and neoliberal development. McCallie contributes to academic and activist discourses about dismantling abusive theology, racism, sexism, and U.S. hegemony.
Kathleen McCallie is associate professor of ministerial leadership and ethics at Phillips Theological Seminary in Tulsa, Oklahoma. She is ordained in the United Church of Christ and is founding pastor of Church of the Open Arms UCC in Oklahoma City. McCallie’s partnership with friends in Nicaragua began after she first traveled there with Leslie Penrose in 1994.
“At a time when the word ‘border’ is synonymous with racist political theater, Kathleen McCallie shares a remarkable story about the redemptive work of JustHope in Nicaragua. Determined to avoid paternalistic charity syndrome, or ‘poverty tourism,’ McCallie tells the story of an organization whose goal is ‘solidarity ethics.’ Better yet, she tells it as a witness and a worker herself—doing theology on the ground, not just in the faculty lounge. Read it.”
—Robin Meyers, pastor, First Congregational Church UCC, Norman, Oklahoma
“Spirituality beyond Borders is a careful, clear-eyed, and incisive account of JustHope’s transnational partnerships seeking transformative justice for communities in both the U.S. and Nicaragua. It is rich with thick descriptions of the disruptive work of encounter across borders. Through powerful storytelling and centering local voices, Kathleen McCallie gives us a playbook of the hard, heartbreaking, and heart-opening work of imagination and hope.”
—Amy Oden, adjunct professor of early church history and spirituality, Saint Paul School of Theology
“In Spirituality beyond Borders, Kathie McCallie invites readers on a journey with her students to Nicaragua to collaborate with JustHope and the community of Chacraseca. Readers are privy to the hard work necessary to create partnerships rooted in justice, intentional solidarity, action, and reflection. Along with those who take this journey, I found myself spiritually transformed. This book is an excellent model for groups hoping to build healthy and long-lasting solidarity with communities across borders.”
—Deborah A. Appler, professor of Hebrew Bible, Moravian Theological Seminary
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