VALLEY FORGE, PA (ABNS 2/15/23)—The American Baptist Churches USA Committee on Christian Unity and Interfaith Relations received nominations for the Luke Mowbray Ecumenical Award in fall 2022. The Committee voted to recognize Dr. Luis N. Rivera-Pagán, Henry Winters Luce Professor of Ecumenics and Mission Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary. The Award is given to an individual for “sustained performance or special achievement” in “the cause of ecumenism.” The award will be presented during the Committee on Christian Unity and Interfaith Relations dinner at the 2023 American Baptist Churches Biennial Mission Summit on Friday evening, June 23, 2023 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.
The Luke Mowbray Ecumenical Award was established in 1974 at the request of Edna Mowbray, in memory of her late husband to recognize their commitment to achieve Christian unity. Luke and Edna Mowbray were faithful members of First Baptist Church in Pratt, Kansas. They were dedicated American Baptists who helped other farmers during difficult times. The Award’s purpose is to give recognition to a member of an American Baptist church who has made an outstanding contribution in ecumenical work at the local, state, national, or international level as either a volunteer or paid professional.
Dr. Luis N. Rivera-Pagán is the Henry Winters Luce Professor of Ecumenics and Mission Emeritus at Princeton Theological Seminary. He was raised in the First Baptist Church of Río Piedras, Puerto Rico, and has enjoyed multiple Christian communities in various parts of the world. He has presented at theological conferences and given lectures in many nations: United States, Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Trinidad Tobago, Jamaica, Spain, Switzerland (Geneva), Germany, Israel , Palestine, Russia, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Lebanon, India, Malaysia and Thailand. Rivera-Pagán is also the author of several books.
Rivera-Pagán is the author of several books, including: A la sombra del armagedón: reflexiones críticas sobre el desafío nuclear (1988), Senderos teológicos: el pensamiento evangélico puertorriqueño (1989), A Violent Evangelism: The Political and Religious Conquest of the Americas (1992), Los sueños del ciervo: Perspectivas teológicas desde el Caribe (1995), Entre el oro y la fe: El dilema de América (1995), Mito exilio y demonios: literatura y teología en América Latina (1996), La evangelización de los pueblos americanos: algunas reflexiones históricas (1997), Diálogos y polifonías: perspectivas y reseñas (1999), Teología y cultura en América Latina (2009), Ensayos teológicos desde el Caribe (2013), Peregrinajes teológicos y literarios (2013), Essays from the Margins (2014), Voces teológicas en diálogo con la cultura (2017) [editor], Voz profética y teología liberadora (2017), Evocaciones literarias y sociales (2018), Evangelización y violencia: La conquista de América (2020), and Historia de la conquista de América: Evangelización y violencia (2021).
American Baptist Churches USA is one of the most diverse Christian denominations today, with approximately 5,000 congregations comprised of 1.3 million members, across the United States and Puerto Rico, all engaged in God’s mission around the world.