This book uses political, religious, and cultural history to examine catechesis. Sister de Luna establishes that religiosidad popular, the core theme for Hispanic theology, is Christian and Catholic and traces its elements in Church catechisms of the sixteenth through the twentieth centuries. She goes on to examine the relationship between theology of beauty, catechesis, and spirituality establishing that the three disciplines were integral to faith formation in the early church, but were separated through the centuries. An in-depth analysis of six selected catechisms reveals that popular religion as a combination of faith and culture was evident at the beginning of Hispanic Catholicism in the sixteenth century. The investigation notes the gradual elimination and eventual replacement of the cultural aspects in the catechetical texts in the nineteenth century. The author concludes that the reunification of the cultural spiritual symbols with the presentation of doctrine could revitalize catechesis and bring Christian evangelization to a renewed effectiveness.

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List of members in each volume.

It is important for Christians and Muslims to engage in respectful dialogue. However, it is not easy. The present book delves into the past for wisdom and guidance. Spanish theologian Martin Perez de Ayala (1504-66) wrote a catechism or Catecismo that was not published until more than three decades after he had passed away. Why was the Catecismo published posthumously? The search for answers to this question involved evaluating the Catecismo against thirteen other catechisms written in sixteenth-century Spain. This assessment generated timeless principles that can be used today by those who wish to have cordial conversations about Islam and biblical Christianity with their Muslim friends.