In Memory of C. René Padilla (1932-2021)
On April 27, C. René Padilla, the influential Ecuadorian theologian and publisher, passed away. Padilla is best known for his articulation of misión integral, a theology of mission which emphasizes the equal and interrelated importance of evangelism and social engagement. Padilla was an influential speaker at the First Lausanne Congress of 1974, and he served as a staff person for the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) for much of his life. He was the co-founder, with his wife Catherine, of the Centro de Estudios Teológicos Interdisciplinarios (CETI), the leader of the Kairos Center for Integral Mission, and head of Kairos Publishing. He is the author of many articles as well as the collection entitled Mission Between the Times: Essays on the Kingdom (1985, 1st ed.).
A full obituary can be found at Christianity Today.
René Padilla’s daughter, Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst (’16), a BU alumna who studied with Dr. Dana Robert, also serves with CETI and the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (INFEMIT).