Honoring C. René Padilla
Tuesday afternoon mi amig y hermano Ricky Padilla texted me the devastating news: Hermano C. René Padilla had died.
Hermano Padilla was a legend. Born in Quito, Ecuador (1932), Padilla spent much of his life globally advancing an evangélica/o theology that stressed social action and evangelism. Picking one or the other, Padilla famously said, “would be equivalent to asking about the relative importance of the right wing and the left wing of a plane.” Padilla knew his Lord and his Bible. He knew the same Lord spoke the words of Matthew 25 and Matthew 28. Christ’s disciples must care for the least of these and make disciples of all nations. This twofold emphasis informed Padilla’s conception of misión integral, or integral mission, a framework of Christian mission and living that has shaped evangélica/o and evangelical institutions and communities throughout the globe.
Padilla’s misión integral also carried an implicit criticism, which Padilla frequently made explicit, of Western Anglo missiology and practices. As John Stott noted in 1981, “Dr. René Padilla was criticized at Lausanne for saying that the gospel some European and North American missionaries have exported was a ‘culture-Christianity,’ a Christian message, that is, distorted by the materialistic, consumer culture of the West. It was hurtful to us to hear him say this, but of course he was quite right.” He still is.
These truths and more motivated me to contact Wheaton College’s Senior Administrative Cabinet Tuesday evening to request that they send a campus-wide email honoring hermano Padilla’s legacy. I noted that Padilla had strong ties to Wheaton (see below), and that the administration’s honoring him would mean much to Latin@s within and without Wheaton’s community mourning the loss of this amazing churchman. Several members of the administration responded, thanked me for informing them about Padilla’s death, and said they would send the requested email. Here it is.
Dear Campus Community,
We grieve with the family and loved ones of Dr. René Padilla, who died yesterday, April 27, in Buenos Aires at the age of 88. He held three degrees from Wheaton, earning his BA in Philosophy in 1957, his MA in Biblical and Theological Studies in 1960, and then was awarded an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree in 1992. Dr. Padilla also served as Guest Professor in Bible between 2003 and 2005. His work as a theologian, leader, pastor, teacher, and writer, especially in Latin America, will continue to bear fruit in the global church.
Wheaton Philosophy Professor Nathan Cartagena notes, “Dr. Padilla was a legendary giant of the faith, with strong Wheaton ties, who loved us well.” Dr. Padilla’s story—including his ties to our missionary legacy—is beautifully portrayed in his obituary in Christianity Today. His Wheaton ties include his daughters Ruth Padilla Deborst MA ’87 and Elisa Padilla Shannon BA ’88, whom we also want to keep in our prayers.
May the living Christ comfort Dr. Padilla’s family and his global community of friends and fellow disciples whom he mentored through his writings, teaching, and example.
In Christ’s service,
Philip Ryken
President
I’m grateful for this institutional act of remembering, mourning, and celebrating. Yes, there’s more to say. There always is. But I’m grateful for the Lord working through people like me y mi hermano Ricky Padilla to help the Church catholic mourn and celebrate en conjunto—together. May we who’ve received Padilla’s witness pass it along in word and deed. Amén.
