Samuel Escobar

{{Infobox person

| name = Samuel Escobar

| birth_date = {{birth date|1934|11|28}}

| birth_place = Arequipa, Peru

| death_date = {{death date and given age|2025|4|29|90|df=y}}

| death_place = Valencia, Spain

| occupation = {{hlist|Theologian|missiologist|educator|author}}

| known_for = Founding the Latin American Theological Fellowship, leadership in global evangelicalism

}}

Juan Samuel Escobar Aguirre{{efn|{{IPA|es|xuˈan samuˈel escoˈβaɾ aˈɣire|small=no}}}} (28 November 1934 – 29 April 2025) was a Peruvian evangelical theologian, missiologist, educator, and author, known for his influential role in shaping Latin American evangelical theology and global evangelical engagement with social justice.{{Cite journal |last=Padilla |first=René |date=2010 |title=Samuel Escobar: Theological Mission in Context |journal=International Bulletin of Missionary Research |volume=34 |issue=4 |pages=195–200}} A founding leader of the Latin American Theological Fellowship, Escobar was widely recognized as a key architect of contextual theology in Latin America and a vocal advocate for integrating evangelical faith with sociopolitical responsibility.{{Cite book |last=Escobar |first=Samuel |title=The New Global Mission |publisher=InterVarsity Press |year=2003 |isbn=9780830877836}}{{Cite book |last=Swartz |first=David R. |title=Moral Minority: The Evangelical Left in an Age of Conservatism |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2012 |pages=113–134 |chapter=Samuel Escobar and the Global Reflex |doi=10.9783/9780812207682.113}}

Early life and education

Escobar was born in 28 November 1934 in Arequipa, Peru.{{Cite book |last=Escobar |first=Samuel |title=In Search of Christ in Latin America |publisher=IVP Academic |year=2019 |isbn=9780830889914}} Raised in the Evangelical Church of Peru, he experienced the marginalization of evangelicals in a predominantly Catholic society, which shaped his early awareness of religious and political dynamics.

In 1951, he began his studies of Arts and Education at the National University of San Marcos in Lima. That year, he was baptized by M. David Oates, a Southern Baptist missionary from the United States. While there, he encountered Marxist and existentialist thought but underwent a personal evangelical revival.{{Cite book |last=González |first=Justo L. |title=A History of Latin American Theology |publisher=Abingdon Press |year=2021}} In 1957, Escobar graduated with a degree in pedagogy. Nine years later, Escobar moved to Spain and earned his doctorate cum laude at the Complutense University of Madrid.

Career

Escobar joined the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students (IFES) in 1959, with which he worked in Peru, Argentina, Brazil, and Spain.{{Cite book |last=Stott |first=John |title=Issues Facing Christians Today |publisher=Zondervan |year=1982}} From 1972 to 1975, he served as General Director of InterVarsity Christian Fellowship in Canada. He returned to Latin America to continue his work with IFES and strengthen indigenous theological networks.{{Cite web |date=25 September 2024 |title=Introducing the Samuel Escobar Papers |url=https://fromthevault.wheaton.edu/2024/09/25/introducing-the-samuel-escobar-papers/ |access-date=15 April 2025 |website=From the Vault – Wheaton Archives & Special Collections}}

In 1970, following the first Congreso Latinoamericano de Evangelización (CLADE I) in Bogotá, Escobar co-founded the Fraternidad Teológica Latinoamericana (FTL), serving as its president until 1984. The FTL promoted a contextual, biblically grounded Latin American theology that emphasized social justice and local leadership.{{Cite book |last=Salinas |first=Daniel |title=Latin American Evangelical Theology in the 1970s: The Golden Decade |publisher=Brill |year=2009 |pages=83–120}}

From 1985 to 2005, Escobar was Thornley B. Wood Professor of Missiology at Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (now Palmer Theological Seminary) in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. He was also adjunct professor at Eastern University and later a consultant on theological education for the American Baptist Churches USA.{{Cite web |title=J. Samuel Escobar |url=https://www.palmerseminary.edu/j-samuel-escobar |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241205171236/https://www.palmerseminary.edu/j-samuel-escobar |archive-date=5 December 2024 |access-date=15 April 2025 |website=Palmer Theological Seminary}}

Personal life and death

Escobar married Lily Artola in 1958, and they had two children together.

Escobar died in Valencia, Spain on 29 April 2025, at the age of 90.{{Cite web |last=Cristiano |first=Diario |date=29 April 2025 |title=Samuel Escobar, Latin American theologian and missions leader, dies at 90 |url=https://www.christiandaily.com/news/samuel-escobar-latin-american-theologian-and-missions-leader-dies-at-90 |website=Christian Daily International}}{{Cite web |last=Iacomini |first=Franco |date=1 May 2025 |title=Died: Samuel Escobar, Who Saw Evangelism and Social Action as Inseparable |url=https://www.christianitytoday.com/2025/05/died-samuel-escobar/ |url-access=limited |website=Christianity Today}}

International influence

Escobar played key roles in global evangelical gatherings, including:

Berlin Congress on Evangelism (1966)
CLADE I (Bogotá, 1969)
Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (1974)
Lausanne II (Manila, 1989)
CLADE III (Quito, 1992){{Cite web |title=Samuel Escobar |url=https://edicioneskairos.com.ar/samuel-escobar/ |language=es}}
Lausanne III (Cape Town, 2010), where he chaired the advisory council

At Lausanne 1974, Escobar criticized North American evangelicalism for prioritizing personal salvation over structural justice. He urged evangelicals to pursue "holistic mission" by addressing social, political, and economic realities.{{Cite journal |last=Escobar |first=Samuel |year=1975 |title=Evangelism and Man's Search for Freedom, Justice, and Fulfillment |journal=Lausanne Occasional Papers}}{{Cite book |last=Kirkpatrick |first=David C. |title=A Gospel for the Poor: Global Social Christianity and the Latin American Evangelical Left |publisher=University of Pennsylvania Press |year=2019 |pages=15–32}}

Theological vision

Escobar's theology blended evangelical convictions with a strong emphasis on justice, freedom, and human dignity. He advocated for a faith that was both deeply biblical and socially relevant, shaped by the Latin American context.{{Cite book |last=Moreau |first=Scott |title=Evangelical Dictionary of World Missions |publisher=Baker Academic |year=2000}} He criticized missionary paternalism and supported efforts to "latinize" theological education and leadership.

Honors and legacy

Escobar was ordained as a Baptist minister in 1979. He served as President of the International Fellowship of Evangelical Students from 1995 to 2003 and President of the United Bible Societies from 1996 to 2004.

He was Professor Emeritus at Palmer Theological Seminary and a contributing editor to the International Bulletin of Mission Research.

Escobar's papers are housed and preserved at the Wheaton College Archives and Special Collections.

Selected works

Escobar authored more than twenty books, including:

La Fe Evangélica Y Las Teologías De La Liberación (1987) {{ISBN|

9780311091072}}

Paulo Freire: Una Pedagogia Latinoamericana (1993) {{ISBN|9789687011325}}
Servir Con Los Pobres En América Latina: Modelos de Ministerio Integral (1997) {{ISBN|9789879591529}}
Un pueblo en tiempo de misión (1999) {{ISBN|9786124252969}}
Changing Tides: Mission in Latin America (2002) {{ISBN|9781570754142}}
The New Global Mission: The Gospel from Everywhere to Everyone (2003) {{ISBN|9780830877836}}
La Palabra: vida de la iglesia (2006) {{ISBN|9780311421206}}
In Search of Christ in Latin America: From Colonial Image to Liberating Savior (2019) {{ISBN|9780830889914}}
People in Mission: An Autobiographical Reflection (2021) {{ISBN|9781506484006}}
Samuel Escobar: An Anthology: Collected Essays on Mission, Culture and Theology (2022) {{ISBN|9781506488981}}
Un pueblo en tiempo de misión (2022) {{ISBN|9786124252969}}