The year 2021 marked the five-hundredth anniversary of Christianity in the Philippines. With over 90% of the Filipin@s (Filipino/as) in the country and more than eight million around the world identifying as Christian, they are a significant force reshaping global Christianity. The fifth centenary called for celebration, reflection, and critique. This book represents the voices of theologians in the Philippines, the United States, Australia, and around the world examining Christianity in the Philippines through a postcolonial theological lens that suggests the desire to go beyond the colonial in all its contemporary manifestations. Part 1, “Rethinking the Encounters,” focuses on introducing the context of Christianity’s arrival in the archipelago and its effect on its peoples. Part 2, “Reappropriation, Resistance, and Decolonization,” grapples with the enduring presence of coloniality in Filipin@ religious practices. It also celebrates the ways Christianity has been critically and creatively reimagined.
