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René Padilla

1932 – 2021

Ecuadorian evangelical theologian and missiologist

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About René Padilla

Lived 1932 – 2021 (aged 88). René Padilla was an Ecuadorian theologian.

Carlos René Padilla (12 October 1932 27 April 2021

Career

His education and experiences with InterVarsity Christian Fellowship underscored Padilla's evangelical foundations and the priority he placed on the historical-critical approach to hermeneutics. However, in 1959, Padilla was appointed a traveling secretary in Latin America for International Fellowship of Evangelical Students. In his work with universities throughout Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador, Padilla was faced with a tense sociopolitical context. Students were immersed in Marxist writings and grappled with the possibility of revolution. This was the context which produced not only Catholic liberation theology, but also challenged Padilla to develop a new evangelical social theology which he later termed "integral mission."

Padilla brought his ideas to the global stage at the Lausanne Conference of 1974. This had a significant effect on the nature of global evangelicalism and the growing priority of evangelicals in both evangelism and social activism.

Padilla received an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree from Wheaton College in 1992.

Works

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Important facts

Birth century
Occupation
Nationality
Education
Wheaton College, University of Manchester
Also known as
C. René Padilla, Carlos René Padilla

People in René Padilla's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped René Padilla's

Frequently asked questions

Who was René Padilla?

Ecuadorian evangelical theologian and missiologist

When was René Padilla born?

René Padilla was born on 12 October 1932 in Quito.

When did René Padilla die?

René Padilla died on 27 April 2021 in Buenos Aires.

What was René Padilla's occupation?

René Padilla was a theologian.

What nationality was René Padilla?

René Padilla was Ecuadorian.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: René Padilla

· Wikidata: Q27928077

· DBpedia: René Padilla

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). René Padilla. https://biography.guide/rene-padilla/

MLA: "René Padilla." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/rene-padilla/.

Chicago: "René Padilla." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/rene-padilla/.

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