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Héctor A. Acero Ferrer
Adjunct Faculty; Interim Program Coordinator, Bachelor of Arts: Christian Studies and Global Citizenship
I first joined Martin Luther University College in January 2016 as adjunct faculty. Currently, I serve as the Interim Program Coordinator for the college’s Bachelor of Arts: Christian Studies & Global Citizenship. In addition to this role, I teach undergraduate and graduate courses on the topics of youth engagement, social justice, community and theology, and intersectionality. I am passionate about bolstering student-led research and have supervised several student cohorts in their Christian Studies & Global Citizenship capstone projects, in which they integrate academic research, community service, and theological reflection.
Outside of Luther, I serve as Associate Director of the Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics at the Institute for Christian Studies (ICS). In this role, I help to plan, co-ordinate, and implement institutional research projects and public outreach initiatives geared to explore the role of religion in contemporary society.
Currently, I am a PhD in Philosophy candidate, conjointly enrolled at the Institute for Christian Studies and the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I hold a Master of Arts in Philosophy (ICS), a Master of Divinity & Bachelor of Sacred Theology (Toronto School of Theology), and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy (University of Toronto).
Courses Taught:
- GC241: Engaging Youth Cultures
- GC401: Senior Project and Integration Seminar
- GC280P: Finding Common Ground in a Time of Polarization
- TH530C: Introduction to Spirit in Community
- TH645A: Intersectionality; Interfaith and Intercultural Perspectives
View my Meet the Prof @LutherWaterloo video.
As a scholar, educator, and activist, I combine academic philosophy, narrative research, and community-based approaches, attempting to understand how faith communities mobilize their members in seeking social transformation. In my PhD dissertation (currently in-progress) entitled, “Imagining Liberation Amidst Violence: Liberation Theology, Social Imagination, and the Voices of Conflict Survivors in Colombia’s Ecclesial Base Communities,” I explore how Liberation Theology has contributed to the development of distinctive notions of justice, reconciliation, and peace in post-colonial Latin America, thereby assisting local civic movements in the pursuit of social transformation, equality, and co-operation in the service of vulnerable communities.
I have given papers and led workshops at international conferences, including the Society of Ricoeur Studies Conference, SIMAGINE Consortium, International Council of Christians and Jews, Parliament of the World’s Religions, the North American Interfaith Network Conference and the Association for Reformational Philosophy. My writings have appeared in Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society, European Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences, Toronto Journal of Theology, and Review of Religious Research. I have also co-edited two books: Seeking Stillness [or] The Sound of Wings: Scholarly and Artistic Comment on Art, Truth, and Society in Honour of Lambert Zuidervaart (Wipf & Stock, 2021) and Gestures of Grace: Essays in Honour of Robert Sweetman (Wipf & Stock, forthcoming).
At ICS’s Centre for Philosophy, Religion and Social Ethics, I collaborated in two multi-year research projects, funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC), exploring the relation of faith and society. The outcomes of the first of these projects can be found in Just Faith? A National Survey Connecting Faith and Justice within the Christian Reformed Church. The second of these projects, entitled Faith and Settlement Partnerships: Setting Immigrants and Canada up for Success explored the collaboration between faith-based initiatives and government-funded organizations in refugee settlement in Canada.
i. Books Edited
- Harris, Joshua Lee, and Héctor Acero Ferrer, eds. Gestures of Grace: Essays in Honour of Robert Sweetman. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2023. (forthcoming)
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor, Michael DeMoor, Peter Enneson, Matthew Klaassen, eds. Seeking Stillness [or] The Sound of Wings: Scholarly and Artistic Comment on Art, Truth, and Society in Honour of Lambert Zuidervaart. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2021.
ii. Chapters in Books
- Acero Ferrer, Hector. “Yearning to Become the Echo of the Oppressed: A Faith Journey between Colombia and Canada.” In Portraits of Faith: Youth Adult Catholics Share Their Stories, edited by Sr. Mechtilde O’Mara, C.S.J. and Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt. Toronto: Novalis, 2016.
iii. Papers in Refereed Journals
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor A. “Living Theology in a Pluralistic Latin America: An Exploration of Ecclesial Base Communities through the Lens of Social Imaginaries.” Religions 14(2). https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14020259
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor A. “Review Reading In-Between: Biblical Interpretation in Canada, edited by Nestor Medina, Allison Hari-Singh, Hyeran Kim-Cragg.” Toronto Journal of Theology 36(1), 2020. https://www.utpjournals.press/doi/full/10.3138/tjt-2020-0080
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor A., “Imagining Borders, Imagining Relationships: Can We Build Enlarged Communities Through Narrative Imagination?” Interdisciplinary Journal for Religion and Transformation in Contemporary Society 5(2): 447-468, 2020.
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor A., “Review of Jardines del México Antiguo by Granziera, Patrizia.” Researcher – European Journal of Humanities & Social Sciences 2(2): 113-114, 2019.
- Janzen, Rich, Steve van de Hoef, Alethea Stobbe, Allyson Carr, Joshua Harris, Ronald A. Kuipers, Héctor Acero Ferrer. “Just Faith? A National Survey Connecting Faith and Justice Within the Christian Reformed Church.” Review of Religious Research 58: 229-247, 2016.
iv. Papers in Refereed Conference Proceedings
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor A., “Dignify(ing) Narratives: Building Communities through Acts of Resistance and Stories of Survival.” In A Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace: Global Mennonite Perspectives on Peacebuilding and Nonviolence, edited by Fernando Enns, Nina Schroeder-van‘t Schip, Andrés Pacheco-Lozano. Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2023.
v. Technical Reports
- Brnjas, Chris, Héctor Acero Ferrer. Faith & Settlement Partnerships: Setting Immigrants & Canada up for Success Workshop Facilitator’s Guide May 2018. Waterloo, ON: Centre for Community Based Research, 2018. https://199486d8-e287-4a48-a0cc-b19db2f62a6d.filesusr.com/ugd/36eba7_0b04aa70cb3b4bbea401bae50d786adf.pdf
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. Faith & Settlement Partnerships: Setting Immigrants & Canada up for Success World Renew Case Study Report January 2018. Waterloo, ON: Centre for Community Based Research, 2018. https://199486d8-e287-4a48-a0cc-b19db2f62a6d.filesusr.com/ugd/36eba7_097a1677e994433ea59f962dcd8f4a71.pdf
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor, Aamna Ashraf, Trisha Scantlebury, Ronald A. Kuipers. Faith & Settlement Partnerships: Setting Immigrants & Canada up for Success Peel Case Study Report May 2017. Waterloo, ON: Centre for Community Based Research, 2017.
https://199486d8-e287-4a48-a0cc-b19db2f62a6d.filesusr.com/ugd/36eba7_3b9d6a34f2cb4ed587a17476ef5c785b.pdf
vi. Other Publications
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “Can Hope Save Colombia?” Geez Magazine: Contemplative Cultural Resistance 66: 60, Fall 2022.
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “Of Tradition and Generation.” Perspective 56(2): 2, Fall 2022.
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “The Conscience of Seelisberg.” 75th Anniversary of the Seelisberg Conference. International Council of Christians and Jews. July 4, 2022. https://www.iccj.org/ressources/seelisberg75.html
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “Race, Philosophy, and Complicity.” Perspective 55(1): 9-11, Spring 2021.
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “On the Vanguard of our Peoples, At the Edge of Our Communities.” Perspective 54(1): 10-11, Spring 2020.
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor A., “Interview with Jayne Svenungsson.” Entangled Worlds, University of Toronto. January 2019. https://entangledworlds.utoronto.ca/index.php/interview-with-jayne-svenungsson/
- Brnjas, Chris, Héctor Acero-Ferrer. “Welcoming partners: Can faith and settlement partnerships shape Canada’s newcomer-settlement practices?” Christian Courier. November 27, 2017. http://www.christiancourier.ca/news/entry/welcoming-partners
- Acero-Ferrer, Héctor. “No time for sadness, only for hope.” Christian Courier. August 28, 2017
http://www.christiancourier.ca/news/entry/no-time-for-sadness-only-for-hope - Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “Reflecting on the practical implications of inviting everyone to the table.” Scarboro Missions Magazine (Special Interfaith Edition, Sept-Oct 2015). http://www.scarboromissions.ca/document/september-october-2015
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “The Quest for Salvation and Our Social Engagement: Are They Reconcilable?” Ground Motive. March 28, 2014. http://www.groundmotive.net/2014/03/the-quest-for-salvation-and-our-social.html
- Acero Ferrer, Héctor. “The Search for Colombian ‘Q’: Discovering the Hidden Source of a Spirituality of Hope.” Ground Motive. December 4, 2013. http://www.groundmotive.net/2013/12/the-search-for-colombian-q-discovering.html
- Philosophy of religion
- Paul Ricoeur
- Liberation Theology
- Social imagination
- Inter-religious dialogue
- Religion and secularity