Dr. Germain McKenzie
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Miscellaneous Information
Germain McKenzie is a Peruvian-Canadian theologian and sociologist who earned a Ph.D. in Religion and Culture from the Catholic University of America (Washington, D.C.). His academic interests focus on the intersection of Catholic theology and sociology, and on Catholic ecclesiology and the mission of the Church in postmodernity. Lastly, he also studies minority religions in Latin America.
He has been an activist for Catholic-inspired social change in Latin America and has served poor communities in the shanty towns of Lima, his city of birth, for more than 10 years. In this connection he has published peer-reviewed articles on social ethics: “Medellin: 30 Years After” and “John Paul II’s Reconciliation Proposal for Latin America.”
He currently teaches at St Mark’s College in Vancouver. He has worked for various Peruvian universities and has also taught at Niagara University, in Lewiston, New York. While conducting his doctoral studies, Dr. McKenzie was awarded by his alma mater with the Hubbard Dissertation Fellowship, and by the Canadian Consortium for the Study of Religion with the Travel Scholarship for Doctoral Students. He also worked as Research Assistant for the Hispanic Ministry Organizational Culture Project, carried out by the Institute for Public Research and Catholic Studies (Washington, D.C.)
He currently lives in Surrey with his wife, Giuliana.
Books
Interpreting Charles Taylor’s Social Theory on Secularization and Religion: A Comparative Study. New York: Springer, 2016.
Lay Associations and Ecclesial Movements. St. Catharines, ON: Office of Evangelization, 2010. (Edited).
Contemporary Cultural Trends in Peru. Lima: Universidad Catolica Sedes Sapientiae, 2010. Entries in Edited Books
“Atheism and Religious Nones in Spanish Latin America,” in Michael Ruse and Stephen Sullivant, eds., The Cambridge Handbook of Atheism. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2021.
“Buddhism in Peru,” in Henri Gooren, ed., Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. New York: Springer, 2019.
Selected Peer-Reviewed Articles
“Exploring Soto Zen in Peru,” Revista de Estudios de Religião, 16. 3 (2016): 174-196.
“John Paul II’s View on Faith and Culture: What Does it Say to Us in Canada Today?” Fidelitas (Summer-Fall 2014): 38-55.
“A Glance to the Medellin Document, After Thirty Years,” Revista VE 40 (May-August 1998): 45-71.
“Doctrinal Insights of the Reconciliation Proposal of John Paul II for Latin America,” Revista VE 36 (January-April 1997): 65-90.
Education
Catholic University of America, Washington, D.C., USA – Ph.D. in Religion and Culture
Pontifical School of Theology of Lima, Peru – M.T.S. & M. Div. in Practical Theology
Pontifical School of Theology of Lima, Peru – B. Th.
Professional Societies
College Theological Society
Society of Catholic Social Scientists
Canadian Consortium for the Study of Religion