| Karla writes of her work, “Guatemala is a fascinating place
in which to explore with students the history and mission of Christ’s
church. Several different forms of Christianity—Roman Catholicism,
historical Protestantism, evangelicalism, classical Pentecostalism,
and Neo-Pentecostalism—compete for people’s allegiance.
Mayan spirituality, long practiced clandestinely, has become more
open and public since the signing of the peace accords in 1996.
People are asking how Mayan spirituality and Christianity relate
to one another. They are coming up with very different and conflicting
conclusions. As a missiologist from outside, I can offer people
tools with which to explore these questions as they seek to be
faithful to Jesus Christ in this context.”
Karla first went to Central America
as a theology student. In 1984, she spent eight months in San
José, Costa Rica, at the Latin American Biblical Seminary,
the institution which today is the UBL. She went to work in Nicaragua
in 1986 as a study tour facilitator with the Center for Global
Education of Augsburg College. Karla was first commissioned as
a mission worker with the PC(USA) in 1988 when she joined the
staff of the Interchurch Center for Theological and Social Studies
(CIEETS) in Managua, Nicaragua, as a seminary professor. She taught
at CIEETS until 1994, at which time she returned to the United
States for further education.
Karla is a minister member of Pueblo Presbytery in southeastern
Colorado. She is a member of the American Society of Missiology,
the Association of Professors of Mission, the Latin American Studies
Association, the Presbyterian Historical Society, and the Society
for Pentecostal Studies. She received a bachelor of arts from
St. Olaf College in Northfield, Minnesota, with a focus in environmental
sciences and political economy. She holds a master’s of
divinity and a master’s of theology in Christian Ethics
from Union Theological Seminary in New York City. In May of 2003,
she completed her doctor of philosophy degree in mission, ecumenics
and the history of religions from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Her dissertation focuses on the PC(USA)’s mission relationships
in Central America during the 1980s.
Karla is married to Francisco Javier Torrez Bermudez. Javier,
native of Nicaragua, is currently studying political science at
the Rafael Landivar University. Their daughter, Tamara Rebekah
Torrez-Koll, attends the Inter-American School in Quetzaltenango.
Birthdays:
Karla – May 3
Javier – December 20
Tamara – December 15 |
