Titus is from Menno Colony, Paraguay. His academic degrees include: Profesor de Educación Primaria from the Escuela Normal de Profesores No. 1, Asunción, Paraguay; B.Th. from Canadian Mennonite Bible College; B.A. in Anthropology from the University of Manitoba; M.A. and Ph.D. both in Theology from the University of St. Michael’s College, part of Toronto School of Theology.
Prior to coming to CMBC/CMU, Titus was a primary school teacher in Paraguay; Chaplain and Honorary Lecturer in Theology at the National University of Lesotho, Africa; Provincial Youth Minister (together with his wife, Karen) for Mennonite Church of Eastern Canada; Professor of Church History and Area Coordinator for the seminary, Comunidad Teológica Evangélica de Chile (CTE); and is now semi-retired Professor of Theology and Missions at Canadian Mennonite University.
In his spare time Titus is book review editor for the journal, Mission Focus: Annual Review, and, besides theology, enjoys reading novels. Among his favourite authors are Isabel Allende, Gabriel García Márquez; Rudy Wiebe, Carol Shields, and Alexander McCall Smith. He also likes to go on walks with Karen, but should use the exercise machine(s) more! He also enjoys doing carpentry.
One of Titus’ passions is working in Spanish settings: He spent part of his recent sabbatical year teaching in the inter-Protestant Seminary of Chile (CTE), and working with the Latin Evangelical-Protestant (including Anabaptist-Mennonite) churches of Chile. He also enjoys connecting with Canadian churches through his CMU Portables.
His publications include his Ph. D. dissertation, Rahner and Metz: Transcendental Theology as Political Theology (University Press of America, 1994); “Las Teologías del Tercer Mundo y la Identidad Anabautista,” in Del Sur al Norte: Aportes teológicos desde la periferia (Buenos Aires: Ediciones Kairós, 2003) 51-96; “The Missional Church,” in Preservings, No. 25 (2005) 90; “Ältester Martin C. Friesen (1889-1968): A Man of Vision for Paraguay’s Mennogemeinde,” in Journal of Mennonite Studies, 23, (2005) 185-211 and other articles and book reviews. His German sermons, aired by the radio program, Frohe Botschaft, were published under the title, Als neue Menschheit Gottes leben, Winnipeg, MB: Mennonite Church Canada (2008). Titus and his wife, Karen, attend Charleswood Mennonite Church, have two daughters, Angelika and Susanne, both married; they also have two grandchildren.
Why should students consider studying Theology, Missiology and World Religions at CMU?
By studying these subjects, students will “be able to appreciate the faith-dimension of church and world history,” says Titus, adding they will also be able to “learn how to handle the ethical and meaning questions of life in the world today.” They will also “learn to read mission history critically, emulating the positive achievements and avoiding the mistakes of the past. The study of Third World Theology and World Religions will prepare students to carry on intelligent dialogue with Christians in the non-Western world, and with practitioners of other religions.”
Favourite quotes: “[R]ather than God having a church with a mission in the world, God has a mission with a church in the world.” (www.thekingdomstory.org/lessons/old-testament-lessons/chapter-3-genesis-12); “The people of God is called to be today what the whole world is called to be ultimately.” John Howard Yoder
