<Full disclosure first of all. I had absolutely no involvement in the production of this book. HOWEVER, I am the “editor-in-chief” of PBTS-Press, and Samdao’s work is the first book published under this imprint. As such, I am reviewing a book that I have some indirect involvement in.>

Francis Samdao’s book “Drinking Coffee with Some Contemporary Filipino Evangelical Theologians” is a very useful work to get an understanding of key theologians in the Philippines who would be described as part of the Evangelical tradition, while still very much rooted in the Filipino experience. The book, published just this year, 2026, centers on an understanding of the following theologians in terms of their background, interests and concerns, advocacy, and theological output:

-Frederico G. Villanueva

-Violeta Villaroman-Bautista

-Aldrin M. Penamora (Sorry, don’t know how to insert the “enya” into his last name)

-Athena Gorospe

-Timoteo D. Gener

-Melba Padilla Maggay

Just talking about the work of these theologians is useful in and of itself. I remember coming to the Philippines and being told that there were really no great Protestant (Evangelical or otherwise) Filipino theologians. There were some who great Catholic Filipino theologians, but the Protestants, or so I was told, simply relied too much on American (especially) and Western and South Korean theologians and writers and tended to parrot their work. And in the early years of my time in the Philippines, that perspective seemed to stand up to scrutiny. Foreign, non-Filipino, voices seemed always to get the best platforms to speak or distribute their works locally— and this was regardless of the competence of these voices. That does appear to be changing… but slowly.

In this book, Samdao could have approached the work as a reporter simply sharing the life and work of these prominent theologians. However, as a Filipino theologian himself, he is a professor at Philippine Baptist Theological Seminary in Baguio City, Philippines, he chose to interact with their work, adding his own thoughts to the conversation. I believe this form of theological dialogue inspired the title.

I found the book to very helpful in exploring the landscape of Evangelical theology in the Philippines, but also in imagining to where this form of theology may move forward as it divorces itself somewhat from American understanding of Evangelical theology. Western Evangelical theology as noted by Samdao and others in the book often has been presented as Escapist (“This World is Not My Home, I’m Just A-passin’ Through”), Spiritualistic (saving souls only, not saving lives, families, or society), Individualistic (Centered on self, not community), Nationalistic (God and Country, or even God via Country), and Dichotomistic (Either/Or rather than nuance or Both/And). While I personally applaud the move away from these traits in American Evangelical Theology, it is quite possible that the result may be a Filipino/Asian Theology that some in the West would not identify as being distinctly Evangelical. Perhaps that is a good thing.

I definitely recommend it for all seminary and bible school students in the Philippines. I also believe that many Evangelicals outside of the Philippines would gain from the critique of “traditional” theology in this book. Although there is a lot of Filipino quotes and terms in the book, they are always followed by an English translation, so it is very accessible to anyone comfortable with English.

My only (modest) negative critique of the book is that it could have gone further with fitting with the title (embracing the ‘conceit’ of its concept). The book is definitely one of theological interaction, but it may have been improved with a couple of pages of genuine shared dialogue with each of those being examined. I might even suggest that there was room for a bit of whimsy in the chapter titles. Perhaps lead the chapter for each theologian with a type of coffee that is appropriate. For an Eco-theologian as Athena Gorospe, perhaps it could be a “Shade-grown Sagada Light Roast.” For a theologian focused on the challenges of Christian-Muslim relations and dialogue as Aldrin Panemora, a “Basilan Brew,” from coffee that grows in an area of religious conflict, may be a good choice. For Federico Villanueva, the theologian of lament, I would have to choose “Instant Robusta Coffee.”