Thanks for the bios … it has really helped me get to know you a little better.
As I mentioned before, I’m a little “out of the loop” and am curious about the state of affairs in the existing structures for Baptist work among Hispanics. I know that it is impossible to paint all Hispanics (American and Non-American) into a single category. It is impossible, in fact, to relegate all Texas Baptist Hispanics (a much smaller grouping) into one cultural body. In the Texas Baptist Hispanic church I grew up in there were 19 different countries represented from all across the Latin world. Latinos in America are such a widely diverse group that to attempt a synthesis of their cultural patterns would be impossible.
Acknowledging that … what are the things that bring us together? Who are we talking about when we talk about Hispanics in Baptist life? For me it would include anyone who would claim their Hispanic identity as part of their hermeneutical baggage (the way they interpret Scripture and the world), and who live their Christian lives within the context of a commitment to the Latino struggle to become a follower of Christ (salvation/liberation/discipleship).
Justo Gonzalez, in his book Santa Biblia: The Bible Through Hispanic Eyes, identifies five lenses through which Hispanics view the Bible (and the world, for that matter): Marginalization, Mestizo, Exile, Poverty, and Solidarity. Pablo Jimenez (Teologia en Conjunto: A Collaborative Hispanic Protestant Theology ) and Gustavo Gutierrez (We Drink from our own Wells) would add the supremacy of community to the Latino perspective (something Gonzalez addresses in his idea of solidarity). They both (Jimenez and Gutierrez) lament the privatization of the salvation experience in American Christianity and how it has warped the experience for American Latinos.
So … How are we addressing the issues particular to the Hispanic condition within the existing structures in Baptist life? Are the existing structures able to carry the weight of the work that is ahead? There’s no need to reinvent the wheel … unless the wheel isn’t turning. Baptist life is rapidly changing. How are Hispanic Baptists changing with it?
These are a few questions from someone “out of the loop” who is genuinely unaware of the answers …
I leave them unanswered …
I’m calling on you … my friends … to enlighten me …
Blessings,
Ellis
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Ellis,
Thanks for your questions. They are insightful and they require some reflection. I look forward to the dialogue they will bring forward.
Blessings!
Ellis, thanks for jump starting our conversation. I may be out of the loop as well. I remember the word “Liminal” that Wolf introduced to us years ago. Ni aca o aya but still connected and advocating for the community where possible. Juan Martinez, Professor of Pastoral Leadership and Theology at Fuller Seminary did a lecture at BUA a few years ago about the multicultural nature of the Latino Community. One thing is for sure, we are very complex and diverse.
Al:
Yes … I, too, first heard the word “liminal” from Tom years ago. It means to be associated with the threshold — to live on the verge of something different — to live on the hyphen between what is and what is to come. Obviously, Jesus and the disciples were liminal people. So are many Hispanics. We live our lives on the border between two worlds … one powerful … the other marginal. We live on the threshold of two (or more) cultures coming together, sometimes clashing, sometimes embracing. We have navigated the liminal lay of the land our entire lives. It’s like breathing to us. That’s why Hispanics have the potential to make the greatest missionary force in the western hemisphere.
I know you devoted numerous years to calling young Hispanics to this important work, and preparing them for the field of service. I’m sure that Rene is continuing that emphasis.
What else are we doing to call young Hispanics and get them trained? The younger generation has a much diminished sense of loyalty to a convention (BGCT or otherwise). An appeal to be a part of the team or a promise of upward mobility within the convention is not enough to motivate this generation to action. What is the call that we are issuing to the next generation of missionaries? Do we have the mechanisms in place to issue the call? Is there a unified understanding of what we are doing and how we are going to accomplish it? These are just a few of the questions that keep coming to me …
blessings,
ellis
Ellis, your questions are refreshing. I am not sure I have answers for these tough questions. Through our work at Buckner we are providing a platform for the next generation to get on mission to serve children and families who desparately need help. I am hoping to open up internships to provide the next generation to discover ways God might use them in non-traditional capacities. Hopefully out of this call, some youth might gain a sharper call to pastoral ministry to equip the membership for ministry. When I was at BUA, a theological university, we were surprised to learn that only about 40% of the students were there to study to be a pastor. The majority wanted to serve the church but not as a pastor or staff minister. God is calling our youth but as you asked: Do we have a place to plug them in? We are making a place at Buckner through internships and staff positions. Let’s keep pursuing these questions. Very few leaders are thinking this way.