Living
Theology in the Metropolitan Chicago Synod
Volume 12, Number 1
Pentecost 2007
Hispanic-Latino Theology and Ministry
What
the Lutheran Church Offers Hispanics:
A
Pastoral Perspective
by
Julio Cruz-Natal
This
sounds a little bit like the kind of subject you would find in a questionnaire
made for marketing research. You know, the sort of
study where you compare and contrast what you can offer versus the needs of a
particular population to find a niche within. It’s similar to the old story of
the salesman who gets his foot in the door in order to sell, or at least talk
about, his product. So, we might wonder, are we trying to “sell” our product to
the Hispanic population? Or maybe we are deciding what’s our
best strategy to position ourselves within the Hispanic market. I’m not
trying to be sarcastic, at least not on purpose; rather I’m trying to rephrase
this question, which can be entirely honest, in such a way that we can talk
about it with a different understanding.
At
its inception, the ELCA made it a goal that in 10 years, 10% of its membership
would be “people of color and/or [whose] primary language [is one] other than
English.”1
Ten years after that, in the 1997 Churchwide
Assembly, still well below that goal, we recommitted to it through a new
resolution. Today, as we prepare to celebrate our 10th Churchwide
Assembly, minorities in the ELCA represent less than 3% of our membership, with
Hispanics standing at .81%.2 In comparison, for the same year,
Hispanics comprised 14.5% of the total United States population.3
Now,
it is not my intention to do the numbers game here. In fact, it is likely that
we won’t get too far if we limit our measure of success to a matter of totals
and percentages. Important as they are, numerical figures will only tell you
part of the story. For far too long, we have overemphasized the kind of
ministry we are doing based on the numbers we get in return. I will not
underestimate the value of demographical data, but there is something not
completely right about making that the decisive factor on how we will engage
the task of ministry. Oh yes, we can talk numbers, but let us do it in such a way
that they are not the goal of our ministry, but rather the natural result of
doing ministry.
In
Puerto Rico we say, don’t put your cart in front of your horses, meaning that
things have to be done in a certain order for them to work. So, I say, let us
do ministry, but let us do ministry in a meaningful, caring way that will
address the spiritual and temporal needs of our communities. Let us preach a
gospel and practice a service that will be relevant to the issues they face
daily. Let us get better at doing that and numbers will happen.
I
recognize how arrogant I might sound, but let me be the first to say that I do
not pretend to be the authority over these matters nor have the answers to
solve these problems. Rather, I want to share a personal and communal
testimony, about a particular understanding and practice of the Christian faith
that has touched the deepest places in my heart and in the hearts of many
others. I want to tell you that this particular way of thinking and doing
ministry, has made me and many others remain interested and invested in the
life of the larger Church.
Then,
I’d like to suggest that this is what we need to do, regardless of our goals
and measurements of success. I’m convinced that people, Hispanics included by
the way, will respond to this input and will come. They will come, not as a
result of a successful evangelistic campaign, but because they will want to
participate in something good.
Let
me begin with a short story. María (a fictitious
name) was having a very difficult time ever since she came to this country. Her
health had deteriorated over the years and she had recently been diagnosed with
yet another ailment that threatened her life. Being a devout religious person,
she asked her daughter to go to their spiritual leader to ask him to come to
pray for her and impart the sacraments of their religious tradition. However,
certain circumstances of her life impeded their spiritual counselor, due to
doctrinal limitations and assumptions, from responding to her need. Disheartened,
the daughter went on not knowing what to do or where to go to get what her
mother needed. Along the way, she walked by an open church. With not much
enthusiasm but still desperate to provide some comfort for her mother, she went
in. After receiving her and listening to her story for more than an hour, the
pastor of that community of faith said he could go to pray for her mother and
offer whatever other spiritual help she could need. It was not what she was
used to, but was good enough to bring her peace while she recuperated from her
illness. After some time, María’s health improved.
Thankful for the time when she was taken care of, she started to attend that
church. She was graciously welcomed by all and little by little learned a
different sense of community. María and her daughter
had found a new home.
Now,
this story is real, but I have intentionally left many details out so that it
can be made to fit whatever circumstances you can imagine. Both sides of the
experience can happen in any community of faith. The question is, can it happen in ours? Can this be someone’s experience of
our Lutheran Church? It certainly can, both the good and the bad, but I have
reasons to think that with the correct interpretation and practice of our
theology and doctrine, we can be more hopeful of the happier ending. What does
the Lutheran Church offer to Hispanics? Better yet, what does the Lutheran
Church offer to all people, whoever they might be, who walk in through our
doors?
The
pastoral and merciful response offered by a pastor was the main reason that
prompted María and her daughter to find out about and
later on become members of this church. They naturally migrated to a place
where they felt not only welcomed, but also cared for and loved. Some might
argue that this could merely be the result of a “make-me-feel-good” kind of
ministry. And indeed there are many out there who are intent on being
people-pleasers without much thought as to what they do or why they do it.
Nevertheless,
even a beginner in matters of Lutheran theology will easily recognize a strong
emphasis on concern and care of the person and the soul. Said differently, the
pastoral response that you are likely to find in most of our congregations is a
direct result of a doctrine that takes into account the person and his or her
need. It’s a theology from below, where the divine intervention in human
history is prompted by our inability to deal with our own painful dilemma.
Take
for example the doctrine of justification. Although it comes directly from a
sound and strong biblical basis (Romans 3 and 4, as it is noted in the Article
IV of the Augsburg Confession), Luther’s experience of the “dark night of the
soul” became the basis for its understanding. In spite of his best spiritual
efforts and practices, Luther was unable to find peace on his own account. It
was not until he understood that there was nothing he could do to atone his sin and that only through Christ’s sacrifice he
could be forgiven, that he finally felt relief from his burden.
From
there on, Luther understood that the old tradition of offering forgiveness on
the basis of buying indulgences was not only unfaithful to the biblical
testimony but a cruel imposition over those who could not otherwise find peace
for their souls. Luther’s admonition against the indulgences was then both a
defense of a biblical understanding of God’s forgiveness and a pastoral concern
for those troubled by their human need to feel truly forgiven. As a theologian,
he addressed what he thought to be errors in doctrine; as a pastor he was
concerned with the well being of those in need. This was one of many ways in
which Luther addressed issues having to do with the pastoral care of the
person.
I
would argue also that Luther’s Small Catechism is another attempt at trying to
provide good, compassionate pastoral care for the layperson. Again, the
historical and theological backgrounds are deeper than plain old pastoral care.
In fact, Luther’s catechism was his way of protesting the lack of Christian
instruction among the people. So he writes in the introduction: “The
deplorable, miserable condition which I discovered lately when I, too, was a
visitor, has forced and urged me to prepare this Catechism, or Christian
doctrine, in this small, plain, simple form.” Even in the way he writes, you
can see his concern. The phrase “in this small, plain, simple form” denotes
Luther’s concern for the lay, simple person who would not have any other way to
learn the basic teachings of the Christian faith. A small token, some might think,
but a critical step in the age of Christendom when everybody was concerned with
the saving of the soul.
By
providing to the people an easy method of Christian teaching, Luther
capacitates the average head of household to instruct his family. In doing so,
even the most uninstructed person had a way to learn the basics of
Christianity. You can also see Luther’s pastoral concern in the way he
introduces each principle in the catechism: “As the head of the family should
teach them in a simple way to his household.” We need to remember that in the
time that Luther is writing, only the Church had the
authority and the expertise to teach. Those who were not ministered to, because
of lack of pastors or for whatever other reason, simply went on uneducated. With
your soul in the balance, this meant an additional burden for the poor. The
Small Catechism provided them a “small” yet important tool
that give them some reassurance in their desire to learn about God.
Today we can only appreciate how significant has been this contribution of the
Reformation era to today’s strong emphasis on Christian education of children.
We
can go on and on describing the pastoral concern underlining our doctrine. We
could mention our understanding regarding the priesthood of all believers
meaning that each of us has a genuine call by God to serve in His name. We
could talk about the use of the means of grace, through which every soul can be
reassured of God’s real presence in the sacraments. In the end, what is the
result of all this? From its inception, the Lutheran Church has been known for
its deep concern and care of the person. As we address theological, doctrinal,
liturgical and other issues, you can always find a special emphasis on those
elements that affect the human being.
Our
social statements are another proof of that. Social issues like abortion, death
penalty and even the economy are always addressed in such a way that the human
person is at its center of concern. And by that I’m not implying that God is
not present. On the contrary, we are always striving to understand how is it that God encounters us in each topic of discussion.
What
does the Lutheran Church offer to Hispanics? I think we’ve always offered a
church that is based on the human need to encounter and understand God in a
real human way. In doing so we want to be relevant to the issues and needs that
people face in their daily lives. That’s how Word of God becomes alive. It is a
way of doing exegesis in which the Bible speaks directly to my particular
situation. And then that Word becomes praxis and encounters people at the point
of their need. I think this is what we can offer to the people of God, whether
Hispanic, Asian, African American or Caucasian – regardless of whether they
speak English, Spanish, Swedish or Swahili. After all, we are only imitating
what Christ did and His grace is offered equally to all.
Notes
1ELCA continuing resolutions
5.01.A87.
2 ELCA Research and Evaluation. 1988 to 2005
Racial/Ethnic Membership of the ELCA report. http://www.elca.org/research/fyifacts.html
3 U. S. Census Bureau