Reading Reflections:
Hispanic/Latino Theology pp. 15-72
In the first three essays of Hispanic/Latino Theology, an overarching theme I noticed was storytelling. So, a question I would like to focus on as I reflect on my reading for this week is: how can the ritual of storytelling be used as a tool for building peace and community in the Hispanic context? The first essay, “Aliens in a Promised Land” by Fernando Segovia, focused on the importance of the U.S. Hispanic American population embracing and raising its voice, specifically in the field of theology, in order to become “strangers no longer” (28). For Segovia, until the voice of the Hispanic people is heard, they will remain strangers in the “promised land” of the United States (28). He also describes the unique voice of U.S. Hispanic American theologians as one of “devotion and commitment…to the highest ideals of our new country and the deepest yearnings of our home countries” (30). It is from this perspective and context that U.S. Hispanic American people must embrace their identities, raise their voices, tell their stories, and become “strangers no longer” (42).
In the second essay, “Judith Ortiz Cofer’s Silent Dancing” by Elena Olazagasti-Segovia, the role of storytelling in Ortiz Cofer’s childhood is highlighted; for Ortiz Cofer, it was the “family ritual: the telling of stories” that taught the young Puerto Rican girl “what it was like to be a woman, more specifically, a Puerto Rican woman” (54). In this instance, storytelling is used within a culture to maintain and celebrate identity and tradition. The third essay, “Kingdom Building in the Borderlands” by Daisy L. Machado, describes the way in which the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) has “adopted and legitimized” the United States’ “melting pot” philosophy as it has done mission and ministry in the borderlands (64). Machado asserts that the church needs not to “remake a people in the image of the missionary,” but rather celebrate and affirm the culture of the borderlands (72). Ultimately, storytelling (or rather story-listening) is the means through which Machado envisions the people of the borderlands being included and affirmed in the life of the church. The church must listen, “so that their voice will no longer be ignored or denied its right to speak their story” (72).
What is clear from these readings is that storytelling plays a powerful role in the Hispanic context, and I would argue the human context in general. However, what is equally clear in these readings is that the power of storytelling lies in the willingness of the other party to listen. While storytelling can enable Hispanic people to become “strangers no longer” (42), if those in the center refuse to listen to the stories coming from the margins, the storytellers remain marginalized and oppressed. While storytelling can celebrate and pass on traditions within a culture, if the next generation will not listen, the melting pot will ultimately prevail (54). And while the church creating space for the stories of those in the borderlands to be heard is really an act of creating space for the people themselves, if the church turns a deaf ear to the unique context of these individuals, efforts to include them in the life of the church will continue to fail (72). Storytelling alone has no power; rather, it is the willingness to listen, to hear, and to celebrate these stories and the lives behind them that enables storytelling to create a new reality for “both the center and the margins” (30).
Journal Article Reflections:
This week, I read three articles in El Interprete. At first, I was attracted to the articles “Desarrollo de lideres para hoy y el futuro” and “Un lider en formacion” since they shared the theme of next generation leadership development, an emphasis of the denomination and especially of my conference. So, I was curious to read more about the work being done specifically in the area of Hispanic next generation leadership development. I enjoyed the articles, and it turns out that many of the same buzz words and initiatives are being employed across cultural and linguistic divides as the United Methodist Church seeks to move forward and train up its next generation of leaders.
However, the article I most enjoyed was “Un regalo de esperanza en la vina.” This was an article about the experience of two United Methodist pastors in Tulare Country, California who spent a day serving in the vineyards alongside farm workers. What originally sparked my curiosity about this article was the connection between farm workers and grapes, specifically thinking about connections to grape juice and communion. Before I even read the article, I found myself pondering the ethics of our use of grape juice as “the blood of Christ,” which has been produced by Hispanic farm workers likely under extremely difficult working conditions. Unfortunately, the article had nothing to do with the ethics of communion beyond my initial thoughts. However, the article was about the simple gift of presence— the presence of the pastors working alongside the farm workers, and the impact their willingness to be present had on the farm workers. Toward the end of the article, one of the pastors shares that the workers said to him, “Pastor, ahora usted es uno de nosotros” (“Pastor, now you are one of us”). Those of us in ministry must become one with those whom we serve— not only listening to their stories but living the stories alongside them. This is the model of the incarnation itself, that in Christ the people of God did not hear a sermon, see a commercial, or receive a flyer in the mail; rather, they experienced the “simple historical presence of Logos himself enfleshed in their (our) midst, so they could let their story be incorporated in his” (Early and Grimsrud 53). In the same way, it is through our presence—and Christ’s presence through us—in the fields and on the border that the stories of the Hispanic community will be heard and our Hispanic sisters and brothers will be incorporated into the stories of our churches.
Vocational Discernment:
Over the course of the past year at Bluffton, my vocational aspirations have broadened greatly. While I came to Bluffton specifically wanting to serve in Hispanic ministry, at this point when asked what I want to do after college, I answer, “peace and justice ministry.” Of course, Hispanic ministry fits quite neatly into the category of peace and justice ministry. But my experiences at Bluffton have broadened my understanding of my call and vocation. I view this as a positive, since I see many possibilities for careers within the field of peace and justice ministry. These include Hispanic ministry in the U.S., mission work in Mexico, border justice/peace work, prison ministry, restorative justice work, church conflict transformation/mediation work, and advocacy work. In addition to these careers in peace and justice ministry, I could also see myself teaching in a university setting, though this is a relatively new development partially brought on by recent comments of people who know me well. So, as of the first week of the semester, these are my vocational thoughts…I look forward to much exploration and discernment throughout the course of the semester!
Bibliography
Early, Christian E. and Ted G. Grimsrud, eds. A Pacifist Way of Knowing: John Howard Yoder’s Nonviolent Epistemology. Eugene, OR: Cascade, 2010.
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