The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 20
summer conFerence
Chiapas
Chuck Shawver, in the midst of interpreting, said that SIM
has begun to make significant breakthroughs in ecumenical
and cooperative work. A number of new (to them) indigenous
continued from page 19
groups have asked them to give classes and get involved in their
communities. They don't yet have the resources or personnel
"We've had some great professors, with doctorates, who to do all of it, but this is their dream.
have given classes here, and they come and do that without any
Asked to relate their favorite thing about SIM, Eleazar
kind of payment. It's a gift to us," Dalia said. [The BPFNA sent said it was the theology of the place.
Amaury Tañon Santos to teach a course last summer-see "The Power
I came to a place in my life where I didn't want anything to do
of Storytelling" below.] But they need a more permanent staff
with the church. I saw the church as the enemy of real progress
who can teach at all levels.
in our communities rather than a friend. The theology I've learned
When asked what Baptist Peacemaker readers can do to
here at SIM and the theology of the Baptist seminary in Mexico
support SIM's work, they said that the most critical need was
have done just the opposite. Instead of creating problems in our
for the staff to continue working on Masters degrees. One thing
community, it's showing us a way to liberation, a way to work
that may help is a new online, Spanish Master of Theological
together, a way to deal with problems and make our communities
Studies program from Palmer Seminary in the US. The SIM
healthy again. This has given me a way to see the church in a
staff has been involved with that.
new light and be the church in a new form. This new theology
Of course, the underlying need is for regular financial
has helped me to change my whole understanding, my mission,
support. Another need is for the staff to learn English, because
for what it means to be a Christian.
so much of their support comes from the English-speaking
Dalia said,
world. They would love for a person to come to Chiapas for a
year, live with them and make them use only English.
We have five spokes in our seminary: preparing people biblically
Churches have recently been coming to SIM with all kinds
and theologically, helping people to understand culture and the
of concerns. The economy is suffering with agricultural losses,
dynamics of intercultural things, helping people to understand
coffee blights and droughts. The staff is working with the people
ecumenism in the city, building peace, and helping people underto help them understand what is causing this.
stand gender issues. These are the five areas that have given me
"We see a big part of our future, not in bringing more and
life. We have only been able to take small steps, but we are seeing
more people to San Cristóbal and creating a huge plant here, a
results. The most important thing to me is what we are doing
traditional school, but that our challenge is to educate whole churches
for indigenous people. Working in this culture, I have learned
theologically, ecologically, socially and politically," Dalia said.
so much and been brought into so much. It's not only what we
When we were there, the staff was getting ready to do
are trying to teach and what we're trying to work with, but it's
trainings for a group of Presbyterians about evangelism that's
whom we are teaching and whom we are working with that
culturally relevant. The communities also face huge challenges
"floats my bubbles."
around hunger issues-and, to complicate that, the recent
advent of junk food into their culture.
-Katie Cook is the editor of Baptist Peacemaker.
The Power of Storytelling:
Learning to Preach with Indigenous People
in Southern Mexico
by Amaury Tañón-Santos
L
ast July, the BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz and the
Seminario Intercultural Mayense (SIM) partnered for
the fourth year in a row in offering a class together at the
seminary. With North America as its region of influence, the
BPFNA seeks to be enriched and blessed by the great diversity
of the region. SIM is committed to all possible ways of living
interculturally, including engaging with persons beyond the
20 Baptist Peacemaker
OCT-DEC 2016
Chiapanecan and Mexican contexts. I have been privileged
with the opportunity to represent the BPFNA and to learn with
seminarians in SIM for these four years.
The course this year focused on preaching. The Lord
knows I am a preacher. I also have many opinions. I have shared
these in some venues regarding the way traditional, Western,
Protestant understandings of preaching have other-ized and
sometimes disengaged other forms of homiletics.
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016
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