The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 9
sTorIes oF Peacemakers
2016 Hispanic Summer Program Teaches
Students about Peace
by Mayra Picos Lee
T
he Hispanic Summer Program (HSP) is formed by a
consortium of theological schools and seminaries in
the US and Puerto Rico that are committed to promote the
presence, scholarship and perspectives of Latinx students in
theological education and church ministry. This program
supplements and enriches theological perspectives offered at
seminaries and universities.
The consortium is currently formed by 36 schools that
are very diverse in theological perspectives and curricula and
represent different regions in the US. The 2016 HSP took
place in San Antonio, TX, at Oblate School of Theology in
June and July. Approximately 50 HSP students represented a
wide variety of Latinx communities as well as participants from
non-Latinx backgrounds who wanted to learn from Latinx
history, theology and ministry.
The HSP is one of the few programs that currently
provides the academic structure for such an engagement. It
has created a space in which Latinx and non-Latinx students
can come together and wrestle with each other in ways that
promote greater inclusivity, justice and representation of voices
in theological education and church life.
This experience is not a perfect struggle and is not without
challenges. Yet, it is a crucial step toward greater peace and justice
work within churches, seminaries, theological institutions and
the culture at large. The HSP contributes through theological
engagement and experiential learning. This occurs
as students, faculty and staff study and work together
over a period of two weeks.
The 2016 HSP offered seven courses that
provided academic skills to prepare students to lessen
the climate of violence, exclusion and polarization
that is so prevalent in our current culture, and to
contribute to peace and justice in more positive
ways. This year's program was particularly
characterized by the diversity of the student body and
theological discussions around such issues as gender,
sexuality, inclusivity of theological perspectives
and denominations, migration experiences and
educational backgrounds.
The discussions in and outside of the classroom between
students, faculty and staff expressed the commitment
of participants to understand what it means to live in a
multicultural world in a manner that affirms diversity and
difference. Although the experiences were challenging and
exhausting, they were also enriching for most participants,
especially younger students seeking to grow.
It is also important to note that, contrary to what many
people in dominant theological education culture may imagine,
Latinxs are not a homogenous group. They represent a wide
spectrum of perspectives that are rooted in Latin America but
have also been influenced by their presence in the US.
As a Latinx theological educator, I have also experienced
the limited ability most theological schools, seminaries and
universities offer at promoting the internal diversity of Latinxs
or other groups within their curriculums and programs. This
only serves to stress even further the importance of HSP.
BPFNA ~ Bautistas por la Paz is committed to peace
rooted in justice. Toward this end, the organization seeks to
gather, equip and mobilize peacemakers around the world and
especially in North America (Mexico, Puerto Rico, Canada and
USA). Supporting and promoting the growth and presence of
latinx students and scholars in academia and church life is a
vital step toward peace and justice.
Please see "Hispanic Summer Program" on page 10.
Right: Students in the Hispanic Summer Program at Oblate
School of Theology in San Antonio, TX, pose with their professor,
Mayra Picos Lee (far right).
Photo courtesy of Mayra Picos Lee.
Baptist Peacemaker
OCT-DEC 2016
9
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016
No label
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - No label
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 2
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 3
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 4
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 5
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 6
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 7
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 8
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 9
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 10
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 11
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 12
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 13
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 14
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 15
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 16
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 17
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 18
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 19
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 20
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 21
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 22
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 23
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 24
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 25
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 26
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 27
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 28
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 29
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 30
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 31
The Journal of the Baptist Peacemaker October-December 2016 - 32
https://www.nxtbook.com/allen/bapp/34-2
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com