Not All Tacos Are Created Equally: A Brief Look at Hispanics and The Church

During an Acts 29 function, I was asked to speak and introduce the context of the Rio Grande Valley to a small group of pastors. Many of these pastors are from large urban contexts here in Texas such as San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas and the majority of our group had never visited or heard of the Valley. Those that did have knowledge of the Valley had gained it from what they saw on the news concerning immigration or had, at some point, taken a short term mission trip down here.

As I began to speak on the culture of the Valley, I made a few jokes on the pursuit of a multiethnic congregation saying that I believed that I had reached my quota by hiring a white guy from Indiana. Afterward, I spent some time speaking on the unique complexity of the term “hispanic.” I shared that this term is really a junk drawer for people from Spanish speaking countries and that not all Hispanics are Mexicans. Apparently, many minds were blown.

NOT ALL TACOS ARE CREATED EQUAL

I think the American church can impose and assume that all cultures are the same. In other words, what works really well in the suburbs of a predominantly white community should work the same if not as effectively in a place such as the Valley, Mexico, or Latin America. It doesn’t.

Culturally, there are many things about hispanic cultures that overlap, but not every culture is the same. Rather than taking the time to learn and invest, much of the American church has confused assimilation for discipleship. This model, for my hispanic community, is quickly sniffed out and the church is rejected.

So, what can the church do?

1. OBSERVE

One of the primary roles of a missionary isn’t to disrupt the rhythms of a people, but to learn them by asking questions, observing people in the daily, and listening carefully. The church is not a religious police, but a royal priesthood of believers (1 Peter 2:9-10). who, at one point, did not belong to God, but through His mercy they now do. The church must be zealous in doing good while speaking with gentleness and respect.

2. CULTURE

While many areas of hispanic cultures overlap, there are also significant differences in values, morals, and customs in between.

3. LANGUAGE

Many of the Spanish terms coined here in the Valley are non-existent in Mexico and many words in Mexico mean something completely different in Guatemala. When my brothers and I were growing up, our parents taught us four different Spanish dialects. We learned Valley Spanish, formal and proper Spanish, Chilango (a general mix of Spanish from Mexico and Spanish from Chile), and Spanish from Monterrey (speaking ridiculously fast in Spanish. If you know what a fresa is, then you know what I mean).

It’s not uncommon to meet another Hispanic and have zero clue at what they’re saying. For me, understanding a Cuban is one of the hardest things this side of heaven.

4. SOLDADERAS

Often, Hispanic culture is associated with machismo. And to be clear, it exists in many families and it’s toxic. But depending on the country and family, the head of the house isn’t always the man and his “authority” may be limited. When we were growing up, all of the men would gather to execute a big decision for the rest of the family AFTER my grandmother would make the call.

Looking back, it reminds me of a scene in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and while I don’t remember the characters, I’ll never forget what the bride’s mother said to her daughter (a paraphrase), “The man may be the head, but the woman is the neck and she can turn the head wherever she pleases.” I think, when put differently, the men are captains and grandparents are the generals (especially grandmothers).

5. RELIGION

In many spheres of Hispanic culture, religious rites, tradition, and customs can be universal and widely embraced; all without ever having a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ. When an individual confesses Christ as Lord and begins to speak of faith and repentance, there is a sense of betrayal toward the family and in many ways, individuals are socially rejected because of the gospel. The fear many Hispanic families have is that those who become Christians are going to assimilate and abandon their cultural identity.

EAT TACOS

If the American church is going to reach Hispanics, then there must be cultural awareness and patience. Hispanics’ love language is quality time and if the church is more passionate about preferences and assimilation and not discipleship and acculturation, then the gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to be resisted.

If you’re a church leader, planter, or just curious about engaging Hispanics then you need to hang out with Hispanics, in the backyard, while eating some tacos.

And here’s a pro-tip: if they start making fun of you, then you’re in.

Trust me.

God At Work In The Ordinary

Later this Spring, we’re starting a new sermon series called Revival: Renewal In The Ordinary. While I’m certainly loving our 1 Peter series, I’m really excited to be studying the many topics that this new series is going to cover. More than anything, I’m looking forward to this series because I believe our church communities are in need of revival.

In my opinion, many churches in the United States have boxed “church” to only on Sunday’s and have further boxed God to an entity who provides creative inspiration through clever uses of social media and attractional preaching where people can get their fix of daily or weekly goodness. I think, in many ways, the gospel of Jesus Christ has become water downed in our churches and assumed in our families and communities.

WHAT IS REVIVAL?

I’m going to define “revival” as a work of God in the people of God through the ordinary means of life. When we look back at church history, particularly during the Great Awakening, revival broke out in church communities all over New England and it wasn’t that pastors and preachers were doing anything spectacular or new, but simply faithfully preaching the word of God and shepherding their congregations.

Through the ordinary means of daily life, God convicted the hearts of His people and they cried out to Him, people came to know Him, and the church thrived.

If you’re like me, when you hear the word “revival,” you may think of large tents that are set up on the fringes of a city where people gathered and preachers created a revival through special events. This is not revival. When men try to manufacture revival through techniques, tactics, and wonder, they are relying on the power of persuasion and manufactured emotion.

In revival, God the Holy Spirit is the primary agent; awakening His people through faith and repentance. In revival, it is the power of the Holy Spirit through prayer that produces renewal, not technique or tactic.

MORALISTIC THERAPEUTIC DEISM

In their 2005 book, Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers, sociologists Chad Smith and Melinda Denton coin the term “moralistic therapeutic deism (MTD)” to define the spiritual condition of teenagers in America. They argue that our teenagers have actually been listening well and have adopted moralistic values, but with the absence of God. Additionally, this view has bled into other “Christian organizations and institutions” .

In short, the American church has reduced the depth and beauty of the gospel and Sunday’s have become self-therapy.

Here’s a breakdown MTD:

1. A god exists who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.

2. God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.

3. The central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.

4. God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.

5. Good people go to heaven when they die.

So, what’s the problem with MTD? If our churches have embraced MTD (even if they don’t call it that), then we will have sacrificed theological conviction for individualism. Revival is necessary because it begins with faith and repentance not moralistic therapy. Revival is a transformational work of God through the Holy Spirit that compels us to make much of the person and work of Jesus so that more can come to know and worship Him.

And rather than the pursuit of moral therapy, the church seeks and pursues holiness that is deeply rooted in what God has done for us and who He says we are.

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.”

When we embrace MTD, we end up redirecting our sin and not repenting of it. And when the cultural value is individualism, we end up counseling our sin and not mortifying it.

Church, we need revival.

RECOMMENDED READING

• Revival and Revivalism: The Making and Marring of American Evangelicalism 1750-1858 by Ian Murray

• Moralistic Therapeutic Deism: The New American Religion by Albert Mohler Jr.

In our final installment of Lessons in Discipleship, I'd like us to look at how immensely biblical discipleship is. I feel like this would have served as a good starting point, something foundational but I think visiting this piece last suits as a wonderful reminder. 

As a brief review of our time last week, we looked at humility as not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less and placing others before you; considering them more important. 

Today, we visit the biblical principle of discipleship. For starters, it's the one thing Jesus commanded us to do. Ask yourself: of the questions from the previous posts or perhaps some of the mental notes you took, did you remember that Jesus is at the center of this or were you more occupied about the content? 

DISCIPLESHIP: WHAT IS IT? 

Before jumping in, we must define discipleship. In my experience, I've had plenty of conversations, read enough books, and visited enough conferences to hear the latest discovery and method on discipleship, but not many spend time on actually defining what it is. 

I define discipleship as meeting people where they are in life and taking them to where Jesus wants them to be. It's a "point A to point B" reference. 

Two things on this definition: (1) if you haven't noticed, your context for meeting people where they're at is life, not a classroom and (2) I want you to remember that we're making disciples not converts. I know that may sound odd, but Jesus (in Matthew 28) said to make disciples and to teach and talk about Him. 

In discipleship, you have the opportunity to share the beauty of Christ in the context of ordinary life- whether with a Christian or a non-believer. Paul says it best, "follow me as I follow Christ" (1 Corinthians 11:1). This means that in discipleship, we are teaching people what it means to worship Jesus when the house is a mess, the day has just become scattered, when you're in parent mode with the kids, when you're flirting with your spouse, in a difficult situation, and when you screw up.

The goal is to show, in ordinary life, what it means to surrender everything before Christ so that others may do the same unto Him! 

DISCIPLESHIP: BIBLICAL

Discipleship is biblical and intentional. The primary source of teaching, rebuke, or encouragement is the Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), but you must be intentional in its delivery; compassionate and humble.

Making disciples is easy and everyone does it; it simply has a different name to it. What do you think gym rats are? What about best friends? Gym buddies do everything together in and out of the gym; they talk about fitness all day long. Best friends share everything with one another, in the good times and in the bad; constantly communicating. Why should Christians be any different when making disciples? It's simple, we talk about what we love. The question is: do you love Jesus enough to always be talking about Him? 

Sometimes we become so infused with the method that we forget about the One whom all of this is founded upon. Consider Paul's words to the church in Thessalonica: "We cared so much for you that we were please to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own lives because you had become dear to us" (1 Thessalonians 2:8; emphasis added). 

Discipleship is messy, but biblical. It is rewarding, but is an investment of time. And it will push you spiritually because you'll think you're the one working. Friends, we're simply the messengers and the ambassadors. The One at work has done so according to the Father's will and  through the power of the Holy Spirit.