Christian Ethics: A Latin American Perspective and Peace
by Amaury Tañón-Santos
BPFNA Board President Amaury Tañón-Santos was recently in San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, Mexico teaching a course called "Christian Ethics: A Latin American Perspective and Peace" to seminarians at the Mayan Intercultural Seminary (SIM). The course lasted from August 25-29, 2014. The following is a brief report from Amaury about his time at SIM.
On Friday, August 29, I conclude my week-long interaction with the seminarians of the Seminario Intercultural Mayense (Mayan Intercultural Seminary) in the Christian Ethics course. This intensive, college-level course provided opportunities of deep conversation about the difficult and necessary role of the pastor as ethicist. Called to this discipline, the Church is challenged to critically consider the realities and circumstances that make up and affect the communities it's called to serve. The Bible, theology, politics, sociology, and culture were important hermeneutical lenses through which to deepen our capacity of ethical criticism towards a robust Christian witness, presence and action in the communities represented in the classroom.
The restoration of human/divine, human/human, and human/creation relationships - following patterns and challenges of peace (as understood in the Hebrew term "shalom", and in the Tseltal phrase "lekil kuxlejal") - challenges the Church to a witness and struggle for the dignity, integrity, and harmony of humanity with all the created order. Christian ethics is an instrument that helps the Church in its reflection and organization toward this end.
Many thanks to the Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America for its financial and programatic support, making this course and interaction possible.
El viernes, 29 de agosto, culminó mi interacción con los seminaristas del Seminario Intercultural Mayense en el curso de ética cristiana. A través de este intensivo de una semana, conversamos y convivimos juntos con la difícil pero necesaria tarea pastoral de la iglesia de reflexionar críticamente sobre la realidades y circunstancias que atañen y afectan a las comunidades a las que estamos llamados a servir. Lentes y parámetros bíblicos, teológicos, políticos, sociales y culturales nos ayudaron a profundizar nuestra capacidad de criticidad ética que provea un testimonio, presencia y acción cristiana en las comunidades representadas en el salón de clase.
La restauración de la relación entre lo divino y lo humano, entre la humanidad misma, y entre la humanidad y la creación - siguiendo el patrón y reto de la paz (como la concibe el término hebreo "shalom", y la frase tseltal "lekil kuxlejal") - reta a la iglesia a un testimonio y lucha por la integridad, dignidad y armonía del ser humano junto con todo el órden creado. La ética cristiana es una de las instrumentalidades que ayuda a la reflexión y organización de la iglesia hacia este fin.
Agradecemos a la Baptist Peace Fellowship of North America por su colaboración financiera y programática que hizo posible esta oportunidad de aprendizaje.