Brazil churches

Presbyterian Mission in Brasil

Consultation deals with violence and peacemaking

July 11-14. 2001, Sao Paulo, Brasil

[8-15-01]

Thanks to the generosity and encouragement of the Witherspoon Society I was privileged to be a part of the first consultation on violence in society and the Church's peacemaking ministry, held by the Presbyterian Mission in Brasil. This includes the Independent Presbyterian Church of Brasil (IPIB) and the United Presbyterian Church (Brasil) (IPU). The Presbyterian Church, USA (PCUSA) was also invited to participate. The conference was held in Sao Paulo, Brasil, between July 11 and July 14 of this year. Conference participants included pastors, lay people, and youth from the IPIB, the IPU, and the PCUSA.

The purpose of the conference was to examine the question of violence in society - what constitutes this violence, what forms does it take, who are its victims, and what is the Church's response to this violence?

A theologian and seminary professor from the IPIB addressed the gathering on July 12 and began with some verses from Jeremiah, chapter 20:

Lord you have deceived me.
and I was deceived.
You are stronger than I am,
And You have overpowered me.
Whenever I speak, I have to
Cry out and shout, "Violence!
Destruction!"
But when I say, I will forget
The Lord,
And no longer speak in God's
Name, then Your message
Is like a fire burning deep
Within me.

Jeremiah felt overpowered by God; God's call doesn't always lead to what is easy. Jeremiah feels deceived - some translations read "seduced." Jeremiah is called by God to shout "Violence," 'Destruction," to cry out that violence is all around and is part and parcel of his society. He cannot keep silent, even if he wanted to. He is subjected to rejection and persecution by his people because he reveals and speaks the truth.

In Portuguese (the language we were working in for this conference), the word for violence and the word for vinegar are related. They stem from a word which means, "to cross the limits or go beyond the limits." Vinegar is wine which has gone beyond the limit and become bitter. Violence too, is going beyond the limit of how one is in relationship with another. Violence "embitters" the Covenant relationship between people, in society, and with God. Jeremiah was called to reveal the bitterness of violence which had become so much a part of his society. What does this mean for the Church and the violence, both personal and societal, that the Church confronts?

One thing that came out of this conference is the affirmation that the Church must proclaim peace in word and act, and not just doctrines. The Church must be "sensor" of when society is going beyond the limits of what God calls us to. A difficulty in doing this though, is that the Presbyterian Church, in Brasil as well as in the United States, is for the most part a church of the middle and upper class, not of the poor. How do we therefore confront structural and societal aspects of violence when for us, "the way things are" works out so well in terms of our position and privilege?

The first day of the conference, Thursday, July 12, was spent in panel discussions, small groups, and plenary discussions looking at the question: "What is violence?" What are the personal or individual manifestations of violence and what are the structural or societal manifestations of violence? We looked at the situation today in Brasil, but clearly the discussion had implications for the U.S.

One of the conclusions that the group came to was that much of the violence in Brasil - violence against women, against children, street crime, etc. - has as part of its basis the terrible scheme of distribution of wealth in Brasil. Brasil has the fourth worst distribution of wealth structure in the world. This gives rise to large numbers of people living on the street, including large numbers of children, who have no legitimate means whatsoever to support themselves. There also exists a "culture of impunity" as regards the police and their use of torture, and at times "extra-judicial" means of dealing with marginalized people and issues of street crime.

On Friday, July 13 the group looked at alternatives to violence and the response of the Church to violence in society. We also visited a juvenile detention facility and a state prison. On Saturday, July 14 we continued with discussions of the Church's peacemaking ministry and concluded with a closing worship service. Saturday night we attended a worship service in an IPIB congregation in Sao Paulo, at which the moderator of the IPIB preached.

The conference came to the conclusion that this needs to be a central focus of the Presbyterian Church's ministry in Brasil. The group agreed to work toward including a focus on human rights in seminary curriculum, to help congregations address issues of violence in their communities and society, and to work toward a year-long emphasis, a "Jubilee" year, that would focus on the Church's peacemaking ministry in the context of present day Brasil.

I was deeply impressed by the brothers and sisters of the IPIB and IPU whom I met at this conference. Their faith is genuine and moves them to wrestle with how to live lives that incarnate the Good News of Jesus Christ, and his call to open ourselves to, and help to shape the reign of God in the world. Again, my deep appreciation to the Witherspoon Society.

The author:
Witherspooner Charley Hurst lived in Brasil for three and a half years, in Recife, PE. He resided and worked in Ibura, a neighborhood on the periphery of the city's south side, as an unofficial lay pastoral minister for the Roman Catholic parish council and in solidarity with SERPAJ - and officially under the auspices of the Mennonite Central Committee. He currently pastors a small inner city congregation on the near-east side of Cleveland - close to the downtown area. He attended this consultation as an observer at the invitation of the Witherspoon Society, and through the good offices of the Worldwide Ministries Division of the PC(USA). We thank him for his service to Witherspoon and to our churches here and in Brazil.