A False Spirituality

One of the many errors that are committed in the community of faith is to define ¨spirituality¨ almost exclusively in terms of Bible reading, church attendance, fasting, meditation, and praying.   Spirituality, in this case, is seen as an ¨upward focus¨ which has absolutely nothing to do with our immediate surroundings.  Spirituality is conceived to be devoid of anything ¨material¨ or ¨physical.¨  It is believed an exercise in ¨spirituality¨ should be an attempt to exonerate or exclude ourselves from activities in those other areas.  How people conclude the idea that this is what spirituality consists of is beyond me. As I read the Scriptures, what I encounter and see is that spirituality entails but is not limited to anything of a physical nature.  Many believers would be aghast at the notion that eating a slice of pizza, playing baseball, and making love to one´s significant other are not only ¨anti-Scriptural,¨ but are, in fact, included in spirituality.  Nowhere in the Scriptures or in the Christian tradition do we find Jesus defining spirituality in terms of non-physical activity.  Neither do we find anything in the Scriptures that suggests that spirituality consists of ¨contemplating the moon¨ or becoming oblivious to our immediate environment and everything that happens in it.

Spirituality, in the true sense of the word, both includes and transcends physicality.  Physicality is part and parcel of God´s creation.  Let us enjoy eating, playing, and love-making to the max.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen!

Rev. Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Visiting Professor of Theology
Tainan Theological College/Seminary

Who is the True Theologian?

In the field of religion, as in every other branch of human knowledge, there are those who devote themselves to its study and practice.  Some take faith and religion so seriously, that they choose to, based on their sense of calling or passion, to become leaders of the faith community such as pastors, priests, imams, rabbis, senseis, etc.  Others who are more oriented towards the intellectual side of religion, choose to become scholars in the field in order to teach at institutions of higher education.  And then there are those who seek to integrate the two in both their practice and research.  One may find, for example, that an individual engages in research and teaching in a school, while at the same presiding over a local congregation such as a church, a synagogue, a mosque, a shrine, etc.

Within the context of the faith community, we find that people are divided between the categories of ¨lay¨ and ¨ordained.¨  The so-called ¨lay folk¨ are usually the adherents or followers of those who are considered ¨experts." The ¨experts¨ are the teachers and the ¨lay people¨ are considered the ¨disciples,"i.e. those who are learning.

For the purposes of this essay, I would like to propose that we abolish the distinction between lay and ordained.  When we insist on maintaining that distinction, we perpetuate a structure of hierarchy that was never intended by the founder, and in the case of the Christian faith, Jesus Himself.

Once we abolish that dichotomy, we are then free to discover that so-called ¨lay folks¨ are theologians and scholars in their own right.  They may not have formal training in the fields of religion and theology, they may not possess degrees or certificates that set them apart from every one else, but they do bring their reflections of God based on their life experience.  They may not have titles such as ¨Dr., Rev, Rabbi, Imam, Abuna, Sensei,¨ etc., but they bring to the faith community a faith which has been formed and shaped by ¨the school of ¨Hardknox,¨ the reality of life and its struggles.  They may not be acquainted or familiar with the jargon of academia, or ivory tower speculation, but they have a basic faith that has ¨brought them safe thus far.¨ In essence, they can teach ¨a thing or two¨ to those of us who believe ourselves to be the ¨authority¨ on matters of faith and life.

I haves sustained in classes that I have taught in both churches and schools, that everyone is a scholar and/or a theologian.  We each bring our wealth of experiences, as well as our strengths and weaknesses to the table of God-talk.  No one´s notion of God is better or worse than others, or inferior or superior to other notions.  When it comes to notions about God, ¨it is what it is.¨  God is not, by any stretch of the imagination, the exclusive domain of credentialed people.  Nor can credentialed people claim or pretend to be infallible and inerrant on God-talk. To the chagrin of many people, I have often had to say to them that theology is not the task of ¨explaining¨ God, but rather ¨seeking¨ God in order to arrive at an ¨informed¨ faith.  Theology is ¨faith seeking understanding.¨  We are all on that journey.  Welcome aboard with us.

In the Name of the Creator, and of the Liberator, and of the Sustainer. Amen!

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Visiting Professor of Theology, Tainan Theological College/Seminary.

Theology in a Latin Rhytm

When one attends worship in a church or other type of faith community, one of the the things that he/she may experience is that the worship service is accompanied by music, including singing and the playing of various musical instruments.  In one church, you will hear the hymns accompanied by a piano or pipe organ.  In other churches, the songs will be accompanied by instruments such as guitar, tambourines, and wind instruments such as saxophones and trumpets.  In some worship services that I have attended in Taiwan, the prelude is usually the sound of the gong.  I have even witnessed one service where the ram´s horn was used.

In the culture, one will also find a variety of musical expressions.  There is slow romantic music, sleepy elevator music, fast and upbeat music, etc.  It is said that ¨everyone marches to the beat of a different drummer.¨  The music that people enjoy, dance, or play to varies from person to person and from culture to culture.

Today I would like to talk about how the theological task is carried out with different intonations.  I speak about doing theology in a Latin rhythm  We have slow music such as the bolero and the valz (Waltz).  And then there is faster music such as cumbia, merengue, and salsa.  The music is reflective of the three different components of Latin American culture, i.e. indigenous, African, and Euro-American.

Theology in the Hispanic and Latin American culture reflects the aspirations, the cultural perspectives, and the values of Hispanic people.  Theology in the Hispanic community, both in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as in the Hispanic Diaspora in the U.S.A. is a theology which is much different from ¨classical¨ and traditional theology.

The theological outlook is generated, in part, by the colonial cultural imposition of Euro-America, especially through both the Catholic and Protestant missionary enterprises. This theological imposition included the liturgy and the moral standards of Euro-America under the mantra of ¨biblical theology.¨ Hispanic and Latin American theology is also generated by those sectors in the Hispanic and Latin American community that experience suffering as a daily routine and normal part of life.  The suffering in turn generates the hope, quest, and struggle for a better existence.

Hispanic and Latin American theology may be viewed as either ¨inferior to,¨ or ¨an appendix¨ to the theology of the dominant culture.  The reason why it is viewed as such is because it is the theology generated by those who live ¨on the margins¨ of national and international economic development.  Those in power will view the perspectives of those on the margins as of lesser importance and quality. 

The theology that emerges from our Hispanic and Latin American communities is the driving force that motivates them to continue the struggle against injustice of all kinds.  Hispanic and Latin American theology will continue to provide the rhythm that we dance to as we seek to construct God´s Beloved Community.  Let´s keep the music going.

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Dr. Juan A. Carmona

Visiting Professor of Theology, Tainan Theological College/Seminary