The chaotic events surrounding the attempted overthrow of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on April 12 have focused attention on the failure of the government to deliver on promises to help the poor. They have also led Christians to evaluate their ministries and search for ways in which they can better serve their country. This is Part 2 of 2.
In spite of major internal opposition, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has made his mark among the poor, even if he has not been able to deliver all that he promised. Many of those who hold the power in the city, who are wealthy, who have been involved in the politics of the country for a very long time have suddenly taken the back seat and many of the poor have been empowered," said Greg Burch of Mission Viejo, Calif., who works with street children in Caracas.
Burch said that a friend from a poor neighborhood reported that Chavez was the only president to ever visit her community. "She was proud of the fact that Chavez had visited her barrio, She felt like she counted for once."
While elected on a promise to improve the condition of Venezuela's poor, Chavez has been able to do little to alleviate their situation. "People like Chavez, who apparently wants to help the poor, are fighting against a system that has been set up for close to 500 years," Burch explained. "That system is based upon a structure of injustice. The way things work favor the rich."
Many observers credit Chavez's popularity with the poor as a key element in his return to power. "Chavez runs more on charisma and rhetoric than ability," said Stephen Armet, a Latin American Mission (LAM) missionary who works with the poor in Bogotá, Colombia. "Changing the structures of society that are responsible for institutional poverty is very difficult because they are so entrenched and have a long tradition."
"Furthermore, they are controlled by the elites of society who have ties with international capitalism and whose only interest is to maintain their advantages and status," said Armet who is from Los Angeles. "It is they who have the most to lose if the structures were altered."
"This may be the very first time in Latin America that a military coup d'état was aborted by the intervention of millions of poor people," said C. René Padilla, one of the region's leading evangelical theologians. "This is not meant to be an approval of all that Chavez has done, but a definite agreement with all that has to do with his courage to take concrete steps toward a more just society, over against big economic interests that are oppressing the poor."
With all of the focus on the political and military maneuvers, Burch, a LAM missionary, said that attention must be paid to those who suffered in the violence. "We should remember to pray for the children who are living on the street in the midst of the protests and riots," he said. "Some of these children are living in harm's way."
Burch and other Christian observers in the region said that the lessons of the Venezuelan political turmoil are that the church must continue its ministry among the needy. "I believe that the church needs to be involved in giving the local community the resources to address they problems they face," reflected Burch. " The key is not to do it for them, but to guide them in solving the problems they face."
If a community cannot get the services it needs, "the local church needs to put pressure on that politician to do something," Burch said. "It becomes a political issue, yet remains a basic spiritual issue as well."
Yet, political involvement by evangelicals in Latin America has not always been successful. "Eight years ago there was a lot of hope for evangelical politics since (Alberto) Fujimori in Peru gained office, it was believed, by the evangelical vote in Peru," said Armet. "(Jorge) Serrano was an evangelical president in Guatemala. Brazil had 29 (evangelical) federal deputies and senators. Even here in Colombia, the Union Christian Party had high hopes of having political success."
Armet continued, "Fujimori and Serrano were both practically exiled and in Colombia, Christians don't enter politics anymore. There doesn't seem to be much promise there."
Ambassador Taylor, who grew up in Colombia while his parents served there as missionaries, hasn't given up on Christian political involvement. "We Christians forget that our Lord had a radical ministry, reaching out to the poor and oppressed, he said. "Jesus spoke much more about money than about faith and prayer, yet his church is too often known for promising prosperity to its followers than being instruments of God's love and justice to the poor and oppressed."
"Christians everywhere, not just in Latin America, should, as individuals, be active in public affairs to reform society but without making the local church political," Taylor added. "The church, however, should not shirk from upholding the biblical truths concerning what is righteous and what is evil."
Concerning the church's work with the poor, Padilla, a LAM missionary who lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina, said, "Evangelicals everywhere need to take to heart the teaching of the scripture regarding the fact that God loves justice and therefore takes the side of the poor. That fact should define their political preferences."
Latin America Mission (LAM) works in partnership with churches and Christian agencies throughout Latin America and supports missionaries and projects in many Latin countries as well as in Spain. The mission's web site may be found at http://www.lam.org
