Presentation on Work in Mexico

Division for Global Mission Board Meeting

David A. Brondos
Oct. 19, 2001

(NOTE: This is a presentation I prepared when invited to speak at a meeting of the Board of the
Division for Global Mission Board shortly after the events of September 2001. While of course
many things are now dated, it conveys well some of the aspects of my understanding of the
relation between theology and mission as well as how I regard my work at the Theological
Community.)

Its good to be with you this evening. As you have heard, I am serving as a DGM
missionary assigned to the Theological Community of Mexico, where I have been Dean since
July of 2000. I have also served as Professor at the Theological Community since 1996, and as
Coordinator of Augsburg Lutheran Seminary since its reopening in 1998. Augsburg Lutheran
Seminary forms part of the Theological Community of Mexico, together with the Baptist
Seminary of Mexico and San Andrs Anglican Seminary; we also work closely with the
Seminary of the Mexican Methodist Church, which is next door to the Theological Community.
Except for a couple of brief interruptions, I have lived and served in Mexico since 1982, together
with my wife Alicia. We have two daughters, Elizabeth, age 16, and Monica Julie, age 10.
Ive been given half an hour to share with you some of the work were involved with in
Mexico. In the light of the events going on around us, however, I find it impossible to limit
myself to speaking about Mexico without reflecting on what we have all been experiencing these
last few weeks, since those events have had a profound impact, not only on the U.S., but on
Mexico and the world as well. Therefore, I would like to base my presentation on a text from
Pauls Epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 6, verses 10 to 13:
Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his power. Put on the whole armor of God,
that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we are not contending
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic
powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, so that you may be able to withstand in the
evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
We are living times of war. As we speak, there are bombs and missiles being dropped on
Afghanistan. Soldiers are leaving their homes and families to go far away, and countless
innocent men, women and children are also leaving their homes and families for a different
reason: to flee from the destruction, but often unfortunately only to encounter more pain,
suffering, hunger and hardships wherever they flee to. While that is the war that is no doubt
getting the most attention today, there are many other wars and conflicts going on. Some of
these get a great deal of media attention, such as those in the Middle East; others do not, such as
the war in Mexico, where the Zapatista Army for National Liberation continues the struggle it
began almost 8 years ago, or the war in Colombia, where there are 2 million displaced people,
and hundreds die every week. War is a very serious thing, not something to take lightly. It
brings death, destruction and starvation; it produces widows and orphans and leaves people
maimed and destitute. It has been said, and rightly so, that war is hell.

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 According to this passage from Ephesians and others in Scripture, as Christians, you and
I are involved in a war. Yet there are some important differences between our war and the wars
just mentioned. As we have just read, our war is not against flesh and blood. That means that
its not against people. Its not against the Taliban or terrorists or Muslims, or any human being.
On the contrary, its a war for or on behalf of all human beings. Note this well: the passage says
that our conflict is not with other human beings, but rather against the forces of evil, the cosmic
powers of the present darkness that are above us and in us, that oppress and enslave us, that
destroy life, that fill the world with injustice, violence, greed, hatred, poverty, pain and suffering.
Those are the demonic forces we have seen once again unleashed in all their destructive fury in
these last few weeks. Yet we must be careful to note that these forces of evil have not only been
active in others, those whom we are so quick to label evildoers. They are here in you and me
as well, in our families and loved ones, in our structures and systems, in our country and our
leaders, in our church and our organizations, in each and every one of us. If we want to start
pointing out evildoers, instead of looking far away at others, we need to look right here, at
ourselves; we are all evildoers. And thus we need to fight both for our own liberation from these
forces of darkness, and for that of others. That includes fighting so that those who commit acts
of violence and seek revenge may be liberated from their possession by the demons that have
beguiled, blinded and enslaved them; we want their liberation just as badly as we want to see
ourselves liberated from those forces.
A lot of killing and destruction has been carried out and continues to be carried out in
Gods name recently, as if that were what God wanted, what he rejoices over. But the war God
wants us to carry out in his name is not a destructive but a constructive war, a war aimed at
bringing peace, justice, wholeness and healing to all creation, the same war waged by Jesus of
Nazareth, of whom it is written in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah: He will bring justice to the
nations. He will not grow faint or be discouraged until he has established justice in the earth
(42:1). His authority shall grow continually, and there shall be endless peace, shalom (9:7).
He shall judge between the nations, and shall decide for many peoples; they shall beat their
swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any more (2:4). The wolf shall live with the lamb,
the leopard shall lie down with the kid, the calf and the lion and the fatling together, and a little
child shall lead them... They shall not hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth will
be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea (11:6, 9). Everlasting joy
shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away (51:11). That is Gods final objective, and our objective as well, in the war we wage in
Gods name, the war to end all wars; and until we see that objective attained under the reign of
Jesus our Messiah, we must not and cannot grow faint or be discouraged.
A war is a complex thing; it is waged on many fronts. Soldiers must not only be sent, but
trained, fed, and equipped; that is the work of many different people. There are different ranks,
ranging from the footsoldiers on the front line all the way up to the captains and generals who
remain behind the scenes, establishing and implementing plans and strategies to make the best of
their resources so as to gain victory in the battles that are fought. Those that are in the position
of making decisions must make them wisely, because mistakes can cost many lives. A war on
the level of ideas must be carried out at the same time so as to maintain the support and morale,
not only of the soldiers, but of all those who contribute to the cause, and the general population.
There are also many others involved in the war effort, each with a different task: the medics and

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nurses, the chaplains, the mechanics, those who are involved in gathering intelligence, in
communications, in technical support, in designing, testing and constructing weapons, in
gathering the human and material resources that are needed, and administering them; each of
these people has a vital and indispensable task to carry out, and without the contribution of each
of them, the war cannot be won.
In the same way, in the war you and I wage together against the forces of evil and
darkness, each of us has a different task; we fight in different places, and have different areas of
responsibility. As I have worked with you at DGM, I have appreciated seeing and learning how
the variety of people in the Division all contribute in different ways to our common cause. In a
meeting like this one, I have gotten to see and know many others who are involved in the same
effort in different ways, and give thanks to God for you. I have also been able to see and learn
more about how the Division of which we form part carries out the fight on many different
fronts: in proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ in word and deed, in providing bread for the
hungry, in training and equipping leaders, in empowering the poor, marginated and oppressed, in
speaking out and fighting against injustice, in being the voice of those who have often had no
voice, as well as allowing their voice to be heard in the U.S. and elsewhere, and in walking with
many others who are involved in these same efforts.
I have the joy and privilege of working with you and representing you in those efforts in
Mexico, where we also wage war on many fronts against the forces of evil. Those forces
manifest themselves in a legion of ways. There is of course poverty, and all that it generates in
its vicious circle: malnutrition, disease, alcoholism, drug abuse, violence in the home,
particularly against women, violence in the streets, gang warfare, homeless children, corruption,
desperation, hopelessness. While in the cities life is extremely difficult for many, in the
countryside, the devastation and desolation are reaching unprecedented levels. In large part
because of NAFTA, the North American Free Trade Agreement, and the policies of the Mexican
government, the farmers and their families are being left, not only penniless, but deeply in debt, a
debt they will never be able to pay. Their only hope is to leave their land, their family, and their
home to look for work elsewhere, so as virtually to become refugees like the ones we have seen
recently in Afghanistan. Many migrate to the cities, only to find more suffering and scarcity.
Many others decide to come to the U.S. They do not come because they want to get rich, share
in the abundant life, or get their own slice of the pie, as is often said here. They come because,
if they want to eat, if they want to survive, they have virtually no other choice. So they risk their
lives to get up to the U.S./Mexican border, often being mistreated and robbed so as to lose
everything they had on the way. If they make it that far, then they have to deal with U.S.
Immigration. The fact that the U.S. has patrolled certain parts of the border much more closely
in recent years, making it extremely difficult for people to cross illegally there without being
hunted down and caught, has meant that more and more Mexicans and Central Americans are
having to go out to the desert areas of Arizona and New Mexico to get across the border and into
the U.S.; but as a result, the numbers of those dropping dead in the desert from dehydration and
exhaustion has risen dramatically. There has been talk in the U.S. of putting up a wall along the
border to keep people from immigrating illegally. But you can put up all the walls you want, and
hire all the patrol guards you want, and sick all the dogs on people you want; when they are poor
enough, hungry enough, desperate enough, people will keep trying to make it across, no matter
what, because if they dont, the only alternative they have left is to die of poverty.

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 That is basically the situation of the indigenous people throughout Mexico, particularly in
places like Chiapas. When the Zapatista army rose up in 1994, an army made up of people who
literally have nothing, they insisted, We are dying in our villages, dying of hunger, dying of
disease, dying of despair. If we are going to die, we do not want to die like that; we prefer to
fight back against this system that is decimating and destroying us. We would rather die from
bullets than from starvation. That situation has not been resolved, even though many would
have us believe otherwise.
To understand this reality fully, one has to live it. For that reason, one of the programs of
the ELCA which I feel is so important is the mission education or immersion program which we
have at the Lutheran Center in Mexico City. The purpose of this program is to let people see and
experience first-hand the reality that people in contexts such as Mexico are living, and to learn
more about what types of ministries need to be carried out in the various contexts in which we
find ourselves, both in other countries and in the U.S. itself. It is vital for people from the U.S. to
get out and see the effects that the current political and economical system is having on those
who live in countries like Mexico. No amount of pictures or videos or readings can compare to
actually visiting with people and spending time in their homes and the contexts in which they
live. The DGM has talked of expanding programs like this, and hopefully we will see this
happen, so that people in the U.S. can be made more aware of how decisions made in the U.S.
and other first-world countries are effecting those elsewhere.
The demonic forces that we face in Mexico are at work on many different levels. The
present political, economic and social system is generating tremendous amounts of suffering
throughout Mexico, benefiting some at the expense of others, concentrating the wealth and
power in the hands of a few. The intense competition which strengthens some and destroys
others, the thirst for larger profits which can only be attained by exploiting people and Gods
creation more and more, is wreaking tremendous havoc. It is doing great harm, not only to those
who are being impoverished, but also to those who apparently being enriched, but in reality are
becoming impoverished in other ways. That system is supported by many forces, both inside
and outside of Mexico, forces that claim that it is the best system for all, that it is the hope for the
future; forces that have the power and resources to propagate their arguments, views and ideas
and gain widespread acceptance for them, even among those being victimized by that system.
Most of us who are here have benefited from that same system, which has concentrated resources
in our hands, so that we are the ones who have the power to administer them. As I work in
theological education in Mexico, I am constantly aware of how unfair all of this is. It is unfair
that I have had so many opportunities to obtain a high level of education, to travel, to study, to
share my ideas by teaching others and having those ideas printed and published, to live in
relative comfort and be supported from abroad, when similar opportunities for those whom I
teach and alongside whom I work are so rarely to be found. It is unfair that the churches in
Mexico have lost so many of their best people because only in the U.S. can they earn enough to
live decently. It is unfair that our churches and organizations in the U.S. have been able to
concentrate in their hands so many human and monetary resources in comparison to the churches
and organizations in other countries. It is unfair that this country amasses so much of the worlds
wealth and resources, wondering at the same time why everyone wants to come here, yet builds
different types of walls to keep people out so that they cannot share in the abundance, like the
countless walled neighborhoods or gated communities which are being built around the U.S. to

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keep the wealth in and the poor out. Unfortunately, however, that is the system in which we
must live and work, because currently it is the only system that exists for us.
In the face of so many forces of evil, what are we to do? Paul says to take the whole
armor of God and to fight against those forces that are dominating and oppressing us. For the
reasons just mentioned, that means fighting against an entire system, the same system from
which we are benefiting. Thats something we dont want to do; we want to help others, but
maintain the system that concentrates the resources in our hands as we do so. The way wars are
usually justified is by affirming that we have to protect our interests; but that is contrary to what
the gospel teaches. As followers of Jesus Christ, who taught that we must love our neighbor as
ourselves and be willing to give up our lives for others instead of attempting to save our own
lives, we are called, not to protect our own interests, but those of others, of all people throughout
the world. That is true, not only on an individual level, but on the level of churches and
organizations and countries. And that means fighting to change the unjust system from which
we are benefitting so as to seek a new system that benefits others just as much as it benefits us.
As Christians, it means learning to stand up and speak out for the justice and peace for all that
God desires and demands, no matter how unpopular that may make us among those closest to us.
As American Christians, it means learning to say God bless Mexico, and God bless Cuba,
and God bless Africa and even God bless Afghanistan with the same intense passion and
devotion with which we exclaim God bless America. In the war God calls us to fight, we seek
the blessing and wholeness of all people; and that can only come when we fight against the
demonic systems that not only enslave us, but at the same time enrich us and give us power over
others. To do that in the present context, or even to propose that, is certain to make many of
those around us angry and generate fierce opposition; but if we are faithful to our calling as Jesus
was, that must not stop us, just as it did not stop Jesus.
When one lives in a context such as Mexico, and sees the enormity and complexity of the
problems, its hard not to feel impotent. During my time in Mexico, Ive been involved in a
variety of different social ministry programs, helping people meet their physical needs, build
their own homes, solve their own problems. Ive been involved in Word and Sacrament ministry
as well, sharing the gospel of peace that brings people hope, strength, forgiveness, reconciliation,
comfort and new life. The Division for Global Mission is also actively supporting ministries of
these kinds in Mexico, working with organizations such as AMEXTRA who seek to be agents of
transformation in numerous communities throughout Mexico, and also supporting the efforts of
the Mexican churches in various ways. At times, of course, one feels like all of this is just a drop
in the bucket, that with the limited resources we have, at most we can touch the lives of a small
handful of people. When we feel like that, we need to remember that every single life, every
little lamb, is of priceless worth to our Lord. We also need to remember that we are not the only
ones fighting this war; we are part of a large army. For that reason, we need to continue to work
closely with other Christians and with all those who wish to join us in waging this holy war. We
also need to work with others so that congregations may be built up and new Christian
communities may be planted as a result of a faithful proclamation of the gospel of our Lord Jesus
Christ. What we want to see, and what God wants to see, is that the ranks of this army be
swelled, so that many more may join us in the struggle for wholeness, justice and peace to
prevail in the life of every individual, every family, every community, every nation; and,
according to our Christian faith, that can only occur when we call others to join us in following
the path laid out for us by Jesus Christ, our Lord, Savior and King.

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 While I have participated and continue to participate in a number of ministries, the one to
which I am particularly called is that of working together with others in preparing and equipping
leaders to lead Gods people in their struggle against evil. For us to overcome evil, we need
many weapons. We need knowledge and technical know-how. We need to have the skills
necessary to perceive reality as it is, and to transform it in the way God desires. That is how I
understand my ministry at the Theological Community: it involves helping to equip others with
the spiritual weapons they need to wage war effectively against the forces of evil that dominate,
enslave and oppress. To do that, they need to know the Gospel inside and out, just like good
soldiers need to know their manuals. They need to be able to think critically, to react to new
situations that arise with wisdom, discernment and creativity, to have the capacity to analyze and
resolve all sorts of problems with Gods guidance. We are currently working with over 150
different students, about 30-40% of whom are women, at primarily two different levels. One is
the Licenciatura degree, which is a four-year program at the university level for full-time
students preparing primarily for full-time work in the church. The other program is the Diploma
program, which is offered in the evenings for those who work during the day. Our students in
both programs come not only from the Seminaries I mentioned previously, but from over 15
other church denominations as well.
The Theological Community is unique to Mexico in many ways. Perhaps what most sets
it apart is its ecumenical character. However, it is also quite unique in its theological stance. In
Mexico, Christians are divided into two main groups, a majority which is Roman Catholic, and a
minority which is Evangelical or Protestant. Unfortunately, the Catholic church in general has
often tended to be quite anti-ecumenical, traditionally seeing Protestants and Evangelicals as
enemies and interlopers on its terrain. Many Catholics continue to persecute Evangelicals.
There have been several cases in recent years of children of Evangelical families who were
refused burial in the village cemetery, because it belonged to the Catholic church. We had one
student a couple of years ago arrive to the Community from his home in a rural area with bruises;
he and his family had been beaten up by a mob headed by the local priest because they were
Evangelical. In the southeastern part of Mexico, particularly Chiapas, families that become
Evangelical are expelled from their communities, losing everything they have. Such forces of
hatred are found, not only in society, but in the church itself.
The Evangelical churches in Mexico are growing rapidly, and take many different forms.
While they strive to be faithful to the gospel, at times the gospel they preach is one which also
does violence due to its fundamentalistic nature, both by excluding and marginalizing certain
people and groups, and by supporting and even promoting oppressive systems and structures.
Among those most affected are women, who are taught to assume roles in the home and in
society which make them objects of various types of abuse and discrimination, all of which is
justified on the basis of Scripture. They are also excluded from the pastoral ministry in the
majority of churches. Here, then, as well, forces are at work in Christian communities which
seek to turn the gospel of life and liberation into one of domination and enslavement, and to
justify this in Gods name.
Our struggle in the Theological Community is to a great extent that of attempting to
promote alternative ways of understanding and living the Christian faith in this context. We
provide a space for men and women of different churches, primarily Evangelicals but also many
Roman Catholics, to grow together in seeking to be faithful to the way of life that our Lord Jesus
Christ taught us, under the power and guidance of Gods Holy Spirit. At the Diploma level, for

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example, we offer a program in Womens studies, as well as one in Pastoral Psychology, which
focuses on training people to listen to and care for one another, and on helping them to establish
communities of healing and mutual empowerment. The same type of emphasis is found
throughout our curriculum; in all that we do, we seek constantly to integrate the biblical and
theological aspects of the Christian faith with the pastoral ones, so as to train women and men
who are capable of carrying out faithfully the task of service to which our Lord has called us.
To do theology in Mexico and Latin America is itself a struggle. Our students have so
few resources; for some, even to pay their tuition of about $200 a semester is a real sacrifice.
Many know that when they graduate, it will be very hard to find any kind of decent employment
in the church; yet in spite of that, they are hungry to study theology and prepare themselves to
serve. You cant imagine what a joy it is to have students like that! Few of our professors have
the luxury of dedicating themselves full-time to their teaching ministry; they must be active in
other ministries and jobs, both in the church and at times outside of it, to make ends meet.
Needless to say, there is little time for research, writing, publishing, and at times even preparing
for class. Yet while there are disadvantages to this, it is also one of our strengths, since it
produces a theology which is in constant dialogue with the world around us, dealing with
everyday issues; our feet remain firmly planted on the ground as we carry out our theological
task. Other factors limit us as well. The present global economic system has dried up much of
the funding in Mexico for public spending, since if taxes are high, businesses cant compete.
This has meant severe cuts in areas such as health and education, which used to be very good in
Mexico. Now many of our students come to us with serious deficiencies in some of the most
basic skills, such as reading and writing, even though in many cases they have studied not only at
the high school but at the university level previously; this makes it even more difficult for both
them and their professors. If you are unable to express yourself in written form as you should,
then you cannot articulate your ideas well; and if you cannot articulate your ideas well, you cant
have a voice in the world and society, so that you are reduced to silence and thus impotence. Yet
we continue to fight on in spite of these obstacles, doing the best we can with what God has
given us.
To do theology and prepare leaders in this context is thus a constant struggle, full of
hardships and frustrations, but for the same reasons, full of much joy and satisfaction. What
gives joy and satisfaction is the fact that we are preparing well-qualified leaders who have the
knowledge, weapons and skills necessary to lead Gods people in carrying out war against the
forces of darkness. Most of our students are also involved in training others, which means that
the leadership training we are involved in reaches much further than the students who study at
the Theological Community. Together, under Gods guidance and with the power of Gods
Spirit, we are raising an entire army of people who believe that in Jesus Christ nothing is
impossible, who have faced all kinds of seemingly insurmountable obstacles yet have refused to
be overcome by them, who have learned to wage Gods war effectively with the few resources at
hand so as to rout the forces of oppression and death, just like David defeated the giant Goliath
with a few stones and a sling, an army of people who have shown time and again that no
sacrifice is too great in order to bring hope, peace, justice and well-being into the life of others.
That is the war we are waging in Mexico and elsewhere, together with your support which comes
in many ways, particularly through funding for our programs, for my position and that of another
professor, and for scholarships for students. I dont believe it is a coincidence that, instead of
being called something such as the Department or Commission or Office for Global Mission, this

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is called a Division; that is a military term. I am proud and honored to be part of this Division,
just as I am proud and honored to be part of another division of Gods army serving in Mexico.
But what gives me the greatest joy and satisfaction is knowing that all of us, together with
countless legions of sisters and brothers throughout the world, form an army that in Christ is
invincible, an army for whom victory over all the forces of evil and death and destruction and
despair is absolutely certain, because we belong to him of whom it is written in the Book of
Revelation:
Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! He who sat upon it is called
Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a
flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems... He is clad in a robe dipped in blood,
and the name by which he is called is the Word of God. And the armies of heaven,
arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, followed him on white horses (19:11-14).
Of this array of heavenly and earthly hosts to which you and I belong it is also written:
They are before the throne of God, and serve him day and night within his temple; and he
who sits upon the throne will shelter them with his presence. They shall hunger no more,
neither thirst any more; the sun shall not strike them, nor any scorching heat. For the
Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs
of living water; and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes (7:15-17).
That is our objective in the war we are waging under Christ, a world free of despair and
tears and hunger and suffering. And as part of that great celestial army, arrayed in white linen
and washed in the blood of the Lamb, we can have full confidence that that objective will one
day be reached. May God give us the strength and the courage to stand fast and firm, and remain
faithful and true, as we contend, not against flesh and blood, but against the cosmic powers of
this present darkness, the spiritual forces of evil, whose ultimate defeat is ensured in Jesus Christ
our Lord. Thank you.