Latino Evangelicals

The Conception of Justice according to the Apostle Paul

2008-07-23T19:43:00.000-07:00

What is justice? What are its essential characteristics? Is justice juridical in nature? In other words, does it have only a legal sense or meaning? Is it a virtue? Does justice have the sense of being distributive or retributive? Perhaps justice is just a way of characterizing revenge? Perhaps justice is merely a form of exacting revenge on one who has perpetrated some wrongdoing against one’s person? The problems implicit in these questions are at the center of socio-political, religio-ethical, and philosophical discourse. However, the focus of this essay will be Paul’s development of the idea of justice in the Epistle to the Romans as it relates to God and His divine law.

The Apostle Paul, in his epistle to the Romans, approaches the idea of justice both polemically and dialectically with a view towards his central thesis: God’s righteousness revealed. In addition, the apostle Paul diagnosis the problem of evil, within the human polity, and points to its source while presenting a prognosis that emphasizes the need for divine justice. Moreover, the emphasis that man needs to acquiesce to God’s means of meeting justice through faith. Informed by his Judaic sense of justice (“rendering to each what is due”) he begins his discourse.

It should be noted, however, that various ideas emerge and are developed in the Epistle to the Romans that contribute to the overall discourse on God’s justice and/or righteousness, e.g., condemnation and justification, unbelief and belief, works and faith, and law and grace. From these emerge the fundamental doctrines of the Christian faith.

Paul writes: “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH.” (Romans 1:16-17, NASB)

In these passages of scripture, Paul presents his central thesis: God’s righteousness (dikaiosune) revealed (apokalupto) in the gospel (euaggelion). The gospel, for Paul, isn’t merely the good news of God’s kingdom, but more importantly the fact of Christ Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection and the interpretation of these facts. For the apostle Paul, these events disclose God’s dikaiosune, i.e., God’s righteousness or justice. What is more is that the revelation of God’s righteousness can only be grasped, or apprehended, by faith. Righteousness (tsedeq in the Hebrew) is said to be a quality or attribute grounded, or rooted, in God (Deuteronomy 32:4, NASB). Thus, God is said to be just and all that he does is just. Yet, the question remains as to why was it necessary for God to disclose his justice or righteousness in this way? Moreover, what is its contribution to Paul’s discourse on justice? The reason for this are developed further in the Epistle to the Romans.

Paul posits that man’s existential predicament is that he stands in a state of rebellion, lawlessness, depravity, and hopelessness before God and His divine law. The condition stems from a deliberate “suppression” of the self-evident truth about God (Romans 1:18-23, NASB). Man has willfully chosen to rebel (though he knows that in doing so he has brought mortal judgment upon himself) through a willful suppression of the truth leaving God no other recourse but to hand man over to his own passions. The image here portrays God as one who has had enough in dealing with man and hands him over to his own recourse. The situation is what prompts God to “reveal His wrath”. God’s righteousness is here contrasted over and against man’s wickedness. It seems justified that such blatant behavior merits God’s divine judgment and wrath. The religious person, or moralist, may feel a sense of security, propriety, and justness in his own piety and deep sense of virtuosity contrasted with the wickedness of those who rebel. However, Paul argues that this pretense is grounded on false premises.

In Romans chapter two the apostle Paul continues, although polemically, to present various arguments toward a view of demonstrating his central thesis on the relationship between righteousness and faith posited in Romans 1:17. Confronting the notion of personal piety, pride and conformity in one’s religious formalism, he argues that these attitudes are grounded in arrogance and pride and equally merit God’s wrath. Paul’s premise is that for one to make such claims one would have to be faultless with respect to every aspect of the law, i.e., one would have to be perfect. He concludes that one infraction, or transgression, merits judgment and condemnation thus precluding one from making such claims to righteousness. Thus, he asserts that “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE” (Romans 3:10, NASB). ALL [emphasis added] are under sin and merit God’s judgment and condemnation, for all have come short (missed the mark) of fulfilling the requirements of God’s divine law (Romans 3:23 NASB). The situation before us is one of despair. Any claim to personal virtue, piety, or righteousness, based on works is made mute by past transgressions and failure. What is to be done? If Paul’s argument is true, how can one escape God’s wrath and judgment? How does one get a reprieve in light of an accusative and damning argument? What can man appeal to in presenting his case before God? Paul argues that no one can be nor will be justified by their works. He posits that one must place one’s trust in God’s righteousness and His means and method of exacting justice.

Up to this point Paul has demonstrated that man is incapable of following the letter of the law and fulfilling its requirements. This line of reasoning is central to Paul’s argument in an attempt to establish the supremacy of faith over works and the state of justification that comes by faith. What is more, the Apostle Paul wants to draw our attention to God’s righteousness revealed in the person of Christ Jesus apart from the law. Faith is sine qua non for salvation and justification before God. For Paul, at least, one can only be declared just/righteous through faith in God’s work in the person of Christ Jesus (Romans 3:28, NASB). The question becomes, what about the law? Isn’t there an assurance of blessings for those who follow the law? Are we to take an antinomian position with respect to the law? Are we to discard it and characterize it as pointless, qualify it as no longer valid? More importantly, does faith nullify the law? Paul’s responds by stating that “Do we then nullify the Law through faith? May it never be! On the contrary, we establish the Law.” (Romans 3:31, NASB)

Paul’s argument about the preeminence of faith over the law and the righteousness that comes through faith is polemic, indeed. The law is fundamental to Hebraic society. It is considered to be a revelation from God that governs conduct, sacral worship, protects the disenfranchised, etc… More importantly, it is an explicit declaration in scripture that those who practice the law are righteous before God. If faith has precedence, or it is what God considers fundamental, or necessary, for one to be righteous why give the law? What function does the law have? The underlying premise to Paul’s argument is not that the law should be abolished nor is he soliciting antinomian sensibilities. What Paul demonstrates is that faith precedes works in logical priority and justification is the final result. He demonstrates this by drawing our attention to a particular biblical character in the Hebrew Scriptures: Abraham.

Romans 4:1-25 demonstrates the force of Paul’s argument for justification by faith. What the apostle argues is that what made Abraham righteous, a qualification conferred only by God, was his faith. He (Abraham) saw his physical condition as being beyond what was naturally possible. (Romans 4:19, NASB) thus, Paul asserts, "ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." (Romans 4:3, NASB) For Paul, it seems that the premise of faith is for one to comprehend one’s finitude, impotence, and imperfection in light of God’s revelation. Thus, removing the bulwarks that strengthen our own resolve and, in their place, embrace the truth of God’s revelation in Christ Jesus. Yet the question of justice remains. How does faith, justification and what has been stated so far relate to justice?

Romans 5:1 states, "Therefore, being justified by faith, we have peace with God". Here is the result of faith. Here is the reward of faith. Peace with God. For the apostle Paul, as long as man continues in his rebellion, feels assured in the conformity of religious formalism, continues to trust in his own endeavors and attempts at defining morality, he stands at odds with God. Justice, for Paul, is the reality of our sin, being paid for in the person of Christ Jesus. Justice, "rendering to each what is due", is realized in the person of Christ Jesus. That is to say, that what was properly due to us, in relation to God and His law, is condemnation and death. However, if we believe God and place our trust in His means of justice, realized on the cross of Christ, in relation to Him and His divine law we are declared righteous. Here is the sense of rendering to each what is due. God is just, in that he remains faithful to his word and promises.

The Epistle to the Romans is at once a treatise on justice and a presentation of salvation, redemption, justification, and faith (Whelan p.437). In his Epistle to the Romans, the apostle Paul diagnosis the problem of evil, within the human polity, and gives a prognosis that emphasizes the need for divine justice and the imperative to acquiesce to God’s means of meeting justice. The picture that emerges in Paul’s epistle is God’s justice, mercy, love, and faithfulness responding to the man’s existential crisis of lawlessness, hopelessness, and sin in the person of Christ Jesus.

By Daniel Gonzalez, St. Joseph's University

Works Cited

Frederick G. Whelan. Justice: Classical and Christian
Political Theory, Vol. 10, No. 3. (Aug., 1982), pp. 435-460.
Stable URL:
http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0090-5917%28198208%2910%3A3%3C435%3AJCAC%3E2.0.CO%3B2-H

Bruce F.F., The Epistle of Paul to the Romans: An
Introduction and Commentary, Michigan: Tyndale Press, 1963

The Holy Bible, New American Standard Bible.
Massachusetts: Hendrickson, 1995

Easton, Matthew George. "Entry for Justice". "Easton's
Bible Dictionary”
.

After Arrest - Children Left Alone on Highway

2008-07-23T10:39:00.000-07:00

Fidel "Butch" Montoya

Every day there seems to be another news story of how evil continues to push good to the gutter. Please read the news article below on how a sheriff deputy left children - alone - on the interstate after arresting their mother for being a 'criminal' for not having a driver's license.

Why do we allow such incidents to go unnoticed without an outcry from the good people? When will we stand up together and say 'ENOUGH!'

Our country is better than this gestapo attitude that we must rid our country of the 'unclean and unwanted.'

We truly live a dark and sad point in time in our country's history. How have we allowed these conditions to exist in our country is testament to the silence of the good people and the hateful and mean spirited racists that have fooled the rest of us into thinking that this will keep us safe from 'criminals and terrorists.'

Our country has sunk to the depths of the perpetrators of violence and hate. When will we confront this disease of racism and bigotry? Will we allow our freedom and liberty to be used for the evil works of ICE and other law enforcement agencies bent on destroying the American dream?

Why have our Federal legislators given the managers of ICE the freedom to enact insane rules and policies like 287 (g) and not hold ICE accountable for their actions? How can they justify leaving children on the interstate and not feel any responsibility for their actions?

America - wake up!

Fidel 'Butch' Montoya
H. S. Power & Light -Latino Faith Based Initiative

'And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.' Micah 6: 8

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/crime_safety/story/1150866.html

Mom arrested, kids left on I-85
Abandoned by fellow immigrant

Kristin Collins, Staff Writer
An illegal immigrant arrested on a traffic violation last month was forced to leave her three children on the shoulder of Interstate 85 in the middle of the night -- where they were alone and stranded for eight hours.

An Alamance County sheriff's deputy pulled Maria Chavira Ventura over just before 2 a.m. on June 14, according to arrest records. He took her to jail for driving without a license and displaying a false license plate, and she was eventually put under a federal deportation order.

He left her children, 14, 10 and 6, with a man they barely knew, according to the N.C. Justice Center and Maryland social workers. He was a fellow church member who had been catching a ride with the family.

Lawyers with the Justice Center are investigating the incident. They say the man, fearing deportation if the officer returned, abandoned the children, leaving them to wait for their father to drive from Maryland.

The father, Antonio Perez, said he got a cell phone call from the sobbing children around 2 a.m. They had been headed from their home in Western North Carolina to visit him in Maryland. Perez, who doesn't have a license and had to get his uncle to drive him, arrived at 10:30 a.m. to find his children scared, exhausted, hungry, and distraught over the loss of their mother.

'They were left abandoned there in the middle of the street,' Perez said. 'It was a horrible experience for them, just horrible.'

Perez, an illegal immigrant from Honduras, agreed to give only his middle and last names. His story was confirmed by Justice Center lawyers who interviewed Ventura in jail. The 14-year-old also told the same story in an interview with social workers in Maryland. The Justice Center provided a copy of that interview.

Officials at the Alamance County Sheriff's Department say they handled Ventura's arrest according to their policies. They say children are frequently left with neighbors or family friends, as long as parents approve. If there is no adult available, the department calls social workers, said spokesman Randy Jones.

'We make arrangements all the time, and we have to do it on a case-by-case basis,' Jones said. 'We're not going to let something happen to a child.'

In this case, Jones said, the department has not received a complaint and was unaware until last week that the children ended up alone.

Jones said the man, who had no identification or driver's license, had a cell phone and told the officer that help was on the way. The mother spoke very little English, so the officer had the teenage daughter ask her handcuffed mother whether she approved of them staying with the man, Jones said.

'The girl said something to the mother in Spanish,' Jones said. 'And the officer said the mother looked at him and nodded.'

However, both Ventura and her daughter say the officer never asked permission to leave the children with the man. Dan Rearick, a Justice Center lawyer, interviewed Ventura at the Alamance County jail on July 9.

'She said very clearly that the officer never mentioned her children and she was never told anything about what would happen to them,' Rearick said.

Ventura got no response when she tried to ask the officer, in broken English, about her children, she told Rearick.

The daughter said in an interview with Casa de Maryland, an immigrant advocacy group, that the officer asked only if they had a phone and someone to call.

Jones said the sheriff's department doesn't know what happened to the children after their mother's arrest. He said they don't plan to look into it any further, unless they receive an official complaint. He said that, if the children were left alone, the man bears responsibility for abandoning them.

Asking the parent

Other law enforcement agencies agree that there are no set procedures for handling cases with children involved.

Wake County Sheriff Donnie Harrison said his officers always ask the parent whether there is a relative or close family friend who can care for the children. If they can't communicate with the parent, they have a 24-hour interpreting service available by phone, Harrison said.

'We just won't let the children go with anybody,' Harrison said. 'We've got to make sure that the parent feels comfortable.'

Lt. Everett Clendenin, spokesman for the N.C. Highway Patrol, said officers wouldn't leave children with a person whose identity or relationship to the children wasn't clear. But he said officers will leave children with non-family members if the parent agrees.

Rearick says Ventura and her family are traumatized but have little recourse.

The two younger children, both U.S. citizens, are with Perez. Perez is hesitant to bring a complaint against the department because of his immigration status.

Perez is not the father of the eldest child, and she is being cared for by relatives in North Carolina. Rearick said the girl does not have legal status and is now afraid to speak about the incident.

'The people who are caring for her say she can't sleep at night,' Rearick said.

Ventura pleaded guilty to the traffic charges, and federal officials are now holding her in a county jail in
Alabama. Barbara Gonzalez, spokeswoman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said she will soon be deported. Gonzalez said Ventura was using an assumed name and that her true name is Maria Mejia. Gonzalez said federal officials are looking into the circumstances of her arrest.

Alamance County participates in a federal program, called 287(g) for a section of law, that allows jailers to check immigration status and begin deportation proceedings on those they arrest. Many sheriffs, including Alamance Sheriff Terry Johnson, tout the program as a way to stop violent repeat criminals.

Advocates say the program has led to an increasing number of arrests of Hispanic immigrants for traffic violations. State law prohibits those without legal status from getting driver's licenses or registering cars, so many illegal immigrants are arrested on charges similar to Ventura's.

'This is another example of the real results of 287(g) -- arresting people for minor traffic offenses rather than taking criminals off the street,' Rearick said. 'Any program that leaves three little kids alone on the side of the highway is creating more problems than it solves.'

Jones, the Alamance sheriff's spokesman, said arresting the woman was standard procedure, since she wasn't allowed to continue driving and couldn't prove her identity.

'I can't find anything wrong with what the officer did,' Jones said.

(Staff writer Zoe Elizabeth Buck contributed to this report.)

kristin.collins@newsobserver.com or (919) 829-4881
Staff writer Zoe Elizabeth Buck contributed to this report.

© Copyright 2008, The News & Observer Publishing Company

A subsidiary of The McClatchy Company

CSA Partners with Rev. Sam Rodriguez and NHCLC

2008-07-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

Clergy Strategic Alliances, LLC (CSA) is proud to announce our partnership with the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference. Together we will prepare people of faith in Hispanic and African American communities to implement our 10 Week plan for issue education and Getting Out The Vote (GOTV). This plan will be available to churches in English and Spanish. Our partnership will span beyond the 2008 election cycle as we work together on issues important to both communities; improving public education, decreasing the high school drop out rate, ending gang violence and saving our children from gang culture, job creation, and healthcare, to name a few.

Our Partnership

"The Kingdom of God thrives via Covenant Partnerships exemplifying the Apostolic Mandate as Christ commissioned his Apostles in teams of two. For too long the African American and Hispanic Christian communities have co-existed in similar arenas confronting social ills and injustices. In the biblical narrative depicted in the book of Acts, Peter and John together meet the crippled man at the Gate called Beautiful. I wholeheartedly believe the African American and Hispanic churches embody the spirit of these two Apostles as we speak prophetically to the crippled hopes, dreams, families, economies and faith in our communities and empower them with what we have; Christ, compassion and conviction.

As a result, the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, America 's largest Hispanic faith organization, is proud to partner with one of America 's Preeminent Christian Leaders and advocate for Social Justice, Rev. Romal Tune. Romal leads the way articulating a message of societal transformation and Kingdom engagement with a commitment to excellence second to none. We believe this partnership will transform the relationship between Brown and Black and in the end; God's name will be glorified as we tackle the ills in our communities together and declare that the crippled standing before the gate will walk again."

The NHCLC serves and facilitates a representative voice for a growing number of the 18,000 Hispanic churches and 75 denominations in addition to faith-based organizations, institutes, networks, congregations, and active laity. Hispanic born-again Christians make up 37 percent of the U.S. Hispanic population and 88% of all U.S. Hispanic Protestants, 43% of all U.S. Hispanic Mainline Protestants, and 26% of all U.S. Hispanic Roman Catholics. www.nhclc.org

"As we contextualize the narrative of 21st Century Christianity, we find embedded in the spiritual genome of a generation , the prophetic impetus of a righteousness and justice platform. This generation will rise and reconcile anointed ministry with a commitment for social justice all in the Name of Christ. Rev. Romal Tune, via the "Our Vote" manual provides the guide and technical acumen for the incorporation our Christian Justice ethos within the framework of today's political reality. This guide is prophetic, practical, relevant and revolutionary. The inheritors of a Kingdom culture DNA can incorporate this guide as the primer for social activism that once again vociferously exclaims "For the Spirit of the Lord hath anointed me to bring Good News to the Poor!"

Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference

The Latino Pentecostal voter filled With Power

2008-07-15T13:26:00.000-07:00

by Fidel "Butch" Montoya

This coming election has to be one of the most analyzed by pundits and religious scholars as they look at the margins for potential voters and as to what “religious groups” might make a difference.

William McKenzie, the Dallas News editorial columnist has joined the fray with a column about a recent revival held the last night at the Reunion Arena. The arena will no longer play home to professional basketball.

On the last night, Reunion Arena played host to a revival meeting for a large group of Latino worshipers. The crowd was estimated at 13,500, with half of those in attendance being Latino Pentecostals.

McKenzie believes the Latino Pentecostal is worth watching this election as a potential “margin voter” that could play a significant role for either Obama or McCain. As most already know, Latino Pentecostals believe strongly in divine healing, miracles, and speaking in tongues.

Latino Pentecostals count themselves with the larger group of Latino Evangelicals, but not all Latino Evangelicals are Pentecostals, as not all agree on the proposition of speaking in tongues. Still, there are more issues, which this group of believers have in common, and will unite if their conservative values are threatened.

Most Latino Pentecostals have remained away from the political mainstream throughout the years partly because politics seemed corrupt or worldly. Nevertheless, as with all things, change is in the air. There is a growing awareness, particularly among younger Pentecostal families that involvement in the political arena is not only necessary, but also consistent with Biblical teaching of opposing “unjust laws” and public policies that do not treat all persons with dignity, justice, and respect.

Pentecostals in general are potentially election “swing voters” that can make a difference for McCain or Obama if they look carefully at this “old marginalized voter” making a move to be counted as a group of voters worth listening to.

In a New York Times survey, it found Pentecostals in some swing states having the influence to changing the outcome in the election. For example, in West Virginia, Pentecostals are 14% percent of West Virginians. That could make or break it during an election where every vote is going to count for the candidate that works this side of the church.

McKenzie writes, “John Green, who studies religious voting patterns for the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, says Pentecostals' political views are in flux.

They still emphasize traditional families and the sanctity of human life. However, young Pentecostals are looking at a broader range of issues, like reducing poverty.

That's been the message I've heard in talking to Pentecostal pastors. They describe younger Pentecostals as being both pro-life and pro-women's rights. Or, as Samuel Rodriguez of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference told me, they combine a social conservatism with an economic populism.”

Pentecostals who hold to strong conservative values would probably find a McCain a candidate to their liking. McKenzie makes the case that if McCain can show he is not what I call “the ugly Republican,” on immigration; he can claim a stronger share of the Latino Pentecostal vote.

While not all Latino Pentecostals agree on what steps need be taken on immigration reform, most if not all Latinos deplore and despise being depicted and treated by white Evangelical believers as “criminals or aliens”. With most white Evangelical voters being Republican, the “white church” has a tough road to hoe if it wants to change the belief that Latinos are not welcome and are fellow believers in the same Jesus Christ preached from each others pulpit on Sunday morning.

On the other hand, Obama has not really shown any interest in the Latino Pentecostal voter either. While they could hold the key to success or failure in some of the swing states, it does not appear Obama has taken steps to appeal to Latino Pentecostals.

Right now Latinos in general say they favor Obama over McCain. That will be the case until they look a little closer at Obama’s position on some of the values held dear to Latinos. I believe Obama is venerable on that score…too liberal for a very conservative group of voters.

Pentecostals who are only now realizing they hold their future in their own hands depending on who they cast their votes for President, it would be wise for both candidates to work and listen to this marginalized voter.

McKenzie ends his column by saying, “Pentecostals, especially the Latino Pentecostals who can fill up arenas like Reunion, are going to be a fascinating niche vote to follow.”

Pentecostals are always waiting for the “Spirit to move them, and empower them with power from on high,” and it would not hurt Obama or McCain to pray for a little help from the Pentecostal power waiting to be revealed.

Fidel "Butch" Montoya
H. S. Power & Light - Latino Faith Based Initiative

Troubling Statistics for Hispanic Teens

2008-07-10T07:06:00.000-07:00

by Israel Ortega

With the recent rise in gasoline prices, we're all trying to cut corners to make our dollar last longer. For families with teens, this may mean less allowance money, coupled with lessons on better financial stewardship. While they're at it, they may want to emphasize the importance of making good life decisions.

In case we needed further reason, recent findings from the government reveal troubling statistics for our teens -- specifically, Hispanic teens.

The findings come from a recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDCP talked to about 14,000 students in grades 9-12, in public and private schools in all 50 states (including North Carolina).

The survey found that Hispanic high-school students are at a higher risk than their African American and white teen counterparts to use drugs and attempt suicide. Research also indicates that African American and white teens report having engaged in less sexual activity in the last few years. Sadly, the same cannot be said for Hispanic teens.

In addition, Hispanic teens were more likely than African American and white teens to drink alcohol on school property, sell illegal drugs, ride with a driver under the influence, and use cocaine and ecstasy.

Clearly this is not a list where we want to see our teens leading.

And so the natural question is what to do? For some, the answer is for greater governmental involvement, perhaps in the form of creating yet another program or service. Or perhaps it means asking for more federal monies for a drug rehabilitation center or pregnancy counseling in our local cities and towns.

Such advice is no doubt well intended. But no amount of money can equal a parent sitting down with his or her daughter and talking to them about the dangers of drug use and risky sexual behavior. In every one of our teens is a future doctor, lawyer, CEO and elected official, and steering them towards a road of success is our obligation.

Israel Ortega is a Senior Media Services Associate at The Heritage Foundation.

First appeared in La Prensa and at the Heritage Foundation web site.

Does Dobson Speak for Me?

2008-06-26T18:40:00.000-07:00

by Fidel "Butch" Montoya

One of the biggest concerns about the news media covering religious news and issues of Evangelicals revolves around the central fact of who actually represents the point of view of this large diverse group.

The on going controversy and questions as to whether the Religious Right is dead or is irrelevant to the issues of the 2008 Presidential election continues to generate more questions and interest in the mainstream news media.

This election year we have seen a resurgence of new voices raising concerns and wanting to be heard. Many members of the Evangelical sector of the Church have tired of being aligned with the voices of the Religious Right and in particular of Rev James Dobson.

In Colorado, a diverse and cross cultural interfaith group of religious leaders are tired of being misrepresented by Dobson and his cohorts at Focus in the Family and have formed “We Believe Colorado.” We Believe Colorado has committed to work together on issues of common interest and to represent faith groups not aligned with the dying breed of the Religious Right leadership.

A question continually bought up, “Is why does the cable and network news media think that Rev. James Dobson speaks for the majority of religious and value voters?” That is one question We Believe Colorado can answer. Dobson and company do not speak for the new voices of religious leaders fighting for justice and righteousness and who have no interest in taunting our faith as a wedge issue.

Faithful America, a national grassroots group committed and motivated by their faith to press for solutions to moral issues of our time, studied some interesting statistics and data after Rev. James Dobson’s crew dug up an old 2006 speech by Sen. Barack Obama on his faith.

You can just see it now, all these researchers at Focus on the Family focusing on finding old speeches by Senator Obama. They found at least one speech they could use to attack the senator.

Faithful America also reviewed the news coverage given to Rev. James Dobson’s unwarranted attack on Senator Obama’s 2006 speech. The critique centered on how the news media allowed itself to be hoodwinked by the Dobson speech machine and take as truth whatever Dobson claimed was news worthy.

We Believe Colorado immediately recognized Dobson’s remarks as mere propaganda from the oracles of Colorado Springs.

The question Faithful America asked was, “What religious story dominated the cable networks last week?”

Given two choices, what story do you think would create more news or opportunities to break it down for more interesting quotes and observations – the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life releasing a groundbreaking survey of 35,000 Americans documenting the diversity and tolerance of people of faith and the growing consensus by people of faith around issues like poverty and the environment or Rev Dobson attacking Sen. Obama’s 2006 speech?

The surprising or alarming answer to the question was the news cable talking heads and pundits chose the out dated 2006 speech.

Given the two choices, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX NEWS on Tuesday, June 24, mentioned the Rev. James Dobson’s comments 189 times criticizing the two year old Obama speech.

The new landmark Pew study and survey barely made the news with just 8 mentions.
This situation gives the impression that Obama’s 2006 speech is a priority in our religious community. Allowing the news media to pick our national spokespeople and issues is something we need to challenge.

Rev. James Dobson does not speak for me or many other interfaith religious leaders and it is time the national news media understands that fact.

To ignore ground breaking news from the Pew Institute for comments from an old speech that occurred two years ago is not only irrelevant to the issues of this election, but also irresponsible. It is merely creating a false narrative and distracts from the important issues of people of faith.

To continue to give Rev Dobson the title as national spokesperson for Evangelical religious leaders and believers is misleading the American public and distorts our values and faith priorities. It also sends a false picture of who we represent.

Clearly, Rev. James Dobson does not speak for me, so to the national media news editors/producers, “Get over it, Dobson is old news and his nasty misleading comments have no room in our efforts to use our faith to fight for justice and truth.”

Fidel "Butch" Montoya
H. S. Power & Light - Latino Faith Based Initiative

Lead or Move Aside

2008-06-10T22:38:00.000-07:00

Fidel "Butch" Montoya

The struggle for justice and righteousness for undocumented immigrants is becoming a more difficult proposition. The Bush Administration is pushing more and more enforcement of the antiquated immigration laws on the books.

Undocumented immigrants are now being held in new detention centers while they are being sentenced for up to five months in jail before deportation. This creates a basis to arrest the undocumented immigrant if they return to the USA as “criminals.”

The Homeland Security Department, specifically ICE is beginning to squeeze more and more communities with high “Latino” populations. There are more and more reports of ICE arresting and deporting USA citizens.

ICE has no inclination to trying to verify citizenship, only deportation. The government does not care if you are a citizen or not, if you don’t carry the necessary paper work, you are bound to be deported.

The New York Times reported that, “At the same time, in the last year, local police departments from coast to coast have rounded up hundreds of immigrants for nonviolent, often minor, crimes, like fishing without a license in Georgia, with the end result being deportation.”

In Oklahoma, the reports continue to come out that the police continue to target Latino drivers at roadside stops where documents are demanded by the police. Some of the Latino USA citizens are now carrying passports or birth certificates to avoid being jailed.

All across the country, the Latino Evangelical churches are suffering in attendance as more and more of our brothers and sisters are afraid to go to church.

Afraid to go to church because we have seen the tentacles of corrupt ICE officials stalking Latino Christians in camp grounds, churches, homes, jobs, grocery stores, and schools.

It is a very sad time in our country where gasoline prices are at record high prices and continuing to climb with no end in sight.

The war in Iraq almost forgotten in the news media and the American memory of men and women who continue to die in a war with no end.

The American economy whirling out of control with higher prices for food, unemployment getting higher, and a recession causing more havoc with the economy and no one seems to really care.

Yet with all of these problems, many Americans continue to refuse to take the blinders off and continue to blame “Mexicans” for all of our problems.

Meanwhile, because the American economy is sliding downward, it is beginning to seriously affect the worldwide economies of other countries as well. A serious world wide recession on the horizon which I suppose we can blame on “the Mexicans” as well?

For many of the pastors and ministers who have not stopped to realize the consequences of a broken immigration policy and being run amuck by the Bush Administration’s policies, it is time to pray.

Yet, I continue to be amazed at the apathy and uncaring attitude by many Latino Evangelical ministers who refuse to acknowledge that God demands that we “act justly, seek mercy, and walk humbly with our God.” (Micah 6)

To “act justly” is seek justice for the lost and unrepresented and not to use our Bible as blinders.

To “seek mercy” is to ensure that we do not allow injustice to create lack of respect for humanity as we pray in our glass stained churches.

To “walk humbly with our God,” means to understand we are not to be arrogant with our titles and knowledge…but to be servants to serve the needs of the people.

But as we continue to ask and beg pastors and ministers to pray for undocumented immigrants in our country who are being abused by unscrupulous businesspeople, a mean-spirited government, racism and bigotry of our neighbors and fellow Christians, we must continue to find more avenues of service beyond prayer.

We can encourage those members of our congregations who meet the requirements to become citizens to do so. We must encourage ALL who have not registered to vote, but who are qualified to do so, to register to vote. And most importantly, vote in greater numbers than Latinos did during the primaries.

Es Tiempo de Votar, It is Time to Vote! It is time for our community to vote and express our indignation at the failed policies of the past, and vote for change that will bring solutions to the broken immigration policy of our country.

WE must not become the political pawns of any party. We must be true to our community’s values and principles of family, life, and justice.

We do not seek the attention of any candidate that does not carry in his heart the values we hold true.

The Latino community must also demand that the politicos in the church and in the political parties to listen carefully to the demands we have for justice, liberty, and righteousness for all.

To our fellow Church “religious leaders” who have forgotten we must speak for those who cannot speak for themselves, lead or move aside.

Fidel “Butch” Montoya
H. S. Power & Light – Latino Faith Based Initiative

Who is really a human being? Babies, aliens, or chimpanzees?

2008-06-09T20:27:00.000-07:00

Francisco Miraval

Who is really a human being? This is certainly one of the biggest questions ever asked throughout history. Philosophers, theologians, anthropologists, artists, and even common people have asked this question time and time again, offering all kinds of answers, from mythology to science to simple laughable ideas.

In this challenging world we now live, the question about who is really a human being has resurfaced in two contexts: law (specifically, human rights) and science, showing that, in spite of millennia of having our best minds (and some not so good ones) analyzing the question, we still lack a satisfactory answer.

During the recent World Science Festival in New York City, several scientists offered different answers about who is a human being: “A species with ways of transmitting information” (Marvin Minsky), “The nervous system of the planet” (Daniel Dennett), “An unique brain structure” (Patricia Churchland), and “An extraordinary form of symbolic cognition” (Ian Tattersall).

Other scientists spoke about the fact that we, humans, are the only known species able to question our own identity and essence, or the only species wanting to transcend time, either though history or religion. For more information, click here.

However, in spite of all those outstanding scientific contributions, the question about who (or what) is human being is still open.

In fact, at this very same time, the European Court of Human Rights, in Strasbourg, France, is trying to decide whether Matthew Hiasl Pan, 26 and resident in Vienna, Austria, is a human person with legal rights.

Why the court is still undecided about the humanity of Matthew? Because Matthew is a chimpanzee living at an animal sanctuary.

Paula Stibbe, the activist who began the legal action in favor of Matthew, said there are obvious differences between humans and chimpanzees. However, at the same time, the definition of who is a human being is still, at best, ambiguous and always changing. And, taking into account that the DNA of humans is 96 percent similar to the DNA of chimpanzees, Matthew should be classified as a human person. For details, click here.

It is unclear if Matthew really wants to be classified as a human person, knowing that, if he is, he will then have to obey the law and, for example, to pay taxes and use the seat belt.

Stibbe said that if her request to have Matthew recognized as a human is successful, then the next step will be to include dogs and dolphins in the same category as chimpanzees.

My question, then, is this: If dogs and dolphins are accepted as being “human,” what other animals will soon also be included and where the list is going to stop?

While in Europe they are defending the “human” rights of a chimpanzee, in Denver, Colorado for Equal Rights is also proposing a new definition of human being, to include in this case “any human being from the moment of fertilization,” because not always unborn babies are classified as “human.”

The Amendment 48, entitled "Definition of a Person," was recently approved for a statewide vote when the Secretary of State validated 103,000 signatures on petitions for the ballot initiative, that is, 27,000 more than required. The issue will be decided by popular vote next November.

(If you have doubts about the humanity of babies, please read Psalm 139:13-16)

“We at Colorado for Equal Rights are incredibly thankful for our many volunteers who worked so hard for each signature we delivered to the secretary of state's office and the churches who stood behind us and supported us,” said Kristi Burton, 20, who organized the petition drive.

“This victory is the voice of the people, and all credit goes to our Creator,” she added. For more information, click here.

I would like to know what American human babies still inside their mothers’ womb will say if they knew that, in many respects, they have less rights than an European chimpanzee.

However, even if unborn babies and chimpanzees eventually succeed in being recognized as humans, they still have to face serious competition from yet another group who also wants rights: aliens.

I am not talking here about those aliens who cross the border to come here, but aliens who cross inter-stellar space to come here. Extraterrestrial aliens, that is.

According to Jeff Peckman, a Denver entrepreneur, aliens, those who supposedly come in spaceships, should also have their own rights. So, he is promoting an initiative to create a “commission for extraterrestrial creatures,” so Denver residents will be ready in case of an “alien invasion.” (See details here.)

So far, Peckman said nothing about asking immigration papers to those aliens.

These examples clearly show how fragmented and distorted our current understanding of who is a human being is. We don’t even know if our primate cousins are just cousins or perhaps our brothers.

We don’t know if human babies are human enough to be recognized as humans. And we don’t know if we have some yet-unknown cousins out there, ready to visit us to reclaim their rights.

All the problems about immigration, about saving traditional marriage, about education, about foreign relations, are in reality a fight about who we really are. It should not be a surprise to anybody that, if you deny the humanity of human babies and accept the humanity of chimpanzees, then you distort who we humans really are, and, therefore, accept behaviors unbecoming to humans.

The Apostle Paul already wrote about these same issues in Romans 1:21-25:

21For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles. 24Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.

Having distorted who God is, we have also distorted who we really are. And who are we? David already wrote about that many centuries ago in Psalm 8:4-6:

4. “What is man that you are mindful of him,
the son of man that you care for him?
5 You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings (=Elohim)
and crowned him with glory and honor.
6 You made him ruler over the works of your hands;
you put everything under his feet:

No immigration debate will be solved, no traditional marriage will be saved, no anti-family legislation will be repealed until first we understand who we are. A distorted image of God and, therefore, a distorted image of ourselves (see Genesis 1:26), will also distort all our laws, all our rights, and all the attempted solutions for our problems.

Francisco Miraval is the founder and director of Project Vision 21, LLC, a bilingual news and information service based in Aurora, Colorado. He is also the director of the Hispanic Group of the US Christian Chamber of Commerce and a member of the NHCLC board.

Hispanic church minister in trouble for helping Latino immigrants in Iowa

2008-05-26T19:57:00.000-07:00

Francisco Miraval

As a philosopher, I learned very early in my career that reality is not always what it seems to be. As a believer, I know that is always the case, because there is more than one dimension in our world (Isaiah 45:18, 2 Cor. 12:2-4), even if we do not see those other dimensions.

However, when a minister at a Hispanic church in a small rural town gets in trouble with federal authorities for trying to help Latino immigrants who were allegedly being abused, my notion of what is reality and what is not, what is justice and what is not, begins to crumble.

I know God works in mysterious ways, but if pastors or ministers can be summoned to a grand jury for defending the rights of immigrants, perhaps it is time to re-think what we think is the reality around us.

Let me share the story with you. Please, read all the links, and then you decide.

Ron Wahls, a guidance counselor in the Postville school district in northeast Iowa and a minister of a local Hispanic church, said to the Des Moines Register he has been summoned to appear next month before a grand jury, due to alleged “misunderstandings” regarding Social Security numbers used by Latino immigrants he helped in the past.

Wahls denied any wrongdoing and said the allegations against him “probably stem from Postville residents who resent the presence of Hispanics in their town.”

For the complete story, click here.

Postville is a city of 2,500 people (according to the U.S. Census Bureau), with 20 percent of Hispanic population. Many of those Latino immigrants came to Postville attracted by Agriprocessors, the largest kosher meatpacking company in the country.

On May 12, 2008, more than 300 hundred Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, other federal agents, and local police, arrested almost 400 people at Agriprocessors, in what federal authorities described as the “largest immigration operation in the history of the country.” (For details, click here.)

Ironically, Wahls may have been one of the persons who created the opportunity for the raid. In June 2006, Walhs met with representatives of the Jewish community to talk about the “working conditions” of Hispanic employed at Agriprocessors, including allegations of abused against immigrants. For the complete story, click here.

According to documents released by ICE on May 20, 2008, and found here and here, with additional details here, those allegations led to the investigation that eventually led to the arrest of the workers and the summons of Wahls.

If I understand correctly the sequence of events, some Latino immigrants told their minister in 2006 they were being abused. The minister contacted some people and tried to help the immigrants. That led eventually to a federal investigation. Then, on May 12, 2008, almost 400 those same immigrants the minister wanted to help were arrested. Two weeks later, all those immigrants were already sentenced and many of them will be deported soon. And now the minister is in trouble.

Do we really understand what is happening before our eyes? Are we ready for a reality that is not what it seems to be? Are we ready and willing to be pastors at a time when, as it happened many times during the past 2,000 years, being a pastor is no longer a glamorous profession, but a costly one?

Nota: Para una historia en español relacionada con este tema, ver esta nota.

NHCLC meeting inspire Jewish pastor to preach against racism

2008-05-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

Francisco Miraval

After preaching at a meeting organized by NHCLC representatives in Colorado on May 5th, 2008 (see details on our blog entry dated May 14), Pastor Michael Walker, senior pastor at Church in the City in Denver, shared with his congregation his sermon about Transcending Discrimination in the Church.

Dr. Raleigh Washington, of Promise Keepers and of Road to Jerusalem Ministries, joined Pastor Walker to share some insights about how to overcome racism inside our churches.

During his sermon, Pastor Walker quotes NHCLC Global Chairman Dr. Jesse Miranda, agreeing with Dr. Miranda that racism is a sin.

The complete sermon (68MB) is here. Scroll down to May 2008 to find Transcending Discrimination in the Church. Then, double-click the link to listen, or right-click to download ("Save target as").

Latino pastors and community leaders denounce “prayer ban” at ICE jail in Denver

2008-05-26T18:50:00.000-07:00

Francisco Miraval

More than 50 Latino pastors and community leaders, representing several local churches, denominations, and organizations, met in Denver on Friday, May 23, to denounce what they called a “prayer ban” at the regional Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention center in the Denver suburb of Aurora.

According to Pablo Castellanos, of Centro AMISTAD in Boulder, 18 Christian women (16 from Latin America, one from China, and one from Indonesia, a pastor) were recently denied the opportunity of praying together at the ICE detention center.

Castellanos, from Mexico, is a well-known and respected educator and writer who came to Colorado several decades ago. Every Wednesday morning he talks about immigration issues at Radio Luz in Denver. During a program two weeks ago, a caller alerted Castellanos about the situation at the detention center.

Upon verifying the situation, Castellanos called Latino leaders and pastors to a meeting, urging them to join him with the double mission of helping the 18 Christian women and restoring Christian prayer inside the ICE facility in Aurora.

“We want ICE to respect the rights of these detainees, including freedom of religion. These women should have the freedom to pray. The only thing left they have is their God, and they should be able to pray together, as members of other religions are allowed to do,” Castellanos said to the pastors and leaders.

Pastor Carlos Lopez, founder of En-Hacore Ministries in Denver, is very familiar with this situation, because three years ago he was detained for three months at that same facility and eventually deported to his native Argentina, in spite of having proper immigration documents. (Once the mistake was cleared, he was allowed to return to the United States.)

Lopez confirmed the “prayer ban” does exist, but he explained, it is something related more to security and safety issues than to religion.

“They can say we can’t pray together, but they can’t stop us from leading others to Jesus or from talking to our God,” Lopez remarked.

Lopez said he rededicated his life to Jesus inside that detention center, leading him to establish En-Hacore (a name taken from Judges. 15:19), a ministry to those inside the ICE detention Center in Aurora. “Fifty Latino immigrants accepted Jesus and ten were baptized during 2007,” he said.

However, after a change in the administration of the detention center and after new security norms went into effect, Lopez was denied the authorization to continue his ministry there.

While in the process of re-obtaining his credentials, he prays somebody else will take his place, “because there is a great need for a Spanish-speaking ministry there.”

Castellanos informed that ten of the Christian mothers detained at the ICE facility in Aurora are from Mexico, two from El Salvador, two from Nicaragua, and one from Honduras, in addition to the women from China and from Indonesia.

Castellanos said the current immigration crisis should not be understood as “only a Latino problem.”

“Our sisters from China and from Indonesia are mothers separated from their children just as our sisters from Latin America are mothers separated from their children. We are going to help them all, regardless of language or culture,” he said.

Castellanos already contacted both the Mexican consulate and the Guatemalan consulate in Denver, and he requested a meeting with local ICE representatives to explore the possibility of ICE allowing at least some of the mothers to be freed on bond (or with electronic monitoring systems).

“We don’t want to see our mothers wearing orange uniforms. But if we are divided, our divisions will do more damage than any efforts done by any anti-immigrant group,” Castellanos said.

“We show our loyalty to this country and to the values of this country in our work, our art, and our culture. We just want an opportunity to be part of this nation, including the part of respecting the rights of our people,” he concluded.

Francisco Miraval is the director of Hispanic Group of the US Christian Chamber of Commerce (based in Denver, Colorado) and a member of the NHCLC board.

Nota: Para una noticia en español relacionada con este tema, ver este artículo.

A Hot Summer Looming on the Horizon

2008-05-23T05:15:00.000-07:00

Fidel “Butch” Montoya

One of the most pressing issues facing our cities is the “traditional problem” of community police relationships between minority groups, particularly African Americans and Latinos.

It is a problem that is growing more serious as the relationships continue to grow more desperate and with more open contempt toward the police. In New York City, we have the Sean Bell case where three NYPD officers were acquitted in a criminal court, but now along with four other officers are facing departmental charges of violating internal police rules.

The seven police officers are being charged for violating several departmental rules for misusing their police issued weapon and for failing to follow departmental rules in processing the crime scene.

This after Sean Bell was killed and two of his friends were wounded when 50 shots were fired at the unarmed men celebrating Bell’s upcoming wedding the next day.

In 2002 the United States Department of Justice investigated the Cleveland Police Department over issues of whether police officers engaged in a pattern of “unconstitutional conduct.”

In a subsequent follow up investigation by the Cleveland Plain Dealer from 2003 through 2006, not much had really changed. During that period of time, the newspaper found 4,427 incidents where the CPD reported use of force was used.

The Plain Dealer investigation found the police department reported 4,427 incidents where the use of force was justified. The newspaper did report however, the department found one case where the use of force was “inappropriate.” And that was after “reforms” were put in place.

The Los Angeles Police Department is legendary in the number of Federal Justice Department investigations or internal reviews on police misconduct. Unfortunately it shows how easily these audits can end up on the shelf.

From the corruption of the Rampart Precinct, the Gang Unit, and lack of command and control tactics used in crowd control, such as last year during a peaceful protest that turned violent only after the police department started what I call a “police riot.”

During that riot, police shot rubber bullets and high pressure pepper spray at peaceful demonstrators, including elderly and young children and the news media. To the credit of Chief William Bratton, several high command officers were demoted or chose retirement after a internal investigation.

Chief William Bratton in my opinion is perhaps one of the best police chiefs in the country. He is a very reform and open minded cop who enjoys working with community groups trying to resolve community relationships.

Yet, even with that strong commitment from Bratton, there is more mistrust today and turmoil among many Black and Latino activists in LA who blame the cops for every single act of use of force.

In Denver, developing its own reputation for shooting the unarmed mental health cases and doing a better job of making sure the victims are shot dead after multiple bullets into their bodies.

Two years ago, one police officer actually called for the fire department so they could use the ladder to make sure a suspect was not in the housing development. Fortunately for the suspect, he was gone, unfortunately for an elderly Latino gentleman drinking from a Pepsi can in his bed, and was shot dead because the officer thought the can was a gun.

A year before that, police shot and killed a young Black man who wielded a large knife “and lunged at the officer” and was shot dead. The family had called police because they could not control the 15 year old who had a history of mental illness.

Last week, after a Latino gentleman – apparently drunk, angry, diabetic, and who had cut a large gash in his arm, showed up at a confirmation party for his daughter, and then left the scene after the police showed up.

They insisted on calling the suspect back to the scene, where his neighbor stood between him and the police pleading with the police to stop the shooting of rubber bullets, tasher shots, and pepper spray at the suspect and at himself.

In the end, the victim was shot at least 8 times…dead in front of his family, friends and neighbors.

A week before, after police chased a young Latino teenager on the north side of Denver, no reason given, but after the officer caught the teen, jumped up and down on the back of the teenager, seriously injuring the teenager’s back,lacerating his liver, and causing serious kidneys injuries.

And we wonder why the Latino and Black clergy are up in arms in Denver. There has been no public comment from Mayor Hickenlooper, Manager of Safety Al LaCabe, or Chief of Police Whitman about either case.

At least Bratton has condemned police misconduct in his department repeatedly when he has seen it, and in the opinion of many leaders in the Denver community, which is what happened in both incidents without a single word of public condemnation or concern about the misconduct.

Last weekend in Denver/Aurora alone there were 7 gang related and police shootings.

Unless the Mayor, Police Manager, and Police Chief take control of the community discussion, it is going to be a long hot summer in Denver and in other cities across the USA where government leaders ignore the cries of injustice.

In Denver, Black and Latino clergy are demanding to speak with the Mayor, and thus far, this mayor is content to hide behind his 70% approval ratings, forgetting his city is made of up of 36% Latinos, and 20% Black populations.

As MLK said, "We will have to repent in this generation not merely for the hateful words and actions of the bad people but for the appalling silence of the good people."

Which person are you….the silent….or the bad?

Fidel “Butch” Montoya
H. S. Power & Light – Latino Faith Based Initiative

Is Life a Bowl of Cherries?

2008-05-15T01:59:00.000-07:00

Fidel "Butch" Montoya

Far beyond the headline news of the largest Federal immigration raid totaling close to 400 individuals in the history of the United States, there is another important story not getting near the attention it should.

It is the sad story of lies and abuse of immigrants on the harvest trail. A story of expectations and hope promised, and nothing but uncertainty and fear delivered.

The United Farm Workers are trying to raise awareness about the plight of the workers and their families who recently left Washington State and who were promised jobs in the cherry orchards near Shafter, California. They left Washington State after Stemilt Growers Company promised them jobs in California. They packed what belongings they had, and traveled expecting to the find the jobs promised and to be able to provide for their families.

Now what would you do if you were promised a job in another state by the world’s largest supplier of freshly picked cherries? If I didn’t have a job, and Stemilt Growers Company promised me a job, I would take the company’s word and promise of a job and move to where I could take care of my family.

The problem is when they arrived in California, the jobs promised didn’t exist. There was no housing, places to shower or bathe, unless you wanted to bathe with the ducks and fish in a water hole?

As for sleeping arrangements, they did’t exist either. Some workers slept in their cars, others found cardboard boxes, and others simply slept out in the open. If you were lucky, you might have spelt in a tent.

To make matters worse, only a handful of the immigrants were hired and the rest were told to hang around and maybe more jobs would open up.

Now with no jobs, no expectation of getting one, little or no money left over from their trip, no housing, and nothing but uncertainty left, they were told they could camp out in the orchards.

They went public with their plight and complained to the news media which covered their story. Backed by the United Farm Workers, the news media exposed the problems facing the unemployed immigrants.

Angry and upset,representatives from Kyle Mathison Orchards/Stemilt Growers Company called the sheriff department to get the migrants out of the orchards. Now with the cherry growers throwing them out, there was no hope.

Now imagine this, this company claims to treat workers fairly. What is fairness when you provide no housing, no jobs, and broken promises and the company calls the sheriff department to throw you out or have you arrested?

This is what is wrong with companies that claim to take care of workers. First off, Stemilt Growers Company claims to take care of workers? When Kyle Mathison Orchards promises more jobs than they know they will be able to fill, yet they continue to promise jobs, when in fact, they knew there are really not enough jobs.

This is an abuse and the lack of very basic worker’s protections just allows companies to take advantage of workers with little or no regard for the worker. This is wrong, and in the scope of issues facing migrant workers, this one is very real to the workers traveling a great distance only to find out the promised jobs simply do not exist.

So while the nation watches the ramifications of the largest immigrant raid in our country in disgust and awkwardness, not knowing what to do, farmer workers far from the national headlines and public awareness, are left in a hopeless situation as well.

The sad part of this story is, that as long as immigration reform is ignored and worker protections laws are not put in place, immigrant workers will continue to be displaced in society, and will continue to suffer in a climate of fear, hatefulness, prejudices, and racism.

It is time for a reasonable resolution for comprehensive immigration reform. We cannot keep playing games with immigrant workers lives. We need a new national affirmation to work together to find a solution to this disgraceful stain of injustice on our Constitution.

Or maybe we need to start a boycott of cherries from the Mathison Orchards/Stemilt Growers Company – supposedly the “largest shipper of fresh-market sweet cherries in the world.”

Fidel “Butch” Montoya
H. S. Power & Light – Latino Faith Based Initiative

Hispanic Christian leaders in Denver pray in unity against racism

2008-05-14T20:44:00.000-07:00

Francisco Miraval

Dozens of Hispanic Christian leaders, as well as Christian leaders from different ethnicities and nationalities, and more than 200 brothers and sisters from several local congregations, gathered on Monday, May 5, during the evening at a church in west Denver to pray in unity for God’s intervention against racism and to confess and ask God’s forgiveness for the racism and the discrimination that still exist among Latinos and inside the churches.

“Only when we put the Kingdom of God’s culture above our own culture and language, only when we recognize and confess our own sin of racism, and only when we ask God for His supernatural intervention, only then there will be a solution to the immigration crisis in our country,” said Pastor Arturo Vargas, of Centro Cristiano Amistad, and member of the advisory board of National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference (NHCLC).

The meeting began with a meditation brought by Pastor Mario Mencos, of Ministerios Internacionales El Shaddai, where the event took place. After reading selected verses from Isaiah 60, Mencos urged the congregation to realize “we have our responsibility to build the Kingdom.”

Then, Pastor Jude del Hierro, of Confluence Ministries, led the congregation in a time of worship. And Pastor Dennis Rivera, District Superintendent of the Central Latin American District of the Assemblies of God (headquartered in Denver) spoke about “the reasons why we are here tonight.”

Rivera emphasized the need to acknowledge racism for what it is, a sin, and to acknowledge that “we, as Hispanics and as Christians, should confess and repent from the racism in our community and in our churches.”

Rivera also explained that earlier that same day, Christian men and women from the United States and from Mexico, representing many different races, prayed together at the international bridge between Laredo and Nuevo Laredo, under the leadership of Dr. Cindy Jacobs, as a symbolic act of asking God to put an end to racism.

Pastor Michael Walker, of Church in the City, in Denver, brought the message from the Word of God. Walker, born in a Jewish family (his grandfather was a rabbi), spoke about Galatians 3:28, reminding the congregation that “we are one in Jesus Christ.”

Walker shared his own experience of being discriminated against, first for being a Jew and later, after accepting Christ as his Lord and Savior, by the Jewish people. But, he said, “He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall.” (Ephesians 2:14)

Pastor Vargas then led the congregation during a time of prayer and consecration, asking publicly forgiveness for racism, discrimination, and ungodly attitudes Hispanics and Christian Hispanic people show against people from other ethnicities and nationalities.

Vargas asked Pastor Joseph Nsabimbona, originally from Burundi (Africa), and assistant pastor at Church in the City, to come to the pulpit and asked him to forgive the discrimination from Hispanics to African and African American people.

“Hispanic leaders made history today. It is a humbling experience to be here today,” Nsabimbona said.

Vargas then asked for forgiveness form Pastor Scott Carranza, of Crossroads of the Rockies, representing the White people; from Pastor Rivera, representing Mexican-American people; and from Pastor Walker, representing the Jewish people.

After an intense time of consecration with the whole congregation kneeling at the altar, asking for God’s forgiveness and for His guidance for the future, Pastor Walker closed the service reciting in Hebrew the Aaronic blessing (Numbers 6:22-27).

“Today has been a historic day for the people of God in Denver. Today, in unity, we have pierced the darkness,” Walker declared.

Such was the blessing and the movement of the Holy Spirit at the meeting, that local Hispanic Christian leaders are already working to organize similar events in the near future.

Francisco Miraval is the director of Hispanic Group of the US Christian Chamber of Commerce and a member of the NHCLC board.

Dirigentes cristianos hispanos de Denver oran en unidad contra el racismo

2008-05-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

Francisco Miraval

Decenas de dirigentes cristianos hispanos, acompañados por más de 200 hermanos de distintas congregaciones y por representantes cristianos de varios grupos étnicos oraron en unidad el pasado lunes 5 de mayo para pedirle a Dios que intervenga en contra del racismo y para confesar y pedir perdón por el racismo y la discriminación que aún existe dentro de la iglesia y dentro del pueblo hispano.

“Solamente cuando pongamos la cultura del Reino de Dios por encima de nuestra cultura y de nuestro idioma, cuando reconozcamos y confesemos nuestro propio pecado de racismo, y cuando pidamos unidos en oración la supernatural intervención de Dios, entonces tendremos una solución para la crisis inmigratoria”, dijo el Pastor Arturo Vargas, del Centro Cristiano Amistad, y miembro del consejo asesor de la Conferencia Nacional de Líderes Cristianos Hispanos (NHCLC, en inglés).

El encuentro comenzó con un meditación del Pastor Mario Mencos, de Ministerios Internacionales El Shaddai, donde tuvo lugar la reunión. Sobre la base de versículos selectos de Isaías 60, Mencos exhortó a los presentes a recordar la responsabilidad que nos compete de construir el reino.

Tras un momento de alabanza bajo la dirección del Pastor Jude del Hierro, de Ministerios Confluencia, el Pastor Dennis Rivera, superintendente del Distrito Central Latino Americano de las Asambleas de Dios (con sede en Denver), compartió “las razones por las que estamos aquí”.

Rivera enfatizó la necesidad de reconocer que el racismo es pecado y que, como hispanos y como cristianos, debemos confesar y arrepentirnos por el racismo dentro de nuestra comunidad y dentro de nuestras iglesias.

Rivera también explicó que ese mismo día, por la mañana, hombres y mujeres de Dios tanto de Estados Unidos como de México, y de distintas razas, habían estado orando en el puente internacional entre Laredo y Nuevo Laredo, bajo la dirección de la Dra. Cindy Jacobs, como un acto simbólico de clamor a Dios para que se termine el racismo.

La predicación de la Palabra de Dios estuvo a cargo del Pastor Michael Walker, de Iglesia en la Ciudad, en Denver. Walker, de origen judío, tomó el versículo de Gálatas 3:28 para indicar que “todos nosotros somos uno en Cristo Jesús”.

Walker compartió su propia experiencia de discriminación, primero por ser judío y luego, tras entregarse a Cristo, por su propio pueblo. Pero, dijo Walker, “Cristo es nuestra paz, derribando la pared intermedia de la separación” (Efesios 2:14).

El Pastor Vargas dirigió entonces a los presentes en un momento de oración y de consagración, pidiendo públicamente perdón por actitudes racistas, discriminatorias e intolerantes de los hispanos y de los cristianos hacia personas de distintos grupos étnicos y nacionalidades.

Vargas invitó al Pastor Joseph Nsabimbona, originario de Burundi (Africa) y pastor asociado de Iglesia en la Ciudad, para pedirle perdón por la discriminación de los hispanos hacia los africanos y afroamericanos.

“Los hispanos hoy hicieron historia. Es una experiencia de verdadera humildad estar aquí hoy”, comentó Nsabimbona.

A continuación, Vargas hizo lo mismo con el Pastor Scott Carranza, de Crossroads of the Rockies, en representación de los blancos; el Pastor Rivera, representando a los méxico-americanos, y con el Pastor Walker, en nombre de los judíos.

Luego de un intenso momento de consagración en el que toda la congregación se acercó al altar para, de rodillas, pedir perdón y buscar la dirección de Dios, el Pastor Walker concluyó el servicio recitando, en hebreo, la bendición sacerdotal de Números 6:22-27.

“Hoy ha sido un día histórico para el pueblo de Dios en Denver. Hoy, en unidad, hemos quebrado las tinieblas”, declaró Walker.

Debido a la bendición y al movimiento del Espíritu Santo que trajo esta reunión, ya se están planificando eventos “de unidad” similares para el futuro cercano.

Francisco Miraval es el director del Grupo Hispano de la Cámara de Comercio Cristiana de Estados Unidos y miembro de la mesa directiva de la NHCLC.

Marriage, The Democratic National Convention and Latinos

2008-05-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Marriage and family advocates to rally during DNC
By Electa Draper
The Denver Post

Article Last Updated: 05/13/2008 04:13:29 PM MDT

The Alliance for Marriage Foundation and the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders announced today they will host a rally in support of traditional marriage and family in Denver during the Democratic National Convention.

The Catholic Latino association's executive board, which includes Denver Archbishop Charles Chaput and San Antonio Archbishop Jose Gomez, is working with prominent national Latino leaders to encourage the Democratic Party "to stand up for marriage."

The Democratic Party has deviated from its commitment to the institution in the last 20 years, said Rev. Samuel Rodriguez Jr. of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

"When mom and dad are in the home it is the primary antidote to the Latino dropout rate, proliferation of gang activity, drugs and a number of social ills," Rodriguez said.

Rodriguez, an adviser to Alliance for Marriage, said that while the groups are in favor of every single American's civil rights; the party needs to affirm that the institution of marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman.

"We don't want anyone touching that because it works for our community," Rodriguez said.

The Virginia-based Alliance for Marriage and CALL, founded in September and based in San Antonio, say they are nonpartisan coalitions that include religious and business leaders, civil rights advocates and legal experts.

Rodriguez said that Democratic candidates are expected to receive a greater percentage of Latino votes than in past recent elections. It could be more than 60 percent, he said.

The planned rally would encourage Latino voters to urge leaders to protect marriage, he said.

Where are the Mighty Men of Valor?

2008-05-08T13:45:00.000-07:00

There is another story in the Arizona Republic today (May 8) about the ICE raid on April 12 against a group of men out on a religious retreat. But even after the April 12th arrests of the men who were part of a Christian men's retreat...the Latino Evangelical Church outside of Arizona remains outrageously silent.

Oh Church, where is the righteous indignation and condemnation of the injustice toward God's mighty men of valor?

Can we hear from churches from across this nation that will take a stand against the arrests and deportations...and the jailing of the Pastor Maldonado for almost two weeks in jail?

What about the pastor's 12 year old who witnessed the insensitive work of law enforcement and ICE? What a nightmare for this young man to have see. To watch ICE agents mistreat and disrespect his father...who is a Man of God? How can we not be shocked and angered?

Yes, they have the authority to arrest, but where is the discretion these officers could have used?? When we allow these agents to interfer with our religious worship, prevent others from singing and praying in public, and arresting and deporting the men straight from the campground and we remain silent and hidden from the authorities, something is terribly wrong?

What about the families that expected the fathers, husbands, brothers in the Lord to come back excited and inspired to serve the Lord? Instead the shock and fear of their loved one being detained and deported must have been a horrific shock for the families.

Now the whole valley of churches in this part of Arizona are stunned and afraid of further police action against them. And can you blame them? Not one other church outside of this valley that I have read has taken a public stand against this police action.

If it can happen in Arizona, it can happen to any church, in any city, or in any state in the Union!

We are facing perilous times...and with the silence of the good people against the evil committed against the Church, this is not acceptable anywhere!

I say stand up now and stand against this injustice and insane action by the county law enforcement and ICE in Arizona against the Church.

What has to happen to our Church before we stand up and say enough? Do we understand the ramifications this has across the country? We need to send the message loud and clear to ICE that they stay away from our Churches which represent the House of God.

Where are the mighty men of valor that will stand and be ready to defend the Gospel with the Churches in Arizona?

Pastor Maldonado said they were "terrified." We should all say we are "TERRIFIED and "rightiously angered and opposed" to this injust treatment of good people...good Christian people!

Wake up Latinos! Wake up Church!

Read the news story down below....after the SAVE Act news article,

Fidel "Butch" Montoya
H. S. Power & Light - Latino Faith Based Initiative

SAVE ACT Perpetuates Immigration Debacle

2008-05-08T12:33:00.000-07:00

Please read this Op Ed piece written by Rev. Samuel Rodriguez, President of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, America's Preeminent Hispanic Christian Organization. The OP-Ed piece appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle and subsequent papers, blogs and sites.

SAVE Act perpetuates, rather than reforms, our immigration policy
By Samuel Rodriguez Jr. - San Francisco Chronicle, Op-ed
Tuesday, April 15, 2008 - Web Link
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April 14, 2008

Expressions of hatred and xenophobia toward immigrants, at an all-time high, are producing widespread fear in the Latino community. Unfortunately, the echo of a hate-filled climate is now making its way through Congress. Anti-immigrant forces in the House are capitalizing on fears and stereotypes to push the SAVE Act, a bill that would throw more money at our broken immigration system instead of engaging in the hard work of meaningful reform.

The SAVE Act is touted by proponents as an "enforcement" bill, but it would in fact put us on a slow, painful path toward detention and deportation. The bill is championed by hard-line groups that advocate a strategy called "deportation by attrition." As it sounds, this philosophy espouses making the lives of immigrants and their families so difficult that they simply give up and self-deport.

This approach is inhumane and unworkable for a variety of reasons. First, the SAVE Act would require local police to enforce immigration law, a policy that deters immigrants from reporting crimes and diverts police time away from serious threats to public safety. It would allocate millions of dollars for the construction of 8,000 additional detention beds for immigrants awaiting deportation.

Second, the legislation drastically expands an employer verification system that is wrought with errors - 17.8 million, according to the Social Security Administration itself. Forcing employers to verify eligibility status of their workers before this database is updated could jeopardize the jobs of millions of U.S.-born and immigrant workers alike, whose information has been entered incorrectly in the system.

Enforcement of our nation's borders is essential, as is holding employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers. However, if enacted without a legalization program for workers already here, these measures would seriously threaten the livelihoods of immigrants and their children around the country. What is more, the SAVE Act does not realistically address our labor needs and makes no attempt to provide a legal workforce for employers who want to do the right thing.

In an election season where vulnerable politicians fear looking soft on immigration, the SAVE Act already has a hefty 151 co-sponsors, 10 of whom are from California. In the Latino community, we regret that politicians are attempting to score political points at the expense of immigrants who have come here only to work and create a better life for their families.

We can do better. At a time when all remaining presidential candidates promote humane and effective approaches to fix our immigration system, it is time that Congress recognizes that scapegoating immigrants is not the right approach. It plays to the fears of Americans, instead of our past as a nation of immigrants and our capacity to build strong communities together.

This country was built on the contributions of generations of immigrants. We should not allow Congress to turn our backs on this legacy and take us down a road that would create more fear in our communities and push immigrant families further into the shadows. Our leaders should pursue legislation that embodies our best values - reuniting families, strengthening the economy and restoring the rule of law.

Samuel Rodriguez Jr. is president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference, America's largest Hispanic Christian organization

ICE Crackdowns on Churches

2008-05-08T12:32:00.000-07:00

ARIZONA REPUBLIC: Illegal-immigrant crackdowns have Valley churches on edge
Worshipers deported after retreat

by Daniel González - May. 8, 2008 12:00 AM
The Arizona Republic

Once a month, Manuel Maldonado leads a group on a spiritual retreat to the mountains in central Arizona, where out in nature members feel closer to God.

But an April 12 retreat to a campground near Prescott was devastating to the group.

A camper complained the group was making too much noise. Yavapai County sheriff's deputies arrived, questioned the church members about their citizenship and called federal immigration officials. Nine church members, including the pastor, Maldonado, were detained; seven were later deported to Mexico.

"We are brothers who went there to praise God, and they treated us like delinquents," said Maldonado, pastor of Iglesia Cristiana Agape in west Phoenix.

The deportations have sent a shock wave through the large and fast-growing network of Latino evangelical churches in Arizona and across the nation, many of which are filled with undocumented immigrants.

Local pastors fearful of stepped-up immigration enforcement are canceling retreats north of the Phoenix area. Some national church leaders are concerned the deportations could open the door for immigration raids at churches.

The Prescott deportations echoed incidents in the Valley that have raised tensions between church leaders and the Maricopa County Sheriff's Office. A crime sweep by sheriff's deputies in September resulted in arrests of undocumented day laborers near a church sanctuary in Cave Creek, and another on Good Friday led to arrests of illegal immigrants in east Phoenix.

"We don't feel safe for the Latino people," said Hector Ramirez, pastor of Iglesia Wesleyana in Phoenix. He canceled a trip this weekend to the Assembly of God Camp in Prescott that involved seven Valley Latino evangelical churches and 80 members. The retreat will be at one of the churches.

"We are afraid not only that our undocumented members could be deported but that members with papers could be hassled about their immigration and detained," he said.

Authorities say they aren't targeting church gatherings or churches. The Prescott incident was in response to a noise complaint. The deportations, however, show how local police, even in rural areas, are becoming more aggressive in calling federal authorities when they encounter suspected illegal immigrants.

Retreat plans changed
The men from Maldonado's church originally planned to hold their spiritual retreat near Sedona. They changed plans after hearing that police in northern and central Arizona were cracking down on smugglers transporting loads of illegal immigrants.

They decided instead to hold their retreat at the White Spar Family Campground.

Maldonado said there were 11 men in his group. One also brought his 12-year-old son.

The group arrived at the campground in three vans about 3 a.m. He said some members set up tents; others slept in their vans.

Maldonado said the group started singing and praying around 6 a.m. One member played a guitar.

The church's worship style is loud and animated. But at the campground, Maldonado said, they kept their voices down.

"We were praying and singing very peacefully," he said.

A little after 7 a.m., Yavapai County sheriff's deputies arrived and said someone had complained about noise.

Deputies asked members for identification and, after several showed Mexican ID cards, began asking church members whether they were in the country illegally. After they said yes, a deputy called Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

"At this point, we were terrified," Maldonado said.

An ICE official questioned each member over the phone and determined that nine of the 12 were possibly in the country illegally. Deputies handcuffed them and drove them to the Prescott jail in vans, Maldonado said. ICE officials then transported them to Phoenix for processing.

Solitude important
Alfredo Aragon, a Latino Christian missionary, said spiritual retreats are an important aspect of church life. They provide members a chance to worship in solitude away from the distractions of the city, he said. Many congregations hold a retreat once a month in places such as Sedona, Flagstaff, Payson and Prescott, especially during the warmer months, he said.

"(Now), the ones who don't have papers are not going to want to travel to these places," Aragon said.

Local and national church leaders say they are afraid the deportations may open the door for law-enforcement officials to begin conducting immigration raids at churches. Along with schools and hospitals, they have generally been regarded as off-limits.

"The federal government basically had . . . an unstated agreement with the church, with clergy that said, 'We are never going to go into your churches. We are not going to go and ask you to identify who is undocumented. We respect your constitutional right . . . to exercise your religious convictions,' " said Samuel Rodriguez Jr., president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference.

Rodriguez contends that spiritual retreats are considered by law an extension of churches because, under the U.S. Constitution, people have the right to worship freely.

ICE officials would not comment about Rodriguez's claim that ICE has an unofficial policy not to question people in churches about immigration status.

Rodriguez said he is mobilizing the organization's network of 18,000 Latino Christian churches to call on the three presidential candidates to condemn the deportations.

"If they were all White, and they were making noise and they were celebrating with Celtic music and the local authorities were to come in, would they have asked for proof of citizenship? My inclination is absolutely not," Rodriguez said.

Dwight D'Evelyn, a spokesman for the Yavapai County Sheriff's Office, denied deputies racially profiled to question the church members about their citizenship. He pointed out that the deputies were responding to a noise complaint.

D'Evelyn said it is standard procedure for deputies to ask for identification while investigating crimes.

"Whether it is a church group or a bunch of bikers, it doesn't matter," he said.

The Sheriff's Office has a policy against asking crime victims or witnesses about their immigration status. But deputies have discretion to call ICE if they encounter someone they suspect is in the country illegally, D'Evelyn said.

Fighting deportation
Meanwhile, Maldonado is back living with his wife and five children in a trailer park off Buckeye Road and preaching at his 70-member church.

He is the only one of the nine church members detained who is fighting deportation. The last of the nine detainees was released after ICE officials determined he was in the country legally with a work permit.

Maldonado was taken to a federal detention center in Florence, where he spent 17 days.

He was released April 29 after pastors and church members raised $4,000 for his bond. He is awaiting a deportation hearing.