wfn.org | ALC Noticias March 14 2005 Brazil, Costa Rica, Bolivia Chile, Peru

[Worldwide Faith News <wfn@igc.org>]

ALC NEWS SERVICE
E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org

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CONTENT

BRAZIL: The Churches do not hold the exclusive rights to Jesus, said professor
CHILE: Ecumenical farewell for Gladys Marín
BOLIVIA: Evangelicals call for unity and non violence
PERU:World Vision impells equality for women
COSTA RICA: Evangelical leader demands action against Enlace TV

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BRAZIL
The Churches do not hold the exclusive rights to Jesus, said professor

SAO LEOPOLDO, March 11 (alc). The different images of Jesus that are
presented in movies are always subject to a determined historic time, said
professor and Presbyterian theologian Carlos Eduardo Calvani.

Moreover, they emerge from the interpretation and personal conflict of each
director. And, whether he is depicted as a hippie, a North American idol or
a man bathed in blood, the truth is that the figure of Jesus has always
sparked polemic and controversy.

Calvani made these comments at a conference he offered Thursday, entitled
"Jesus in the Movies", at the invitation of the Humanitas Institute for the
academic community of the Valle del Río de los Sinos University (Unisinos).

Calvani said that Christian Churches frequently seek to hold the exclusive
rights to the image of Jesus, limiting him to the way he appears in old
paintings, stain glassed windows and other works of art.

For example, he said that Catholic Church stopped one of the parade cars
from the Beija-Flor Samba school because they wanted to depict Jesus as a
beggar. Moreover, it tried to stop the showing of Godard's "Yo te salvo
Maria" in 1986.

Regarding the recent polemic about the figure of Jesus in the film "The
Passion of Christ," Calvani admitted that the movie is the fruit of the
industrial culture, but considers the Mel Gibson film to be a work of art.

In the film Christ was "well depicted, with an impeccable appearance,
optimum photography, excellent camera management and a powerful use of
sound," he said.

Regarding the violence presented in Gibson's work of which Jesus is a
constant victim, Calvani said that the use of force is characteristic of the
current time. "The Passion of Christ exposes the fragile way human life is
being treated," he said.

Another polemic film is "The last temptation of Christ," by director Martin
Scorsese (1988). In that work, Scorsese reproduces the image of a solidarity
Jesus, confused about his identity and vocation.

His final temptation would have been to come down from the cross and live as
a common man, with children, loved by Mary Magdalena. If Jesus had really
married, would this change history?, asked Calvani.

Both Catholics and Evangelicals criticized Scorsese for presenting the
hypothesis that the son of God could have had the idea of having a normal
sex life, marrying and having children. Feminists also questioned it,
arguing that it presents a negative image of women. In the movie the
feminine angel appears as a demon.

According to Calvani, the movie that best reflects the image of Jesús is
"Jesús of Montreal," by Canadian director Denys Arcand. The work harshly
criticizes the movie industry, the Church and consumer society.

Using modern clothing, Arcand managed, through the experiences of Daniel
Coulumbe (interpreted by Lothaire Blutheau) to separate Jesus' communion
from Church bodies.

Calvani recalled that the life of Jesús inspired famous movies like "Rey de
Reyes," by Cecil B. DeMille, in 1927. In the 1950s, in the past century, the
figure of the Teacher began to appear, in a timid manner in movies like "Quo
Vadis", de 1951, and "Ben Hur", de 1959.

All of the depictions that reach the public on the big screen of the Savior
are representations, emphasized the professor. Even the Gospels themselves
are interpretations of Jesus and his impact, written by the communities that
received Christ.

The Christ event, said Calvani, cannot be dominated by any Church. He
underlined the new perspective of Jesus proposed by Arcand "Jesus did not
belong to any Church, rather the Church belongs to Jesus," concluded the
Presbyterian theologian.

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CHILE
Ecumenical farewell for Gladys Marín

SANTIAGO, March 10 (alc). A massive farewell, which included an ecumenical
service attended by Catholic and Evangelical leaders took place in Chile for
the Communist Party of Chile (PCCH) leader Gladys Marin Mille who passed
away early on March 6, at age 63.

The religious ceremony, in honor of the former president of the Communist
Party of Chile, but also her tireless defense of human rights and struggle
for truth and justice, was attended by Msgr Alfonso Baeza, of the Pastoral
Workers Vicariate, Pastor Pedro Zavala,  president of the Christian
Confraternity of Churches and Pastor Juana Albornoz,  director of the
Ecumenical Fraternity, among others.

"This ecumenical liturgy is extremely meaningful," said Pastor Albornoz,
because Gladys always respected religion. She understood that Chile has a
Christian tradition and was very close to the believers in an
inter-religious relationship, without excluding non Christians. For example,
5 years ago, when she inaugurated the Communist Party's central headquarters
she included an office for Religious Affairs.

"With her actions, full of hope for a better world, she re-enchanted people
who had lost their faith.

She was the prophetic voice that announced justice and denounced injustice
and woke the sleeping consciences of Chilean Society.  With her courage and
bravery she crossed the borders when she was condemned to exile," said
Pastor Albornoz.

In the face of adversity, like the loss of her husband Jorge Muñoz, who
forms part of a long list of detained - disappeared, and separation from her
children, she always held the defense of human right high along with her
hope that the traumatic experiences of the military government would never
be repeated in Chile, she said.

Marin died from brain cancer, despite the fact that she had surgery in both
Sweden and Cuba. A vigil was held in the Salon de Honor, in the former
Congress, the place that saw her born as a legislator and where she stood
out as the youngest representative in Chile. Her political career was
abruptly interrupted when the Salvador Allende government fell on September
11, 1973.

The government of Chile decreed 48 hours of national mourning and suspended
activities organized for International Women's Day. In the Constitution
Square, in front of the government palace, a significant homage was paid to
this emblematic woman.

The funeral cortege was almost not able to stop before the monument to
former president Salvador Allende because the multitude impeded its progress
to the General Cemetery.

For two days, men and women of different ages and different political
sectors, wore red carnations and sang Silvia Rodríguez songs and emblematic
hymns like "We shall Overcome." The PCCH General Secretary Guillermo
Teillier said that funeral was perhaps the largest grassroots activity since
the fall of the dictatorship.

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BOLIVIA
Evangelicals call for unity and non violence

LA PAZ, March 9 (alc). In the face of the dramatic moments in the country in
recent days, the National Association of Bolivian Evangelicals (ANDEB)
called for unity, peaceful co-existence and reflection on the part of
governors, social leaders and the public in general.

At the same time, it expressed a word of hope in Jesús Christ for each
Bolivian, and recognized that He is the only source of blessing for the
country.

Regarding a wave of protests, mass road blocks and President Carlos Mesa's
resignation last Monday and his subsequent ratification by Congress ANDEB
said "We recognize that Bolivia needs healing for actions that have weakened
its capacity to provide the shelter of a homeland with equal opportunities,
honest justice and a rule of law for everyone.

"We have all caused this crisis, because on numerous occasions we have
offended God, we have impeded his abundant blessing and we have harmed
Bolivia. The clamor of all this injustice has reached God and demands change
on our part," it said.

We must preserve our unity as Bolivians and our democracy, we must debate
problems with transparency, without governments provoking the ire of the
people, or the people ignoring the authority invested in their leaders.

We all contribute to solving our problems and confronting common dangers. We
must recall that together we can perfect our system, but without harming
democracy, liberty and unity, said ANDEB.

Moreover "we are responsible for having carried out injustice in private and
justice only under pressure, for having corrupted the rights of the
defenseless, for having encouraged values contrary to God and the survival
of our country and for forcing the just to leave their path to follow our
system and above all we have ignored our own law and the divine precepts.

We return to God who is the only one who can heal our country and make us a
wise, sovereign, understood and prosperous country. We respect His precepts
which are wise in every light. We cannot continue without fulfilling the
justice that our Savior Jesus Christ demands. He wants to help us but we
must repent and recognize that first we must change so that our Bolivia
changes, because changing the system will do no good if we do not first
change ourselves, said ANDEB.

It called on people to preserve peaceful life together and to reject
violence that will only promote more violence and will not solve the
problems and will only aggravate the situation of the country. We use the
legal resources to express our just requests, we must not damage the moral
authority that allows us to demand justice and immediate change.

The Evangelical document called on the government and social leaders to seek
solutions that consider the needs and the common good of all of Bolivia, in
a framework of dialogue, respect, good faith, justice, the preservation of
democracy and to ensure that the laws and values are upheld.

Finally ANDEB convened the Evangelical Christian people to hold prayer days
for Bolivia and for each of its departments and at the same time to carry
out thanksgiving actions for each answer from God.

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PERU
World Vision impells equality for women

LIMA, Mar 8 (alc). On International Women's Day the daily El Comercio
reported about a small
Andean town where the municipal government is run by a group of women,
underscoring their determination, their wishes and hopes and mentions the
role that the Evangelical humanitarian organization World Vision has played.

The town is called Pampalca, province of Huanta, in the department of
Ayacucho. Lost in the folds of the Andes, more than 3,000 meters above sea
level Pampalca appears on the map some 30 kms from Huanta, a provincial
capital that is 400 kms. Southeast of Lima.

Pampalca has electricity and water, and a primary school (three teachers for
120 children) but it does not have a sewer system or a medical post and much
less judges. Since ancestral times, a large rock called the "judgment rock"
serves to administer justice. Sometimes a whip is used but the delinquents
do not lie when they are judged. They know that the "apus", or guardian
mountains do not tolerate liars.

There the municipal government is run by Mayor Ida Huaman Aguirre, age 25
who can barely write her name and only speaks Quechua. She is accompanied by
eight councilwomen and one man, deputy mayor Cesar Gavilan, according to the
report.

During the years of subversion (1980 - 2000). Pampalca was attacked by
Shining Path guerrillas and 38 residents were killed. Many fled. One of the
leaders, Mayda de la Cruz was three when her parents escaped to
Huancavelica. She came home when she was 20 with secondary education and
agronomy studies.

Several years ago, World Vision arrived with its Project "Strengthening
Democracy." The women of Pampalca discovered that they had civil rights and
decided to exercise them. No national or departmental authority has ever
visited the town.

"I don't get a single cent for exercising authority. Nor do the
councilwomen. We do it out of love and we do not expect crumbs or
compassion. We only want our children to be healthy and to study. They must
progress," said Ida Huaman.

Gavilan said that during the subversion they organized to defend themselves
"but we still lost." Everyone, even women managed guns. There are only five
ronderos (campesinos self defense patrol men who guard the area) who take
care of us and we are afraid." This fear is justified as in August and
December last year; according to El Comercio some 20 Shining Path rebels
entered the nearby town of Chullas. They apologized for the past and left.
They also wanted to buy supplies but the people refused to sell them.

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COSTA RICA
Evangelical leader demands action against Enlace TV

SAN JOSE, mar 7 (alc). In the face of journalistic reports about the
commercial use of the Gospel by Television Enlace - Channel 23, Evangelical
Pastor Johnny Alfaro Gonzalez, former president of the National Union of
Baptist Churches of Costa Rica demanded that the Evangelical Alliance
Federation make a public pronouncement about the issue.

Alfaro recalled that journalist Mauricio Herrera, of the daily La Nacion in
the March 6,7 and 8 editions "uncovered" something that was "secret" and
that no-one in the Evangelical Alliance Federation wanted to admit.

He noted that the discussion about Enlace - Channel 23 has taken place
within the Federation for more than 13 years. For example, in 2001 when it
questioned Jonas Gonzalez Ortiz, owner of the station, about the use of
funds collected in his telemarathons and the properties that his
"associations" possessed, he was emphatic in stating that Enlace is a
private entity and as such, was not willing to have its books subject to
review.

Moreover, he said that it only owned one home in Hatillos. How ingenious of
the nearly 100 pastors at that time to "believe" his words, said the Baptist
pastor.

He also said that in a forum organized by the Evangelical Alliance
Federation in 2003, together with the Rev. Alejo Quesada Ulloa and in name
of the Baptist organizations we represented at the time, we rejected the
Evangelism carried out by Enlace TV.

Pastor Alfaro mentioned four reasons to question the attitude of Enlace.
First, "because it was distant from the Gospel preached by Jesus and his
apostles, which teaches us to give to God and our neighbor without expecting
any specific retribution."

Secondly because it distorted the concept of God's grace, diluting it to the
point of converting it into a resource to gather offerings, and seems more
in line with the old concepts of indulgences that were opposed by reformers
like Martin Luther in the XVI Century.

Moreover, he said, it leads to the sin of simony that consists in seeking to
pay to obtain spiritual "favors or powers" and finally, it manipulates the
image of God, presenting Him as a type of merchant who only gives when He
receives.

We Evangelicals and Protestants who have preached the message of God's
grace, contributing our best efforts in education, health, culture, work.,
politics, social and community organizations since the XIX Century, only
feel embarrassed for them in the face of this terrible denouncement, he
said.

Finally, Alfaro called on the board of directors of the Costa Rican
Evangelical Alliance Federation to address this shameful issue and manifest
itself before the people of Costa Rica, according to the moral and ethical
principles regarding this situation that questions one of its affiliates:
the Christian Communicators Association, Enlace Channel 23.
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Latin American and Caribbean Communication Agency (ALC)
P.O. box 14-225 Lima 14 Peru
E-mail: director@alcnoticias.org
http://www.alcpress.org

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