Considering Religious Groups, my spiritual birthday- May 23

 Today is what I call my Spiritual Birthday. Let me explain.

This day in 1969, I was hitch-hiking from my outside my house in San Jose, California on Camden Ave./Hillsdale Blvd., trying to get to Los Gatos, when a friend, Jim Bieber, picked me up and promised to drive me to Los Gatos.

“But first I need to pick up some friends.” After picking up the couple, further towards Camden and Hicks Rd. eventually driving in front of Good Samaritan Hospital when an unmarked cop car pulled us over. At the time I had a “lid” of marijuana so, afraid of being caught, I shoved it under the seat in front of me, then later denied it was mine when confronted by the officers. We all went downtown to Juvenile Hall (W. Hedding St. San Jose) and were booked for “possession of drugs” (the couple had some “harder stuff”).

I was high on acid at the time and the holding cell they put me in for interviewing had black/white polka-dotted acoustic tiles on the walls and ceiling. So I watched as they moved across the room. Suddenly I began to reflect on my life as a 15 yr. old and my lack of drive and direction. In February, just 3 months prior, I had a “religious encounter”. You see, I cried out to God (whoever that was) and asked him for help. So in that holding cell I realized God did what I refused to do-- He forced me at least to pause and “take account.”

I immediately bowed my knees and gave myself to this God who just stepped into my life. When I opened my eyes, I was “sober”-- the dots were NOT moving and I was shocked: “It worked! Someone is in this place with me and I need to find out more!”

The next 3 years of my high schooling was quite a struggle and a contrast: I stood up to my old drug-buddies, changed friendships and began working for my Dad in the summers, then at a Red Barn restaurant, and later at Daugherty’s Drug store as a delivery boy during the year. I got involved with a Christian club at school and spent hours with kids just like me who wanted to have some “good clean fun.” It was an awesome change for me!

This introduction into different religious groups in San Jose was indeed a learning experience. When I entered college at West Valley and San Jose State I fell in love with literature and languages (Latin and Greek), until Clyde Harvey from South Hills Church suggested, “Why not study a living language? There are thousands that don’t even have written literature!” I was surprised so enrolled in the Summer Institute of Linguistics courses at Seattle’s University of Washington. This eventually led me to marry and prepare to live and work in the Andes of Peru.

The next 16 years of service for SIL International in Peru as a Literacy Specialist (“alfabetizador”) provided me with ample opportunity to be exposed to a diversity of religious society. Peru is nominally Roman Catholic and has a vast system of cathedrals, churches, priests, nuns, and lay-workers/catechists across the country, which represent dozens of different Catholic orders and traditions. Additionally, Protestant and Evangelical churches abound and, over the years have been granted government permission and liberty to operate openly. I really had no clue the diversity and conflict involved between these groups until I set foot in those mountain communities.

Since our educational and linguistic work was under a Supreme Decree from the Peruvian Government, we needed to be “circumspect” in the way we related to those around us. There was NO WRITTEN AGENDA of proselytization as we served with SIL Peru, all of which helped us to “walk the thin line” between these groups.

My anthropological studies and further communication with the local folks in the community helped me to appreciate the culturally religious foci within these groups. So if I may, I’d like to describe (very generally) three varieties of religious groups I encountered, each of which spans across/intersects the religious groups.

#1. Liturgical groups. These groups have long been considered the “institutional churches” since the surrounding societies have traditionally accepted them as a vital part of the culture. The Roman Catholic Church clearly predominates this group in Peru, but there are other lesser groups as well (Anglicans, Lutherans, Episcopal, and some orthodox groups). Their focus is on the “form” and procession during their services, which can date back over a thousand years. Prayer, songs (cánticos) and worship strictly follow the structure with very little ad-lib/impromptu discussions in public. The “homily” is usually short (about 10-15 mins) and often centred around one or two Biblical passages read during the service. However central specifically in the more Christian liturgy is the Sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross; nonetheless the lives of other saints/holy people can also be emphasized and celebrated.

#2. Textual. These are what are called the “Real Bible-believers” among those who often adhere to the “letter, chapter & verse of the Bible. Obviously these groups came to Peru more recently (as much as over a century ago) as a result of the various European church reformations (i.e, from Martin Luther and John Calvin; then later with the Jacobites and the Puritans of the 1700s). The order of the service incorporates hymns and some prayers but is centred on the “preaching” or sermon which itself takes up most of the service and usually adheres to some Scriptural text or other as the main theme. “The Bible” is often the core of their adoration and focus, with Jesus often more peripheral and the traditional saints and holy people rejected as a part of their beliefs.

#3. Spiritual. These typically started out as small “separatist” Protestant groups (often from family or “house church congregations”). The leader becomes the self-proclaimed pastor/leader and his interpretation of what is a ‘godly walk’ or interpretation of holy words is what is generally considered the most logical and honored. These services can be more emotional, in so far as the inner search for peace with God and conversion goes. Some services can be “fiery” and almost ecstatic-- so much so that the adherents tend to return to seek that same fervency each time they meet together. A single verse of Scripture, and the leader’s interpretation of it, can be the focus of the whole service together with the prayers and singing to celebrate it. All outsider-visitors to these meetings are suspect and often required to give confession or conversion to continue attending.

Living for 16 years in Peru, I began to see the coastal/mountain connective tissue within many aspects of society (transportation, production of goods/services, and general modernization and technological advancements). The same holds, as well, for these religious groups, with their connection to related groups of theirs on the coast. Just as the Roman Catholic Church has their “obispados” and “dioceses” (bishoprics, diocese), so too the Baptists, Anglicans, Seventh Day Adventists, and the Alliance have their sister congregations and head offices. Even the more charismatic or “pentecostal” (separatist) congregations have their “sucursal” or sister groups. Each of these carry with them their own interpretation and uniquely cultural expressions of what it means to live a faithful and godly lifestyle.

So the question remains, 

"Can these disparate groups ever live in pease together?"

 Well after years of working in the Andes I once witnessed a local Catholic catechist greet an Evangelical “comunero” (neighbour) he had previously been in contention with, saying, “Because I have been reading the Bible in my language and see that this man has been reading it as well, we have renewed our estranged relationship and now I count him as a brother in God.”

Finally from a top-down perspective I can say that Lima hosts several “Ecumenical Conferences” where a committee exists representing a cross-section of these religious groups. In 1997, for example, we attended an Ecumenical Mass that was held to honor Peru’s Cardenal Juan Landázuri Rickets who had recently passed away. During the mass a Palestinian iman and a Jewish rabbi stood and in the name of this cardinal, publicly hugged each other as an expression of peace and fellowship!

Soo...

"Can these disparate groups ever live in peace together?"

Yes, it is possible!

Sincere Outsiders

 Trying to be “Sincere Outsiders”    May 9, 2025

This specific blog is a result of many drafts/attempts to express what has been a decades-long struggle between faith, ethics, and politics while living outside of North America.

There’s a general sense of gravity that is built into growing up into adulthood in the same town and even region of the world (for me specifically in Cambrian Park/San Jose, California). It’s demonstrated in a pre-disposed cultural perspective and comportment one carries. O’Henry novels talk about button-holing a “newbie country-bumpkin” on the streets of New York within seconds of recently landing from somewhere like Oklahoma: The look, the manner – the dress stood out, at least back then. Similarly “gringos” in the mountains of Peru stand out almost as clearly as, say, Mennonites in Mexico or Costa Rica (and God bless, by the way, the Mennonite Cheese of Mexico… yum!). This “plain-view” from the outside is almost as obvious as the Bruce Willis character in “Die Hard with a Vengeance” (1995) walking down the streets of Harlem butt-naked wearing only a sandwich board reading, “I hate N----rs!” We may THINK we are trying to blend in, but OH NO! Not only that but our presence unwittingly exudes a certain arrogance and, dare I say, class position, which especially sets-off the Andean farmer.

Spoiler: We can try to deny this (ie., that which is obvious to everyone else around us) or instead, try to relax and be ourselves within the rubrics of and mercy given, in that culture. This would require a trained stamina as well as an astute use of the Serrano culture and Spanish language mixed as well with many Quechua terms, in order to quickly put bystanders at ease. I must admit I got fairly good at this, but not as well as I had liked, since for several reasons and circumstances, I was never able to become fluent in that variety of Quechua, try as I might and for which I regret. At the outset, denying who you are is by NO means a good step forward!

One example was when we were buying fruits and vegetables in an open market. Our use of selected Quechua words we used to “spice up” our Spanish made the vendors laugh and thus gave us a discount on our purchase. One Limenian woman waiting behind us declared, “Hey! Why are the Gringo’s prices cheaper than mine?” The Quechua woman quickly responded, “Do you speak Quechua?…” [‘nuf said!]

I initially thought that if I could just “live among them” something would rub off. I was half-right: The more we lived in a village, raising our children and contributing in some way to the social and agricultural activities, the more our neighbours got used to us and relaxed around us. But it took time and many life experiences to accomplish this (16 years worth!).

This was also evident when we walked through the nearby communities. They got used to seeing us around and our kids playing with their kids, so several would invite us to come inside to their patio and have some juice and chat. Once you’re invited into a Quechua mother’s kitchen… you are family, not just a guest!

Quechuas are transactional in their relationships. Someone may be an aunt or uncle in their family, hence fully accepted. But what good are they? Do they help in planting or harvests? Can they barter with food or tools or pack animals? Can they tell good stories over a fire? Then they are useful. So then Quechuas can be a bit brazen with outsiders (outsiders by the way also include coastal Peruvians visiting the area). Some ask for money or food, or a ride in our truck or… all three! We struggled basically with how to decline their requests in as polite a way as possible until our landlords, Erpidio and Alquilina, actually became our godparents through fiestas and a few weddings. It was at this point that we finally “fit” into their social structure and were more accepted (well, sort of).

While finishing reading a Quechua story surrounded by farmers in village, a catechist spoke up: “It’s true what Randy says. Our children learn more quickly reading in our own language then later in Spanish. And many love the Bible stories in Quechua too. I also believe, although I’m a Catholic catechist, that many Evangelical neighbors reading these books like them too. I now consider these people as brothers and sisters.” [Note: He said that in public!].

There’s a saying that, I’m not sure if we heard it from others, but we certainly adopted it: The higher you were raised in the mountains, the lower you are in the Peruvian social hierarchy (totem-pole). This cuts across the board, for example within the several varieties of Protestant and Catholic religious communities. That is to say, a priest visiting from the coast can carry more social prestige than the priests who were born and bred in Conchucos Valley. The same was true of Baptist preachers visiting from Lima and preaching in the small house congregations in the district of Cajay. As well, teachers from the regional capital of Huaraz attracted more attention than those even in the provincial capital of Huari. So their self-image in the villages is obviously not that “high”.

This somewhat explains why many neighbors and friends continued to ask us, for the first few years at least, “Randy, why are you REALLY here?” Of course we were able to make them understand our motive and mission, but they never seemed to accept it. Up to this time they never gave real value to reading and writing in their own mother-tongue, so obviously THAT can’t be the reason (or so they thought).

Another thought some had was, “Well Randy and Linda are not really Catholic, even though they faithfully attend Mass every Sunday in Huari. So maybe they are secret-agent Evangelicals trying to convert us!”

But Linda and I had had lots of conversations, not only with the Bishop and many priests and nuns in the area, but also with several of the house Evangelical pastors who drilled us and tried themselves to convert us. Throughout the years this became our “tightrope walk” of faith between the many Quechua communities we visited. When there’s someone unknown around you, there’s fear. Then jealousy brews up, so, instead, we continued to engage with them making ourselves public and well-known rather than hide ourselves hence creating more suspicion.

Aside from some of the social-health and political issues which arose over our 16 years of living in Peru, this religious tightrope probably caused the greatest stress. We were always under some form of scrutiny, but luckily our “compadres” Alquilina and Erpidio, seemed to accept us for who we were. After all, we saw them for hours at a time every day… over 16 years and worked alongside one another. Their daughter, Reyna, and grandkids (Flor, Linda Marleny, and Jossmel Jairo) became our “aijados” (god-children) and were always welcomed at our house. Their family was indeed HOME for all four of us. And I DO NOT DOUBT that, were we to suddenly show up at their front door, they would welcome us with shouts, tears, and open arms.

But regardless of the stress, Linda and I were confident that what we were doing was worthwhile. So we stayed the course: forming a written literature in Quechua of folktales, song books and Bible stories; assisting Dan and Diane Hintz in the process of the New Testament translation, training Catholic catechists as well as coordinating in the training of government certified bilingual teachers to apply a fully bilingual curriculum in the schools that the provincial Education Ministry office had assigned to them. Many Quechua professionals were trained and thousands of booklets in Quechua were printed, published, and used in the small mountain districts and communities. It was a controversial program because it was for everyone of any faith or belief. It wasn’t imposed; it wasn’t in any way misleading nor disingenuous.

It was a gift freely given to every village teacher hence every village and school involved in the program. No strings attached!

When we left Peru in June of 2002, we were heart-broken for leaving “family”, but our conscience was clear and we were overjoyed that, through working with the school system and the many catechists in the area, approximately 130,000 Quechua children became literate and fully bilingual both in Quechua and Spanish.