Brown Church (Robert Chao Romero) -- Review

 

BROWN CHURCH: Five Centuries of Latina/o Social Justice, Theology, and Identity. By Robert Chao Romero. Downer’s Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2020. ix + 236 pages.

                Christianity came to the Americas at the beginning of the sixteenth century as the Roman Catholic Church followed the Conquistadors. They first began colonizing the Caribbean islands in the aftermath of the voyages of Christopher Columbus, and then soon after began their colonization of the mainland. Early on in this effort the church largely aided and abetted the conquest, even supporting the enslavement and dispossession of the indigenous population. There would be, of course, certain figures that spoke out, but they were not the majority. Nevertheless, we should take notice of figures like Bartolomé de las Casas who spoke in defense of the indigenous people, calling for their protection and affirming their full humanity. It is in the stories of figures like de las Casas that story of the Brown Church has its origins. The story as it moves forward is, as one might expect complicated. We need to hear the full story.

The author of Brown Church is Robert Chao Romero. Romero is a professor of Chicano/a Studies at UCLA. He is also a Christian minister. He writes this book with both the pastoral and the academic concerns in mind. He tells us that he works in an academic field that tends to treat Christianity as an expression of "White Man's religion." Therefore, if one is to be true to one’s self, then in the name of justice they should reject this European religion. This is understandable, especially from an indigenous perspective. European Christianity has a very bad track record when it comes to encountering other cultures. Nevertheless, Romero is committed to his faith and has encountered many Latina/o students who embrace their Christian faith but are confused by what they hear from their teachers. He writes this book for them. He wants to demonstrate that just as there is a Black Church there is also a Brown Church. This church is "a prophetic ecclesial community of Latinas/os that has contested racial and social injustice in Latin America and the United States for the past five hundred years" (p. 11). He suggests that over time the Brown Church has developed a "unique and consistent body of theology based on the Christian Scriptures." This story emerges over a five-hundred-year period, beginning early in the sixteenth century.

Romero speaks of the Brown Church in terms of a community that in terms of “racial and social positioning in United States history” are considered Brown. Some are literally Brown but not all are, for “Latinas/os come in all colors and hues—some are moreno (dark-skinned), some are güeritos (light-skinned), some are subtle in-between shades, and quite a few, like myself, are even Asian.” Thus, “Brown is symbolic of the cultural and biological mestizaje, or mixture, in Latin America" (pp. 13-14). The complexity of this reality is drawn out in helpful ways, so we understand what it means to be Latinx. It is offered as a macro-history, and thus it’s not exhaustive. Nevertheless, Romero covers a lot of ground in this book.

Romero sets the plotline by rehearsing the story of the Chicanos/as theologically as the spiritual denizens of Galilee. In setting the storyline, he offers an alternative version of the El Plan Espiritual de Aztlan, the manifesto of the Chicana/o movement in the United States. Since Jesus was from Galilee, which was a borderlands region, it is suggestive of the borderlands region of the United States that once belonged to Mexico. The people he speaks of are those who have faced marginalization in the United States. While the Latinx residents of this region might be rejected by humans, God has embraced them as God's own. (p. 37). The Spiritual plan here is one of liberation and justice, something that stands at the center of the Brown Church.

With the plan laid out, Romero begins the historical journey from the arrival of the European explorers in Latin America to the present. He begins the story by rehearsing the contributions of de las Casas, the Virgin of Guadalupe, and other early voices who defended the indigenous population. From there we move forward to the next generation of multicultural voices of colonial resistance, most of whom were mestiza/o. These voices challenged the Spanish racial imperialism of the day and made sure the story of the indigenous peoples was told.

The story moves onward toward the Treaty of Guadalupe that ended the US-Mexico War, a war that was unjust and took much of Mexico's territory, ultimately leaving many residents of the region landless and poor, all in exchange for fifteen million dollars. This treaty left thousands of Mexicans in a murky legal status, with promises made but few kept. This, Romero notes, "set in motion a pattern of structural injustice against Mexicans and other Latina/o groups that continues to the present day" (p. 99). As the former Mexican territories passed into US hands, the Catholic Church of the region passed from the jurisdiction of the Mexican Church to that of the American Church. This Church largely disenfranchised the existing churches, including the religious leadership. This was true even though the Church had been present for over four hundred years. Despite efforts to suppress the Latinx leadership, resistance emerged. Although those who resisted, including Padre Antonio Jose Martinez, were suppressed, their voices were not silenced. This chapter on the "Birth of 'Brown'" in America is a must-read because it highlights a reality that counters the belief that America is a land of opportunity for everyone. It will not be a comfortable read for many of us, but a necessary one.

From the 19th century, Romero takes us into the twentieth century and the emergence of Cesar Chavez and the United Farm Worker's Movement. He reminds us that at least in its origins this movement was deeply rooted in Chavez's Catholic faith. This chapter will flesh out a movement that many White Christians don't understand. While Chavez was not a perfect vehicle, he was an important one, who drew his commitment to nonviolence from his faith.

Even as Chavez was emerging in the United States, Liberation Theology was emerging in Latin America. Romero provides a helpful chapter on this movement, noting the core themes including orthopraxis and the emphasis on the kingdom of God in this theological movement. The chapter not only introduces the largely Roman Catholic Liberation theological tradition but also what is known as Mission Integral, a largely evangelical movement that sought to bring together evangelical theological commitments with commitments to social justice. This movement includes figures such as Rene Padilla, Mortimer Arias, Justo Gonzalez, and Orlando Costas. While chapter six introduces us to these movements, in chapter seven the author focuses more specifically on the story of now St. Oscar Romero, the Archbishop of El Salvador, who put this theology into practice and died a martyr's death. In chapter 8, Romero introduces us to some of the more recent social justice theologies that have emerged within the American Latina/o community. This includes an exploration of ways in which Scripture is read. He introduces us to  Mujerista theology, which is a feminist expression of Latinx theology. He takes not of Pentecostal versions and efforts at developing a practical theology, including efforts at faith-rooted organizing. He writes that “unknown to most scholars and students of ethnic studies, as well as to most within the Latina/o religious community itself, Latina/o theologians have engaged in decolonial and culturally contextualized self-reflection since the 1970s” (p. 205).  

As I noted up front, the book is not lengthy, but it covers a lot of ground. This is one of those books that needs to be read closely so that we understand the realities of our Christian history, both the good and the bad. Since the conversation often turns on a Black and White axis, this book reminds us that the Christian community is even more diverse than that. Therefore, I highly recommend this book to all Christians, especially those who seem uncomfortable with conversations about the complexity of US history and the role of White Christianity in it. Romero won’t remove your discomfort, but if you are like me, you will be better for it. Thus, Brown Church is another must-read book, especially for White Christians, as we come to grips with the true complexity of the Christian community.