A BICULTURAL APPROACH TO RELIGIOUS EDUCATION Virgil

A BICULTURAL APPROACH TO
RELIGIOUS E D U C A T I O N
Virgil Elizondo
Mexican American Cultural Center
P.O. Box 28185
San Antonio, TX 78228
The Human Struggle: The Praxis of the Religious Educator
In these times of growing international crisis and new rise of
nationalism we are faced with a challenge that will not and cannot
be dismissed: the world has become a crowded small village.
Upheaval in a country that was once considered foreign and
distant is now taken as a crisis in the international scene. The social
struggles in countries like Nicaragua and El Salvador are no
longer considered scuffles between unhappy peasants in an unhappy country. They have risen in stature because the ploys of
those once distant lands are now the plights of neighbors with
implications that go beyond the conventional models of nationalism and culturalism (racialism).
New models of living and perceiving the world are necessary
for humanity to survive. We must pass from the competitive
ghetto models to cooperative family models of human living. We
must make the model of Jesus, whereby one brother freely gives
his life that others may live, our model of living.
In our Judeo-Christian tradition we affirm that God enters our
historical process. This entrance is not one of miraculous and
apocalyptic comings. God enters the world by default: he has
never left it. It is in the day to day grind, the mundane work-a-day
world where God is most active. It is through him that the
transformation from chaos to order takes place (Genesis), enslavement becomes freedom (Exodus), death becomes life
(Death-Resurrection of Jesus), and division becomes harmony
(Pentecost). Such is the work of God.
The work of humanity, however, often works contrary to that
of God. In our sinfulness we seek to isolate ourselves, building
cities surrounded by walls, to divide and conquer for personal
self-gain even at the destruction of others. Our walk are made to
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separate us: keep what we like and is useful, and exclude what is
foreign and different. Our walls are made of bricks: those of
physical, social and cultural differences that separate us and
uphold our own narrow-minded vision of the world as God's way
for all! The way of sinful humanity is one of self-fulfillment
through material goods: prestige and power through the deprivation and destruction of others. Our way of life, our gain, our
power, our possessions become our idols — our ultimate gods.
This is the on-going sin of the world.
In the present moment of history, we know that the transformation of humanity's sinful ways has indeed begun, but we are a
long way off before the final completion. The struggle between
God's way and the ways of sinful humanity are at the very core of
the world's problems and potential self-annihilation.
It is the task of the religious educator to reflect, teach, clarify
and celebrate this process of struggle and transformation as it
takes place within our own historical and cultural journey. Religious educators must situate themselves (1) within the tradition of
their own people and (2) in the midst of chaos, slavery, death, and
division. This was the position of the first religious educators: the
Prophets. They stood within the dialectic of God's way and
humanity's sinful ways and spoke the truth — the concrete and
specific truth about authentic good and destructive evil.
The Prophets did not hesitate to speak out against the idols of
their time; they did not hesitate to reflect and clarify the sin of
humanity; they did not hesitate to live the way of truth. They
illumined the blindness of social sin, for once sin has disintegrated
to the level of becoming an idol, once it has been established as
part of the normative world view, it is blind to the status quo. Out
of these men and women of prophecy, misfits as they were taken
to be, we discover our tradition of witnessing and teaching, clarifying and celebrating God's way into the praxis of our human
journey.
This is the tradition of the religious educator, this is his/her
challenge: not to uphold the cultural idols that we have grown
comfortable with, but to shatter them with the teaching of the
Father.
The "American-U.S." Reality —
The Makings of An Idol
If our religious tradition and the Prophets have spoken to us very
directly, there is another tradition that has asserted an even
stronger influence in our society: Americanism.
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The core of what it means to be American was formulated in
the foundational moments of this country, solidified during the
formative years of our history and transmitted through the literature, folklore, and media of our society. The American image our
tradition has built is the WASP image with the English language as
its base and the Protestant work ethic as its cultural philosophy.1
This normative image of "Americanism," is one that has permeated all streams of life in the U.S. It functions as a totalitarian
image which overshadows any cultural diversity or ethnic makeup and seeks to shut out anything "other" than itself.
A person is considered foreign if he is not part of this in group
and becomes identified by the otherness he/she displays, i.e.,
"spie," "dago," "nigger." One only has to look at the history of the
Catholic Church in America as well as the struggle of Eastern
European immigrants to see this problem in the formative years
of the U.S. Catholic Church.2
The threat of the "other" has long been a problem in the U.S.
The original inhabitants of this land were eliminated because they
were labelled "diabolical savages."3 Soon after the bombing of
Pearl Harbor history tells of the mass prejudices against Japanese
Americans. They were not one of US. The random discrimination against Mexican Americans because they appear to be foreigners still exists today. And the pain of one of this country's
greatest sins still stares us in the eyes: slavery.
We do not deny that there have been and continue to be
destructive segregation and malicious prejudices; too many of
them are still too evident today. From flagrant violation of human
rights to subtle systematic forms of economic disadvantage, our
people, Americans as we all are, still suffer from cultural and
racial discrimination. Believing that the "American" i.e., WASP
way is the way remains our biggest obstacle, our biggest idol, our
biggest sin.
1
The good and the bad aspects of this foundational image are beyond the scope of this
paper to discuss. However, we are convinced that in a functional way of speaking,
"Americanism" as unquestioned patriotism has functioned as the fundamental religious
conviction of this land — everything else being of secondary importance. For some
interesting readings of this point, consult: Alexis de Tocqueville, De la Démocratie en
Amérique, (Paris: Gallimard, 1961); Elise Marienstras, Les Mythes Fondateurs de la
Nation Américaine, (Paris: Maspero, 1976); Robert Michaelsen, "Americanization: Sacred
or Profane Phenomenon?," in Marty and Peerman (eda), New Theology No. 9, (New
York: MacMillan, 1964).
2
Andrew M. Greeley, An Ugly Little Secret: Anti-Catholicism in North America,
(Kansas City: Sheed, Andrews and McNeel, 1977); also, The American Catholic, (New
York: Basic Books, 1976).
3
Martin E. Marty, Righteous Empire, (New York: Dial Press, 1976).
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In spite of this a new image is beginning to rise. It is an image
recognizing one's cultural tradition and searching for one's cultural roots. People are beginning to realize that they do not have
to ignore their cultural heritage. They can be who they are, but
"be" in a new way. The idolized idea that Americanism is equated
with White Anglo-Saxon middle-class values is being threatened
by the liberating discovery that the uniqueness and originality of
the U.S. is precisely that it is a nation of nations.
The challenges we are faced with are many and the potential
for a new creation is fascinating! We have to begin to discover
models of living and relating that are new and unoppressive; that
are not fearful of God-given otherness (difference) but welcoming. Our new model of biblical America must be inclusive rather
than exclusive. Out of the chaos of many nationalities existing
within one nation we have to create a truly new order — a novus
ordo secloruml It is the talk of today: biblical prophets — the
religious educator — to point the way and clarify the vision of the
new social order.
We have to turn the enslavement of stereotyping into the
liberation of the children of God who can truly celebrate and
appreciate their own uniqueness and originality. A celebration
not of superiority/inferiority but of life-giving complimentariness.
A Gospel Perspective
The quest for survival as the absoluteness of my way above all
others, must be transformed into dying to my own egocentric and
ethnocentric ways so as to be enriched by the others. Recognizing
the beauty and uniqueness of the "other's" way, which like my
own, is a product of humanity's cooperative efforts with the
Creator, is the fruit of the Spirit which allows us to cry from
within our hearts: Abba!
The conversion of ethnic and racial divisions into a new unity
is truly the work of the Spirit. It is a task of bringing together our
gifts of language, cultures, traditions, and history into a new and
harmonious unity.
The best image I have for this is what I call the stewpot
image. Imagine a large kettle filled with all the ingredients
needed for a stew: carrots, celery, potatoes, meat, salt, pepper.
. . . The stew is cooked by heat, the necessary tension, and
in the process of cooking, of becoming, each ingredient is forced
to give up something; to die somewhat to itself. The end product
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is a stew made up of all the parts. No one ingredient ceases to be
but each one now exists in a radically new way. Each ingredient
has enriched and been enriched by the other. 4
The "tradition" of religious education as was mentioned
earlier is the way of the Prophets. The "model" of religious
education, then, is the way of the Prophet: Jesus. The challenges
that face us as a people of God and members of the same crowded
village cannot be dealt with by creating new ideologies and
writing new laws. Our civil rights acts and emancipation laws
have failed to stop discrimination and prejudice because our
cultures, prejudices are too deeply engraved in all the fibers of
our being.
Our models of change must look deeper into our own hearts
and center themselves on the call of the Gospel. What we need
most of all is not new laws, but new attitudes of the heart. This call
is the radical acceptance of other as "other." It is the call to "love
your neighbor" as yourself. This message which appears to be
simple and platitudinous is the very core of what Jesus is all about.
In fact, the radical acceptance of loving the other as other is the
way of God; it is the way of the incarnation: God radically
accepting humanity in flesh and blood.
The kenosis of God, his emptying of all into the reality of the
other is the radical fundamental chosen acceptance of the humanity of God (Philippians 2:6-11). This is the radical love that exists
at the very core of the Gospel message. Having experienced
God's love, I can now begin to love others as God loves me! This
experience is the conversion of the heart and the birth of a new
person. Such a person will see and appreciate self, and others, and
would in a radically new way — so radical, that it will turn all
knowledge and criteria of judgment inside out! It is what John's
Gospel (John 12:24) calls the dying to oneself to discover New
Life. It is the radical love of neighbor whereby I enter into his/her
reality, into his/her world view, into his/her culture. I live with my
neighbor, in solidarity, love and compassion. This in turn leads to
"otherness." It is through love that we become the other; it is
through becoming the other that we understand them; no longer
in a judgmental way, but truly as fellow human beings. It is
through this radical love and understanding that we experience
this metanoia. Precisely because we love, we seek to understand!
4
For an excellent and very precise presentation of the various models of diversity in
the U.S., consult: Andrew M. Greeley, "The Persistence of Diversity," The Antioch
Review, 1981.
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The mere desire to understand the other will not bring us to
understanding or love. Many times trying to understand without
loving brings us to a new sense of righteousness. We believe we
understand when in fact we do not. It is here in the love that leads
to understanding that we discover new attitudes which will be
born out of a new experience of the positive value and richness of
multicultural living.
We must always keep in mind that Christianity is not an
ideology or religious myth but the concrete experience of unlimited love which transcends human boundaries, limitations, or expectations. We speak about it only after we have experienced it. It
is foolishness and stupidity to those who have not experienced it
and hypocrisy to those who speak about it without living it.
The Hispanic Perspective:
Blessings of an Idol Broken
The love for the United States and the patriotic spirit of the
Hispanics for this country is certainly beyond question. Our
people are proud to be citizens of the United States of America
and have certainly proven this in their willingness to serve in the
military and to give their lives for the sake of this country and the
principles for which it stands. But we cannot ignore the oppressive and dehumanizing treatment we have often been subjected
to by our fellow countrymen. In the past, many of our people
simply tried to assimilate and become "good Americans" —
forgetting our language, our customs and our religion.5 Today,
we are going far beyond the model of assimilation. In our faith in
the way of God, we have discovered that simply to assimilate
would be a sell out, an insult to our ancestors and a betrayal of our
faith.
Our faith has led us to the discovery that precisely because we
have suffered much, today we have much to offer in purifying
and developing our country so that others will not have to suffer
what we have suffered. Furthermore, convinced that God has
graced each and every culture with some specific aspects of his
goodness and that no one people has an exclusivity on God's gifts,
we see ourselves as having much to offer to the human betterment
of our country that is desperately needed at this moment of
5
Virgil Elizondo, Christianity and Culture, Sunday Visitor Press, (Huntington: 1975)
especially chapter seven; and Mestizaje: The Dialectic of Cultural Birth, (San Antonio:
1978), MACC, especially part II.
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history. There is no denial that we have certainly been enriched
by many of the cultural elements of the WASP-American way.
For this we are grateful. Yet, there is equally no denial that there is
much suffering and unidentified weakness within the WASPAmerican way that is leading to the ultimate inner destruction
of Americanism if it is not critically questioned, purified and
strengthened with new blood. 6
In our faith, we are convinced that the Hispanics are one of the
specific groups among several others which at this moment of
history have much to offer towards a significant phase in the
build-up of God's Kingdom among us. We are well aware that
many see our presence in the United States as a threat and even a
curse. They wish we would go away, although some of us were
already here long before some of these lands were taken over by
the United States. We are a significant part of the United States,
we are here to stay, and much more than that, we are here to take a
significant part in the building of the U.S.A. of tomorrow, which
must start today. We have much to learn, but we equally have
much to contribute.
For the Hispanic, life is basically a gift.7 It is to be lived to the
fullest because it is a gift from him who gives life and who is God.
Life is gradually unfolding. The people accept the totality of life,
both joy and suffering, for to live is to know conflict and to
experience the tension of being pulled in different directions by
many forces. Life is a gift from God, and from this belief everything else follows and develops. The Hispanic people are profoundly religious in the sense of living out a personal relationship
with their God who is the source of life and to whom they return.
This conviction is found in the poorest of the poor in Latin
America. Although materially they may have almost nothing,
they will express an appreciation for life. Tenemos vida. Life is a
beautiful gift. Fundamental happiness comes with being.
I.
The Family
This conviction that life is a gift has a strong existential basis. It is
not simply a philosophical acceptance or a truth that has been
read in the catechism. The people have come to this appreciation
6
Ervin Laszio, "A real 'New Foundation'," inNewsweek, February 19,1979, p. 13; and
Lance Morrow, "Rediscovering America" in Time, July 7, 1980.
7
Most of the following section is taken from this author's work: Christianity and
Culture, Chapter Eight.
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265
through the strong sense of la familia, the family. This concept of
the family as the basis of all society existed in the pre-Columbian
cultures.
For the Hispanic of today, the family remains the basis of
society. It is in the family that one finds the meaning of life, and it
is here that the Hispano finds himself realized; therefore he will
have a family. For many reasons, the Spanish-speaking may be
having smaller families today, but they will never accept the
concept of zero population growth. The husband and wife will
continue to have children, for to do so is part of the essence of life.
The Mexican-American family will always find room for one
more; hospitality is part of the tradition of la familia. Though the
family may have very little to give, what they do have will be
divided among family and visitors, for this is part of life.
The concept of family includes more than just the mother,
father, and children. When Mexican Americans speak about
family, their concept goes beyond these immediate bounds to
include the extended family. The family includes all the relatives,
los parientes; anyone who is in any way related has a place in the
home. The "American Way," which has broken down the extended family to the nuclear family has not yet destroyed this
concept.
The Spanish system of relatives includes more than just blood
relatives. A system of in-laws exists, for in a marriage a full
relationship of both families is established. Relationships include
not only mothers-in-law (suegras) and fathers-in-law (suegros),
but aunts (Has), uncles (tios), and even cousins-in-law (losprimos
políticos). Since the entire family usually comes together only at
marriages and funerals, an understandable confusion arises about
who is related to whom. All these relatives begin to form part of
the larger family.
Los ancianos, the elderly, are another part of the family. An
anciano is one who has advanced in wisdom and understanding.
Thus the abuelitos, the grandparents, are ancianos for they have
advanced far in wisdom and knowledge, and they have much to
offer. The Spanish-speaking have a deep veneration for the
elderly; the ancianos are not looked upon as a burden, although
physically they might be, but as a personal blessing upon the
home in which they live. They bring the wisdom of the family, of
the tradición (tradition), of the costumbres (customs), of all those
things that are an important part of the heritage of a people.
The ancianos have maintained the tradition of oral history.
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The Hispanic in this country and in Latin America have not had,
for the most part, the opportunity for formal education. Therefore the abuelitos have kept the stories and traditions alive,
passing them on from old to young. They can quote dates, figures,
names and incidents from the time of their grandparents and
before; they are living history and have a marvelous wealth of
knowledge about the past.
This is not the entire family relationship. Another aspect is the
compadres. In English they are called godparents, but in Spanish
they are called com-padres, the co-parents of the children. This
idea of compradazgo is a deeply held tradition in the Spanishspeaking community. The complete origins of how the early
missioners were able to instill this notion so strongly in the people
is not known. Often the obligation of godparents is spoken of in
the Church, but in the Latino community this seems to be almost
an innate idea.
Two aspects of the padrino are important. One is the spiritual
relationship that it forms between the parents and those who are
asked to be co-parents of the child. Relatives are inherited, and
that cannot be changed. A person is born into a family and may
like them or hate them, but padrinos are freely chosen and they
freely accept the relationship. The padrinos are related in something which is much deeper than blood — the spirit. It is through
the spirit that people become co-parents and enter into a profound relationship. A strong bond exists between the two families; a second strong bond also is formed between the child who is
baptized and his compadres. Most children will tell you spontaneously who their compadres are. They may not know the names of
their aunts and uncles, but they will know their compadres,
because it is part of the duty of the god-parents to provide for the
child throughout life, especially at Christmas, Epiphany, birthdays, and graduations. The child loves the padrino because he is
an extra father, who brings him special gifts at special times.
Therefore sometimes the padrino is chosen not because of the
spiritual bond but because of the financial status of the friends
who will be able to provide for the child.
The compadres become a very intimate part of the family
because of the freely chosen and freely accepted spiritual relationship. The greatest compliment a family can pay to someone is
to ask them to be the compadres or compadre of their child.
These are some of the aspects of la familia. Together they are a
reflection of the Hispanic concept of life as a gift, and together
VIRGIL ELIZONDO
267
these relationships make up the barrios. Today, when people
speak of the barrio, they usually refer to a slum area, but barrio is
not necessarily a bad word. A barrio could be a slum area, but
basically it is a geographical one in which all of these relationships
constitute the community. All the people are interrelated through
compradazgo, viejitos, and intermarriage. In the barrio, even in
the poorest areas, children grow up with a certain security because they are wanted and cared for by the adults of the barrio;
because of the personal concern, a certain security and beauty
exist in the midst of poverty, an idea of living community. In large
urban centers today much of this no longer appears, but the
traditions continue in the rural areas. Thus, the home truly becomes the first and most important school of human relationships.
In the familia the art of human dynamics is taught through the
many cultural dynamics of everyday life.
II. Suffering and Death
As part of the totality of life, suffering is accepted by the LatinAmerican people. It is seen as a way to final happiness. To accept
life is to accept death, for death is the supreme moment of life. In
their vocabulary Latinos will even play with death. They will
laugh and joke about death and do not mind giving their lives for
an ideal they believe in, because they know they will not die.
They live on not just in memory, but in h memoria, which has a
much richer meaning than the English word. La memoria is a
dynamic force through which the person continues to be alive.
The person lives on in la memoria; thus, death is not the end, but
the passage into the fullness of life. To die is to live forever in la
memoria of those who stay behind, in communion with those who
have gone before, in communion with the cosmos, and in communion with the giver and source of life, God Himself. Death is
sometimes hard and painful, but it is not the pain of failure, only
the pain of separation for a new birth.
III. Time
Because they accept all limitations, Hispanics accept time. Many
people have misunderstood this concept of mariana. It is not
laziness as outsiders have often seen it. To watch the farmworkers
in the fields or to see the labor of a carpenter or worker is to know
that Hispanics are not lazy. They are willing to do the hardest and
often most dangerous job.
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A realistic acceptance of limitations exists, so that even though
one does one's best, no one person will be able to do it all. If Jesus
himself, the Son of God, did not finish the work of salvation in
three years, much less will another finish it. Perhaps it could be
said that the Latin-American people take themselves so seriously
that they take themselves lightly. Persons who do not take themselves seriously enough are the ones who take themselves too
seriously; they confuse themselves with God and end up destroying themselves by self-imposed guilt about not being God. The
truly serious person accepts limitations with the realization that
not all will be accomplished. One is to live to the fullest today, and
tomorrow will take care of tomorrow, for tomorrow exists only in
the mind. The question, "Why do today what can wait until
tomorrow?" is not a sign of laziness but a metaphysical understanding and acceptance of one's nature as a limited creature.
The Hispanic is futuristic in an eschatalogical sense, living an
eschatology already begun here and now. Eternity is the everlasting now; there is no need to rush. The realistic acceptance of
fundamental limitations in space and time as expressed in the
attitude of mañana is the source of great peace for Hispanics but
of great tensions for the non-Hispanic.
Paul Tillich calls the fear of accepting the limitation of time
one of the greatest sources of suffering of North-Atlantic people.
They feel that everything must be accomplished today by 5
o'clock, and they will work hard and save so that they may enjoy
themselves tomorrow, in retirement, doing then all that they have
been saving money for. While the Latino lives in the futuristic
eschatology which has already begun today, the North American
generally lives in the hope of a pragmatic eschatology that will
begin in retirement.
IV. Prophetic-Festive
Life for the Hispanic has always been a struggle for justice
because oppressive injustice has been our daily way of life. The
concrete struggles as exemplified by Cesar Chavez, Archbishop
Romero, the four martyred women of El Salvador and many
others, are the prophetic roads we have been travelling to Jerusalem.
Through it all we continue to celebrate. We celebrate because
we have a sense of the tragic, accepting the many forces of life
and yet realizing we live in the ultimate happiness which has
already begun. Through our celebrations, we are able to affirm
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our Christian hope: hope against all human hope. We celebrate
the end which is already the beginning. This prophetic way is the
basis of our fiesta.
Hispanics do not allow themselves to be swallowed up by the
many tensions and problems, the moments of sickness and death
that are part of life, but rise above them in celebration. This is why
fiesta is such a symbol of the Hispanic world. The Hispanic sees
the world in movement; views the many difficulties and yet
knows that he/she is on the road to the final end which has already
begun. Already we are partakers of the ultimate victory. The
Hispanic accepts life realistically but works toward the future and
celebrates the gift of life in fiesta. The Hispanic cannot be understood without understanding fiesta. The world cannot be entered
until the world of fiesta is entered. It is not an escape from the
world of problems but a bringing of the whole day into the
celebration of life as a gift. This fiesta is the celebration of God's
unlimited and transforming love; for there can be no fiesta without bringing God into it.8
Conclusion
The task of the religious education is to take the stuff of everyday
life and reread it through the eyes of the gospel. In doing this we
unveil the real concrete, historical and cultural roots of sin in our
society and announce the alternatives of the gospel.
It is not the task of religious education simply to make people
comfortable, falling prey to Marx's evaluation of religion. Giving
people a superficial good feeling with a few religious terms is not
the way of Jesus.
Religious education leads the people into a new way of seeing
— with the eyes of the gospel — thus being in a new way. It
creates new attitudes and releases a new spirit. It leads people to
see the other, the cultural other, with the heart and thus understand with the mind. When this takes place we cease to see
cultural differences as threats and begin to see them as gifts. We
begin to see the threat of the other as an invitation to die to
ghettoism so that we may resurrect to a greater life. This dying
relativizes one's own unsuspected cultural absolutes which had
functioned as idols blocking the way to a greater life.9 We do not
8
Mestizaje, chapter Nine.
For a brief study of the how of the universalizing process of Christianity, consult this
author's work "Culture, Church and" in the New Catholic Encyclopedia, volume 17,
pp. 168-169.
9
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cease to be who we are, but we are who we are in a radically new
way. The segregating and limiting barriers of the Human City of
man are destroyed as a more universal and cosmopolitan society
— the City of God — emerges wherein each person and each
culture is recognized as the glory of God.10 Finally, nowhere will
this awakening to the other be more richly experienced than in the
festive celebrations, those key moments of each cultural group. It
is there that we experience one another and otherness at its
deepest level. These celebrations, in the midst of chaos, slavery,
death, and division are where we celebrate and experience the
presence of God, incarnate and one with us, journeying to the
heavenly Jerusalem where differences will be celebrated while
divisions will be annihilated for we will all truly experience the
innermost unity of the one family of God.
10
Irenaeus, ADVERSUS HAERESES, III 20, 1-3.
BRIEFLY NOTED
THEOLOGY ENCOUNTERS REVOLUTION, by J. Andrew Kirk. Leicester,
England: Inter-Varsity Press, 1980. paper. 188 pp. (no price listed) Varied forms
of liberation theology are surveyed in this book which offers "a guide to the
debate about theology and revolution". The author hopes to challenge
evangelicals into applying biblical teachings to social justice concerns. C.C.C.
WHAT DO I DO NOW? By Alan Hofmeister, Charles Atkinson and Hester
Henderson. Niles, Illinois: Argus, 1978.104 pages. Paper, $1.95. Practical advice
on dealing with the problems of child misbehavior (ages 3-11) through behaviour modification and reinforcement techniques. To be assumed, of course, is
that children have to learn that adults have limits, too—including false guilt
feelings. — J.J.D.
LA COMMUNAUTE LIEU DU PARDON ET DE LA FETE. By Jean Vanier.
Paris: Editions Fleurus, 1979. The author has devoted himself to ministry with
the handicapped, having founded the Community of the Ark (referring to the
Ark of the Covenant) in France. The community has since spread elsewhere in
Europe, to North America, Asia, the Caribbean, and Africa. The book consists of
reflections on his ministry and makes its purpose, method, and spirit clear.
- D.C.W.
DATING HABITS OF YOUNG BLACK AMERICANS: AND ALMOST EVERYBODY ELSE'S TOO. By John R. Porter. Dubuque: Kendall/Hunt Pub. Co.,
1979. 253 pages, pb. The sub-title says it all. This is a useful general guide to
dating in the United States today with some helpful insights into the special
jargon and customs of Black youth. Helen A. Archibald.
^ s
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