The legacy of René Padilla at AMEXTRA

Eugenio Araiza

René Padilla, leaves behind a very valuable legacy at Amextra. The founders and first collaborators of Amextra met him as students within the organization compañerismo estudiantil (Compa), where he challenged us to understand our faith and give a reason for it in the context of the revolutionary and liberation movements of the 60’s and 70’s . Movements that challenged Christianity to assume new ways of understanding reality and hold a critical position in the face of injustice, abuse of power, poverty, unjust economic models, corruption, exclusion, and more. Another element at that historical moment was the dissatisfaction of young people with the role that the church played in society, with its lack of impact and the replication of foreign and colonialist models that ignored the Latin American context.

In the student groups, people like René and others forged us in discipleship and the love of studying and reflecting on the Bible, with the aim of forming leaders with a thought centered on the teachings of Jesus, in dialogue with the social, economic, political and cultural challenges of our times. We assume a Christian commitment like the professionals we have become and we were called to respond to one of René’s main approaches, that “every human need is a field of Christian mission”, which sparked interesting dialogues on key concepts such as the Kingdom of God, justice, the vocation of reconciliation, etc. All of them, concepts that impacted the rest of our lives.

This reflection, motivated by thinkers like René, led us to action, since the exercise of our professional vocation was focused on service. Thus the student movement fostered the emergence of national service organizations throughout Latin America. In Mexico, apart from Amextra, Misión Mazahua and Armonía emerged, while other colleagues served in international service organizations.

Amextra, therefore, witnessed René and other theologians questioning the idea of ​​a notion of Christian development promoted by foreign missions, since it assumed that there were developed countries and people and other underdeveloped ones, and that the latter should develop following the example of the former. As an alternative to this idea, René proposed the theological expression Integral Mission, which refused the dichotomy between sharing the gospel and assuming social responsibility. This was a great step for the life of the church in Latin America and the world.

At Amextra, based on the proposal of Integral Mission, we carried out our own experience of biblical reflection on the subject, with application in the Mexican context, putting it into practice in different marginalized communities of the country. Thus, with the guidance of Dr. José R. Alcántara we develop the theology of Holistic Transformation.

René was thus the great promoter of a Latin American movement based on the Integral Mission proposal, which also generated networks of Christian service organizations that exchanged experiences, common projects and systematizations of alternatives to important problems in life, which catalyzed the Christian presence in different aspects of daily life and that renewed the presence of the church in society. For Amextra, participating in these efforts together with these associations, organizations and collectives such as Red Miqueas, Roca, and Tearfund, among others, has allowed us to experience the multiculturalism of the gospel, and gives us a hybrid vigor, a sense of Latin American unity, and synergies that have enriched us mutually.

If the role of René had to be described, it would be in the terms of theologian, educator, prophet and disciple.

As a theologian, his work is reflected in his concept of Integral Mission and in the formation of the theological fraternity, which he saw as a very important means of spreading Latin American theology.

As an educator, he had a great passion for reading and writing; he leaves us a large number of books and articles, in addition to his lectures around the world, his bibliography is vast. He complemented this as a proponent of literature, he encouraged us to write, there are a large number of writers who owe to him the inspiration and the discovery of their vocation; His vision in this field was very broad, since his undertaking led him to write editorials and open space in others, to make possible the publications of various titles.

As a prophet, he announced in a good time to his people, he took up the challenge to proclaim justice, freedom, healing, restoration, the Lord’s pleasant year for Latin America.

As a discipler, he influenced people of several generations, who in turn have followed his example, influencing other people in the service entities that emerged throughout Latin America.

In my personal testimony, what I have shared so far is all combined. I met the theologian and teacher in Colombia in 1981, where students from all over Latin America spent a month together receiving his teachings (there were others like Escobar, Arana, Felicity, Atiencia, etc.). I continued to learn about him through his books, articles, and lectures from him in Mexico, including a forum on Integral Mission organized by Amextra. He was a discipler because whenever we met he was interested in knowing what he was doing and encouraged me. A few years ago in Peru he called me aside and told me that he and others needed to drop out, that they passed the baton to us (he did the same with other people). Hearing him I felt great sadness, and to confirm his words, a little later he honored me by inviting me to give a workshop with him in his native country Ecuador, and possibly had an influence on me coordinating the economics table at the Clade V meeting in Costa Rica.  He encouraged me to write a lot, but in this I failed him, (perhaps it is still time to make amends). As a prophet, he continues and will continue to inspire us so that the Latin American voice continues to propose alternatives of justice, restoration, peace, freedom, human rights, a fairer and more caring economy, inclusion and responsibility with the environment, and everything that the kingdom of God implies between us.

For those who want to know more about René’s thought, I recommend reading his next three titles: Biblical Bases of Mission, What is Integral Mission and The Church as an Agent of Transformation.