Fertile Ground vs. Shark-infested Waters (Part II)

So, our primary lesson through this experience has been "God will provide." God provided for us once again, but this time, I was totally surprised! As I mentioned in the other entry, I agreed to tread into dangerous waters at the Pastor's Conference by introducing the idea of addiction/alcoholism as a disease. This was, indeed, risky in Mexico.

Mexican Presbyterians (and perhaps other Protestants as well) take a very definitive position about alcohol use. It's not allowed....period. Abstinence from all alcohol is one of the ways in which Mexican Presbyterians witness to others that walking the path of Christianity is decidedly different from others, including Catholics, in their midst. Yes....Catholics.

You see, Catholicism in Southern Mexico is a variation on the Catholicism of the Roman Catholic Church. Mayan Catholicism can be loosely described as a hybrid of the practices of the ancient Mayan animists and Catholicism as introduced by the Spanish when they conquered Mexico. Mayan Catholics may wear crosses and rosary beads like Roman Catholics, but they may also sacrifice animals at the alters of Catholic churches in Chiapas, persecute and even kill Protestants, and celebrate "saints days" by getting drunk and partying in the streets. Protestants distinguish themselves from Mayan Catholics by their behavior which does NOT include drinking, smoking or dancing. Presbyterian churches also practice "church discipline," intervening when members engage in behavior unbecoming of Christians.

As a professional counselor with considerable experience in the field of addictions, I've always worried about the Mexican Presbyterian church's position about alcohol, primarily because I know the church is regularly baptising "new Christians." These "new Christians" may be very genuine in their decision to commit their lives to Jesus Christ and to embrace all the practices of the church. But what about the person who is well traveled on the road of alcoholism? Can pastors understand it if their genuine commitments to abstinence from alcohol use are unsuccessful? Will they embrace them with the love of Christ or will they chastise them for failing to live up to the behavioral expectations of Christians?

And so it was that I introduced addiction as a disease to the pastors at the pastors' conference. And once again, God provided. I gave the academic explanations, but the pastors had a chance to see the real thing. The pastors got a chance to meet a real, living Christian who had walked the path of active addiction and recovery. Let me back up...

I welcomed a new group to Ocosingo, and I mentioned that several of us would be presenting workshops at the Pastors' Conference. I referenced my plan to address alcoholism and the role of the church in addressing the problems of addiction. Later, a member of the group approached me to volunteer to speak about their own experiences of addiction, recovery and the role of the church. Now....prior to that week, to my knowledge we only had 1 actively recovering person visit Mexico this year. This 2nd person made the ratio 2:225. That there was a recovering person present at all when I spoke on this topic is miraculous. That the recovering person revealed themselves (thus breaking their own anonymity, a key principle of Alcoholics Anonymous) was another miracle. That this person volunteered to share of their experience, strength and hope with the pastors was another miracle.

Once again, God did, indeed, provide. God provided someone to share how they became addicted despite believing in God and being actively involved in a church....how they experienced rejection by a fiercely-conservative church during a time of great emotional distress....how they benefitted from a church-provided space for AA meetings....how they have found support in both the church and AA for a life of 15-years of recovery...and how they have grown in their faith through both addiction AND recovery.

God provided a living, breathing, faith-professing example for our discussion. With God's help, we can hope that the pastors have a new understanding and newfound compassion for those suffering from active addiction and how important it is for churches to be a part of the solution. Thanks be to God!