The Unforgettable Words of Milton Schwantes
HAVANA TIMES – Twenty years ago, when I was studying at the Matanzas Evangelical Theology Seminary, I had the opportunity to get to know many theologians personally, who up until then I’d only known through their books. The Seminary received visitors from all parts of the world, and we all shared with great pleasure our different visions of faith.
All these encounters were good, but there was one that’s left its mark on me forever, I think. I recall it more times than I’d like. It even pops into my head involuntarily, as a possible support I could be needing at that moment. I’m referring to the lecture given by Dr. Milton Schwantes from the seminary in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
During his talk, he presented many interesting ideas, for example: “Don’t take anything seriously, not even the Church.” All of us laughed when he said it, because if there were one thing we wanted to take seriously it was precisely that institution we belonged to and desired to serve. [We also laughed] because the strange advice came from nothing more and nothing less than a Latin American Biblical authority who had made unquestionable contributions to this field.
When later he said: “Power is a huge rock. I recommend that you don’t throw yourselves against it. Try to dance around it instead, until you reach the other side of the road. Once you’ve done that, continue on with your journey.” I must admit that this was an incredible revelation to me.
Right up until today, I feel that it’s a very good thing to know about this way of confronting reality – even though there are cases, of course, where we could question it. Still, it’s a good notion to keep in mind, as one of the various alternatives for living day to day.
In fact, when frustration wants to embrace me with all its strength – something that’s very normal when you live in the middle of a dictatorship where the laws are mere formalities that almost no one heeds, and the barriers to self-realization are all around – the words of the Bible scholar become my guide. And I can breathe for a while longer.
We also can’t lose sight of the proposition: “don’t take anything seriously.” However, it, too, has some limits and could be questioned, like so many matters concerning human society. Determining its possible borders forms part of the challenge. But I feel that as time goes on, I’m understanding it better. Like in these days. And I never turn down an opportunity to share it with others, whenever I can. First to find out what they think of it, and secondly, in case it can be of some use to them at a given moment.