Facilitating Transformation in the Puerto Rican Youth in New York City
Facilitating Transformation in the Puerto Rican
Youth of New York City
Caitlin Risser
Biola University, School of Intercultural Studies
October 30, 2008
Abstract
New York City is a place of great ethnic and religious diversity. Amidst the fast pace of daily life live small communities whose youth face a great number of challenges from their environment. This paper seeks to address some of the challenges faced by the youth of the Puerto Rican community in order to engage them in long-term community discipleship. The challenges discussed in this paper include the challenge of living in a diverse community, the challenge of sexuality in a sexualized culture, and the challenge of facing drugs and drug culture within the Puerto Rican community. Each challenge is then addressed through a biblical perspective in the second section and a strategic plan is proposed for engagement in evangelism and discipleship.
Introduction
“. . . and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”
2 Corinthians 5:15 (NASB)
The life of an individual, no matter what ethnic background or national origin, follows the natural timeline of development as God has planned. From birth, man is a sinful, fallen being and moves throughout life living as such until the redemptive work of Christ is completed in him or her. The life without Christ is difficult and riddled with challenges that add to the inability to prosper and contribute to family and society by means that seem to be simple and easy. Such challenges are now being presented to the youth of this nation as they make decisions and choices for and against Christ. Environmental factors add to these challenges and there is a need for the youth of the United States to be given real opportunities to live their lives in kingdom realities or in worldly realities.
One such group of youth is those who live in neighborhoods throughout New York City and whose families originate in Puerto Rico. Challenged by their urban setting, their racial identity, and the ever-present temptation of sex and drugs, they search for ways to stay relevant to their peers and flourish in this context that is somewhat foreign to their families. This paper seeks to address a few of the specific challenges presented to Puerto Rican youth living in the city and explores the possibilities of presenting the gospel as a relevant choice that will empower individuals and the community to live together in peace. How can the body of Christ have an active role in raising the next generation of Puerto Ricans in New York City, encouraging them to be those who seek God amidst the challenges of urban life and during the move from childhood to adulthood? This paper proposes a strategic plan for winning Puerto Rican youth for Christ, engaging them in community discipleship.
Part one of this paper will present three of the greatest challenges to Puerto Rican adolescents. The first challenge discussed will be the challenge of finding a distinct racial or ethnic identity in the middle of the sea of diversity that is New York City. The second aspect of the challenges faced by Puerto Rican youth falls in the category of sexuality. In a sexualized culture, peer pressure and individual pleasure take precedent over wise, careful choices. The third challenge that will be discussed is the issue of drugs and violence. These two issues, although grouped together, have an overarching effect on many aspects of the community.
In light of the call Christians have to bring Christ to the world, part two will engage in a theological and biblical discussion of the challenges presented in part one. This section will begin with a discussion of the theology of sin and salvation, understanding that without a thorough understanding of the gospel, contextualization will not be possible. The discussion will then move to a biblical discussion of sexuality. Finally, addressing the need for community restoration due to sin against one another, the discussion will address the issue of living in community and the means for community discipleship.
The third section will present a strategy implementing a discipleship plan for the community. This plan begins with relational evangelism that stems from the body of Christ in and around the Puerto Rican community in New York City. The second step in the plan is to empower and educate the Puerto Rican body of Christ to engage in intercession for their community through prayer walking and prayer during specific community events. The third step in the plan for ministry is to equip and challenge the youth to engage their own generation in evangelism and discipleship through their own initiative and creativity.
I. Background of the Challenges of Urban Life for Puerto Rican Youth
“Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh. . . “
2 Corinthians 5:16
Urbanization has been a part of human life since the Tower of Babel, described in Genesis chapter eleven. In sociological and anthropological studies the urban dweller is often contrasted with the rural dweller. There is a certain way of thinking that is adopted by the urban dweller and a particular manner in which community is built. For the sons and daughters of Puerto Rican immigrants to New York City, the urban experience is one that shapes and molds the way that they view the world and it dictates their opportunities and choices. This section specifically addresses three of the challenges of urban life that affect the youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City. The challenges discussed in this section are: racial identity formation in an urban context, adolescent sexuality, and the problem of drugs and drug culture.
Racial Identity Formation
I. a. i Urban Background. From its foundation, The United States of America, it has had a nearly exclusively immigrant population. If natives dwelt amongst the immigrants, they held no political power and had little influence on the cultural development of the nation. Central to this development was the establishment of urban centers, or cities. These cities functioned as governmental centers, economic networks and opportunities for education. Since the early nineteenth century, such cities have also functioned as receiving areas for the immigrants who sought to experience the nation that was established by such as them (Brettell, 2000, p. 131). Seeking opportunities for a better life, such immigrants have come to the cities of America and have learned how to live as Americans while continuing to define what the culture of America will become. Influenced by one another, current Americans and the immigrants in their cities are defining what it means to live in a diverse world.
The acculturation or socialization of human beings is a complex process that is influenced by nearly every aspect of the learning environment. For urban dwellers, the influences of the city strongly play into social development. Fischer (1976, p. 70) describes this influence in his book The Urban Experience, saying, “certain beliefs or behaviors may result from residence in the city, not because of the city as such, but because of the people who live there.” The population density causes the human mind to be bombarded with interpersonal experiences with greater frequency than rural dwellers. These interactions force the individual to see differences and similarities between him or herself and the rest of the city. For most people who live in the city, an over-stimulation creates a necessity to group together with common groups. These groups may be based on things as neutral as common interest, or they may be as specified and exclusive as social class and race.
The expression of social grouping and social networking often manifests itself in the construction of neighborhoods within the city. Pellow (1991, p. 3) says, “physical and conceptual boundaries are integrally tied to the creation, maintenance, transformation and definition of social and societal relations—of socio-cultural behavior and action.” The special dynamics in a city have long fascinated scholars and such studies have shown that the social construction of space is a demonstration of power (Low, 1996).
I. a. ii New York and Puerto Rico. As one of the largest cities in the world, New York City is the prototype of the studied metropolis. It fits into nearly all the metaphorical categories described by Low (1996): the Ethnic city, the Contested city, the Industrialized city, the Global city, the Modernist city, the Postmodern city. Although these categories seem to be contrasting, their presence is felt by walking down the streets in the varying neighborhoods in New York City. Functioning as a center for culture, education, and economics, New York City draws people from all over the world to partake in its many personalities.
In New York City, there are five primary areas, or boroughs. These are comprised of Manhattan, Brooklyn, the Bronz, Queens, and Staten Island. Kadushin and Jones present the diversity of the city saying,
At one extreme is the island of Manhattan, one of the nation’s centers of cultural and financial activities. At the other extreme lies the Bronx, parts of which are associated with the worst kinds of urban decay. Staten Island is the most suburban and socially homogeneous of all the boroughs. Brooklyn and Queens are more diverse; both contain areas that are essentially white and middle-class as well as run-down areas composed of poor and non-white residents. (2004, 64)
These five boroughs function as the primary spatial divides between areas of the city; however, within these boroughs there are smaller neighborhoods that are identified by New York City residents such as Harlem, Midtown, Williamsburg, Flushing, and many more. It is within these neighborhoods that social networks are created for the boroughs are too large of an area to maintain a secure social network.
Social networks become a significant part of the urban life due to the need to connect and create a network with those not only near to you in neighborhoods, but also those who share common identity. The presence of kinship relationships becomes diminished in such diverse communities due to the life situations of individuals, especially immigrant populations (Fischer, 1976, p. 101). Such immigrants tend to live in similar areas around the city and to identify with those who are most like them. Brettell (2000, p. 132) says, “The city context approach draws attention to variations in the urban labor market and the economic niches into which immigrants can enter.” As Brettell demonstrates, such labor markets and economic niches lead then to the creation of spatial relationships through ethnic enclaves (2000, 132-133). Kadushin (2004) describes this phenomenon in the context of New York City through the use of the term ‘localized’ network. He says, “better-educated New Yorkers are less likely to have a localized network” (p. 63). He hypothesizes that this is due to their exposure to ideas and specializations though their education that allows them to enter into arenas outside of their own neighborhoods or ethnic enclaves (Kadushin, 2004). In his study on the neighborhoods of New York City, Kadushin also found that of all the ethnic groups represented in the city, Hispanics tend to maintain spatial networks within their neighborhood. He says,
If there is a barrio where everyone knows everyone else and which is strongly neighborhood oriented, it appears mainly to be among foreign-born Hispanics. Blacks, foreign born or native, are somewhat less likely to have locally oriented networks. Asians, may of whom are foreign born are least likely to have locally oriented networks (2004, p. 67).
Many of these immigrant Hispanics are originally from Puerto Rico.
Since 1917, Puerto Ricans have legally been considered US citizens (Dunay, 2000). However, with a history deep in colonization, Puerto Rico has been a nation whose citizens were persistently changing national identities. Due to these constant changes, there has not been a nation in recent times who has exported so many of their people to other nations. Nearly two million individuals left Puerto Rico between 1945 and 1965 (Dunay, 2000). By 1990, nearly 44 percent of Puerto Ricans were living in mainland United States (Dunay 2000). According to the 2006 United States Census Bureau, there are approximately 4 million Puerto Ricans living in the mainland United States (“Hispanic or Latino,” 2006). Of these 4 million individuals, approximately 19 percent, 770,123 live in the city of New York (“Hispanic or Latino,” 2006). With this large percentage of Puerto Rican immigrants living in New York, a significant aspect of the culture of the Puerto Rican Diaspora is formed by urban culture. Theater and musical pieces, such as West Side Story, are expressions of the Puerto Rican experience in the city.
Today the majority of Puerto Ricans live in the Bronx and in Spanish Harlem or East Harlem, which lies between 96th St. and the East River on the East Side (US Census, 2000). These two areas are occupied primarily by the Hispanic or Latino population and serve as a center for culture and connection primarily for Caribbean peoples. Set just north of one of the wealthiest neighborhoods and just to the East of Little Africa, Spanish Harlem is sandwiched in between the two ethnic groups that have typically been a part of Puerto Rican racial and ethnic identity. One of the most identifiable minorities in the city, there has been much sociological study done of the formation of their racial identity.
I. a. iii Being Puerto Rican. In his essay on Puerto Rican identity and racism, Abe (2006) describes the Puerto Rican racial identity struggle as follows:
On the island, the vast majority of Puerto Ricans regard themselves as White. On the mainland, most consider themselves to be neither White nor Black, but members of some other race. To many Americans, Puerto Ricans occupy an ambiguous position between white people and people of color. (p. 85)
Caught not only physically but also racially between the white and the black communities in New York City, the Puerto Rican community has brought to its youth the challenge of choosing an identity amidst its urban neighbors. The challenge falls in the prescribed roles that each choice places on the individual. Abe (2006) describes this racial ‘dichotomy’ by suggesting that the term race does not merely set up white and black as opposites, but also implies that ‘blackness’ is problematic (p. 84). These understandings of racial dichotomies are what create and perpetuate the roles that are filled by Puerto Ricans who adopt one mentality or another. This cultural dichotomy has always been a struggle for Puerto Ricans who have settled in the United States. During the 1970s, Eduardo Seda Bonilla began to see problematic patterns taking place in the lives of the second-generation immigrants to the mainland US. He observed the second-generation immigrants loosing their connections to the roots of Puerto Rican culture, including the Spanish language. Seemingly, the racism against Hispanic or Latino immigrants had influenced his people to the point that it began to threaten their culture (Duany, 2000). Seda Bonilla’s perceptions during the 1970s, although they came with exaggerated fear and dramatic nationalism, are still a reality today. Many Puerto Ricans in New York City struggle with maintaining their Puerto Rican identity and also assimilating with the larger New York culture on an appropriate level.
Brettell (2000) suggests that cities develop an “urban ethos” (p. 133). Each city has its own set of values that impacts the way its immigrants act and are allowed to move between social networks (Brettell, 2000, 134). The Puerto Rican community needs to learn how to lead their young people into discovery of maintaining a balance between understanding and participating in the urban ethos and perpetuating a distinct Puerto Rican culture amongst its second and third-generation youth.
Adolescent Sexuality
I. b. i. Youth Culture. The youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City, not unlike many in the nation, have created for themselves a culture distinct from their parents and grandparents. In their article on adolescent culture, Scwartz and Merten (1967) explain that although adolescent culture is distinct from the culture of adults, it is not defined by its rejection of the basic values adults hold. Instead, they suggest that youth culture “symbolically affirms and celebrates its freedom from conventional restraints on social behavior which has little or no immediate practical significance” (Scwartz & Merten, 1967, p. 457). Yet, with the growth and development of the individual there is a desire to become an adult and to experiment with the possibilities of what it looks like for the individual to fulfill adult roles (Scwartz & Merten, 1967, p. 457).
One adult role that is specifically causing problems in the Puerto Rican community among youth is the desire to experiment with their sexuality. According to Gillmore, Archibald, et al. (2002), nearly 80 percent of young people become sexually experienced during their teen years. With the influence of the urban ethos, there is a greater likelihood that adolescents in the city will be exposed to sexual messages from a younger age. Blinn-Pike (1999) discusses the impact of sexual messages and images in the United States today as one of the greatest contributing reasons for the lack of sexual resilience. Even since the 1960s, there has been an exponential increase in the amount of exposure to sexual messages among youth in the United States. During the 1960s, television portrayed an increase in the intensity of the issues dealt with by adolescent characters on television shows. Challenges such as suicide, pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, sexual harassment, and homosexual relationships are a few examples (Blinn-Pike, 1999). Blinn-Pike’s (1999) concern is that amidst the broad discussion and representation of issues youth are dealing with issues such as dating, pimples, cars, and after-school jobs. However, since the 1990s, on television, in films, music and on the internet, is that there is little to no presentation of preventative actions or responsibility with sexual exploration.
Another important factor to consider in the problem of adolescent sexual activity is the community’s part in the conversation about the subject. According to Upchurch, Aneshiensel, et al., the contribution of outsiders happens on two levels. The first level is that of the community or neighborhood. They say, “adolescents’ sexual knowledge, beliefs, and behaviors are shaped by local opportunity structures and by normative environments presented in neighborhoods. . . physical locale within which adolescent live; specifically, neighborhoods are usually stratified by socioeconomic status and often by race and ethnic composition” (Upchurch, et al, 1999, 920). This is influence is particularly true of the influence on Puerto Rican youth as they live primarily in the Hispanic neighborhoods of New York City. The second level of influence on adolescents in the realm of sexuality is their specific nuclear family. Upchurch, et al. (1999) explain,
Families exert direct and immediate influence on adolescents though social learning, role modeling, and social control and supervsion. In addition, not only do families provide social and economic environments and general monitoring of adolescents, they also instill and demonstrate norms and role models for sexual conduct. (p. 921)
As a child begins to be an adolescent and eventually an adult, it is imperative that the community and the family of the individual is present and representative of healthy norms in order for the individual to be ready for the situations he or she will face during adolescence and beyond.
I. b. ii. ‘Machos and Sluts.’ Within the Puerto Rican community, and in the broader Puerto Rican culture, there are prescribed roles for men and women regarding sexuality. In his article entitled “Machos and Sluts,” Asencio (1999) explains that within the Latino community, the Spanish term machismo describes the cultural phenomenon of male domination of women and is pointed to by youths as the source of the majority of negative Latino male behavior in society. Such behaviors include violence toward women and sexual aggression. It suggests both male domination and female subordination. This subordination manifests in most aspects of life, but the control of female sexuality is the main element of this phenomena (Asencio, 1999). The ‘macho’ man will have a stronger sexual drive than females and are thus free from social constraints in order to fulfill his sexual needs. He is also seen to be very fertile and is able to produce many children with his wife or with women outside of marriage. He is also seen to be courageous, honorable, and deserving of respect because of his accomplishments in these areas (Asencio, 1999).
The concept of machismo creates a dichotomy, therefore, amongst Puerto Rican young men. They are expected to be the protector of those with whom they are in relationships, their mothers, sisters, and wives, while pursuing and attempting to seduce other women to satisfy their real needs. Asencio explains that this thus creates two categories of women in the Puerto Rican community. There are those he terms madonnas, these women who are virtuous and stick by their man no matter what he requires of her or how he treats her. She is good and deserving of his protection (Asencio, 1999, p. 109). The second category is the ‘whore’ or ‘slut’ category. This woman has supposedly committed at least one act of sexual intercourse without the sanction of marriage and is thus labeled and treated as a bad woman (Ascencio, 1999, p. 109). In his study of inner-city Puerto Rican youth, Asencio (1999) found that the youths believed that there were biological reasons why this cultural construction existed. According to their description, male ‘macho’ behavior was acceptable because males are seen as unable to control their physical passions. Women, on the other hand, are more inclined to monogamy because of their nurturing, mothering traits and their biological ability to give birth.
As the youth of the Puerto Rican community grow into adulthood with little to no education about healthy sexual boundaries and with all of their outside influences telling them that sex is an acceptable part of growing up, the roles that are prescribed by Puerto Rican culture are perpetuated. In his more detailed description of the term slut, Asencio (1999) says, “From males’ viewpoints, the label slut also identified a class of female sex partners who deserved little or no consideration beyond sexual gratification” (p. 113). If this is the perspective of adolescent males and females who are also experimenting with their sexuality, then a problem of promiscuity and subordination for women is being perpetuated by the next generation.
The community and drugs.
I. c. i The problem of drugs and drug culture. Most cities in the United States, if not all, struggle with maintaining control over illegal trades of drugs and the violence that it causes. According to the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), New York City has been a home to many different drug trafficking organizations that network with people all over the world. Also, because of its function as one of the world’s greatest financial capitals, it is a strategic place for illegal money laundering and offshore banking (US Drug. . . 2008). Because of its connections with the world in these markets, New York City’s own neighborhoods have suffered from perpetual problems with drugs.
The DEA names cocaine and heroine as the two main drugs in the city of New York that are the biggest problems and the most accessible. Cocaine is primarily smuggled through the boarder in large shipments and then distributed by local distributors in the city upon arrival. Heroine, however, is smuggled primarily through John F. Kennedy airport through ingestion or other complicated chemical and plastic processes requiring later chemical extraction processes to access the hidden heroine (US Drug. . .2008).
In addition to the accessibility of hard drugs in New York City, there is a mindset in the inner-city that perpetuates the need to deal for economic and ‘status’ gains. Johnson et al. (1990) describes what he terms the criminal underclass subculture. This subculture maintains certain performance roles, norms, lifestyles, and values such as,
Illegal means are better than legal means to earn money; other people are to be manipulated and their goods or money taken for the offender’s benefit; violence and its threat should be used to gain criminal returns and maintain reputation; expenditures of illicit money should support ‘fast living’ even at the cost of necessary items. (Johnson, 1990, p. 10-11)
I. c. ii. The perpetuation of social problems. Drugs are not an isolated issue that have little effect on other social problems. Issues of drugs and drug culture perpetuate nearly every social problem plaguing the Puerto Rican community in New York City. One case study described by Johnson et al. (1990) describes a young woman, Kitty, who was a member of a “crew,” a handful of inner-city, low-income youth who work for a dealer and serve as distributors. Kitty explained that she would often deliver grams of cocaine to middle-class men who “frequently paid high prices for cocaine and tipped” and would often offer extra money for sexual favors (Johnson et al., 1990, p. 24).
Kitty’s experience highlights a number of social problems among the Latino lower class youth in the city. First, she is held in her lower-class position because of her relationship with the middle and upper-class clients. Whereas many middle and upper-class individuals enjoy the benefits of drug culture, they will hardly ever risk their own reputations or the possibility of substantial prison penalties (Johnson et al., 1990). The consequence is the perpetuation of economic hegemony and an unhealthy dependency on the middle and upper-class for income generation.
A second issue raised in Kitty’s story is that of gender roles and sexuality. Not only was she responsible to deliver the drugs to people, but she was also encouraged or expected to fulfill any sexual favors that they asked for (Johnson et al., 1990). Having already been reduced to a distributor of illegal substances and risking legal punishment on behalf of her clients, her sexual involvement with them reinforces the ‘macho/slut’ dichotomy discussed previously. She is now fulfilling the role of not only an impoverished and lower-class individual, but also a sexualized object who is available to be paid for sexual favors.
The connection between drugs and sex goes beyond dealers and their clients. It also exists between drug users. In their article on Puerto Rican drug users in East Harlem, Oliver-Velez et al. (2003) suggest that the Puerto Rican drug using community in East Harlem is at the highest risk for HIV/AIDS amongst Hispanic groups in the United States. This is not primarily due to injection related risk, but to sexual risk. As they explain, some of this is due to the mental state of users while on the drugs. Many forget to use preventative methods when having sex and others don’t care as long as the other individual seems clean (Oliver-Velez et al., 2003, p. 22). Also, because of the high price of drugs, many women use prostitution as a means of fast income to feed their addiction to the drugs. Another reason for having unprotected sex with other users is the high rates of birth control users. Among Puerto Rican women who use birth control, nearly 45 percent chose tubal litigation and therefore feel that condom use is unnecessary because there is no risk of getting pregnant (Oliver-Velez et al., 2003, p. 20-21). Finally they explain, “The desperate needs of severely addicted users to acquire drugs may negate the impact of and compliance with general public health messages, and affects decisions about whether or not to spend their last dollar on drugs or condoms” (Oliver-Velez et al., 2003, p. 21).
The effects that the drug trade and use is having on the Puerto Rican community may never be understood totally. It brings up questions of motivations, values, and identity in ways that other issues cannot shed light on. The problem of drugs and drug culture can be explained on a surface level, but can only be addressed in light of deeper issues of the human heart and the perpetuation of spiritual poverty.
This section has presented background for three specific challenges faced by the youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City. These youth are challenged by the formation of their racial identity in the midst of a diverse city. They are also challenged by their sexuality and learning how to function as a member of the Puerto Rican community in the role that has been prescribed for them. The third and final challenge discussed was that of drugs and drug culture and its effects on youth in an urban context.
II. Biblical Perspective on Urban Life
“Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.”
2 Corinthians 5:17
This section applies truths from the Bible to the challenges presented in section one. The Doctrine of sin and salvation is discussed first, as they are the primary cause and ultimate solution of the challenges presented. The second biblical discussion is of sex as a metaphor for intimacy with Christ as well as inter-gender relationships. The third and final discussion in this section is specifically in regard to the spiritual aspect of the challenges facing the youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City and the authority that the people have in the name of Jesus to claim His power in the community.
Sin and salvation.
Central to the issues addressed in this paper is the doctrine of sin and the need for salvation. Since the fall of man, humans have been sinful and spiritually impoverished, needing a savior to merit any inheritance in the Kingdom of God.
II. a. i The problem of sin and spiritual poverty. In the beginning God created everything that we know here on earth (Gen. 1:1). He created everything material and all of the physical beings on this earth (Gen. 1:20, 24). He also created humans to be in relationship with one another. This was demonstrated in the relationship between Adam and Eve. But against His plan, and against His instruction, they chose to break their relationship with God and to attempt to be like Him, knowing goodness and evil by eating from the fruit of the tree (Gen. 3:1-13). This is when sin entered the world. Grudem (1994) defines sin as “any failure to conform to the moral law of God in act, attitude, or nature” (p. 490). This failure was initiated by Adam and Eve but is daily repeated by every human today and throughout history.
Throughout scripture, God has continually put moral restraints on His people for their own protection and in order that they may honor His holiness and be like Him (Lev. 11:44-45). Such restraints are exemplified in passages like the Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20, or in Leviticus, that outline the appropriate behaviors for the nation of Israel. But relationship after relationship is broken with God throughout the scriptures. The situation worsens between God and Israel and God uses the book of Hosea as a metaphor for His love for the nation of Israel and compares her to a prostitute who sells herself even though she is loved and accepted by a wonderful husband.
In an article on poverty, J. Christian describes poverty as a problem of relationships. He explains that before development practitioners can understand transformational development, they must first understand the relational roots of poverty (Christian, 1999). In a spiritual sense, human beings experience great spiritual poverty because of the relational divide between the individual and God. There are a few key paradigmatic parameters that he outlines which are helpful for beginning to understand the perpetuation of poverty in the world, even spiritual poverty.
The first cause of poverty that Christian describes is the result of broken relationships and an estrangement from community (Christian, 1999). One of the consequences of the fall was a certain existential loneliness that cannot be fulfilled outside of Christ (Gen. 3). As human beings attempt to make connections with one another, the relationships continue to crumble and enmity between individuals and groups grows. The second cause of poverty described by Christian is hopelessness and a distorted history (Christian, 1999). As human beings, people are left with emptiness and hopelessness because the history of the human race has been distorted by sin. The first chapters of Genesis make it clear that God’s plan was to live in harmony with man and that He desired to maintain an intimate relationship with them. The third cause, and one that is foundational to human identity, is that of marred identity (Christian, 1999). Human beings were created in the image of God (Gen. 1:27) and thus have certain traits of His that are shared with Him and reflect Him. When individuals do not understand that they are a reflection of God, they live with a deprived and marred view of themselves.
Another cause of poverty that Christian describes is the inadequacy in the worldview of people. Before having Christ, an individual has the mind of the world and is in bondage to the flesh (Rom. 7:5). He or she is enslaved to the powers of sin. This power over the mind is like a veil that covers the face of a person so he or she is unable to see correctly the Kingdom of God and all of its glory. Paul describes this in 2 Corinthians 3:14-16,
“But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Christ. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.”
Without a view of the Kingdom of God, spiritual poverty is inevitable because sin steals from the wealth of a relationship with God.
The final cause of spiritual poverty is the result of the powers and principalities that have strongholds over the minds and hearts of the unsaved (Christian, 1999). Ephesians 6:12 says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.” It is important to understand the implications not only of the previous work of sin in the lives of unbelievers, but also to consider the current work of the enemy who would seek to prevent people from right thinking about God (Christian, 1999).
At the foundation of the problems outlined previously with the youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City is a problem with sin and spiritual poverty. Issues of identity are currently resting in the perceptions of their urban neighbors and in their interactions with the city. Their understanding and freedom with sexual activity and promiscuity is grounded not only in a sinful heart that longs for pleasure, but also flows from a marred identity and misunderstanding of creation in God’s image. Finally, the problem of drugs and their many influences on the Puerto Rican community are a demonstration of hopelessness and an unsatisfactory history.
II. a. ii. God’s solution. When sin entered the world and corrupted the plan of God in the garden, He did not abandon His creation to hopelessness and spiritual poverty. At the center of the biblical view of problems such as those faced by the Puerto Rican youth in New York City, is the gospel message. Summarized beautifully by John, the good news of Jesus can be described by this one phrase, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16). God’s plan for the world rested on His character. All people have sinned and they cannot live up to the standards that God has set for humanity (Rom. 3:23). Unfortunately, the penalty for sin is death (Rom. 6:23) and it cannot be simply excused or forgotten. Finally, God, because of his unchanging loving character, sent His Son, Jesus, to pay the penalty of death for the sins of humanity (Rom. 5:8).
II. a. iii. Acceptance and regeneration. An understanding of the work of Jesus Christ on behalf of humanity is not enough for salvation. Grudem (1994) talks about a distinction between understanding and even acknowledging the truth of the gospel but not acting upon it in any meaningful way. In order to address the issues of sin and spiritual poverty in the life of an individual, he or she must accept the gift of salvation and trust Christ for the forgiveness of sins. Matthew 11:28-30 describes this process,
“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
These promises are truth spoken by Jesus. “Come” is an invitation to be a part of His Kingdom and it is an invitation to a relationship renewed that demands a personal response, not a passive acknowledgement of its truth.
In coming to Christ, the individual is promised eternal forgiveness and eternal life (Acts 3:19). The relationship with God is then restored and the believer is able to share in the spiritual wealth that is found in Christ. This new inheritance is described in Ephesians chapter one:
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace which He lavished upon us. . .In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to His purpose who works all things after the counsel for his will , to the end that we who were first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory. (7-8, 11-12)
The doctrine of regeneration is a very profound aspect of the work of Christ in individuals and it has great consequences for communities. Grudem (1994) defines regeneration as, “a secret act of God in which he imparts new spiritual life to us” (p. 699). This work of God is most commonly referred to in the evangelical church to day as being ‘born again.’ It is described in scripture as being a joint work that all three members of the Trinity take part in. Jesus says, in John 3:8 that individuals must be ”born of the Spirit” in order to enter into the Kingdom of God. Ephesians 2:5 and Colossians 2:13 suggest that believers are being made alive with Christ and 1 Peter 1:3 says that because of God’s abundant mercy we have been given new birth, thus all three members of the Trinity are involved in the process of regeneration.
The most important aspect of regeneration is the outward effect of it. In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul explains to the church in Corinth the process of salvation and regeneration:
And He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer. Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things have passed away; behold the new things have come. (15-17).
This being the call for Christians, impacting the Puerto Rican community for Christ must start with the foundational message of the gospel, trusting that the ministry of reconciliation between God and man will serve as a beginning for the reconciliation of human relationships.
Sex as metaphor
II. b. i. Gender relations in the Bible. Since Adam and Eve, men and women have struggled with how to appropriately relate to one another. Woman was created from man, and the text says that for this reason, “A man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife; and they shall be one flesh” (Gen. 2:24). This is the picture that God gives humans of what the interactions between males and females is supposed to look like. They are to be joined together in unity and to become one together apart from their families. After the fall, this relationship was ruined. The results of sin was confusion between male and female. There was confusion between Abraham and Sarah, between Isaac and Rebekah, and between Jacob and his wives. None could model marriage as God had intended it, with perfect unity.
In the New Testament, Paul gives the Ephesians a new metaphor for gender relations. In Ephesians 5: 25-28 he says, “Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her so that He might sanctify her by the washing of water with the word.”
Here Paul looks forward to the perfection of the church and advises husbands to love their wives in the sacrificial way that Christ loved the church. He calls men to contribute to the pure living that wives are called to in submission to their husbands. Just before exhorting the husbands, Paul addresses the wives saying, “Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church” (Eph. 5:22-24). In the same way, understanding that submission to Christ is necessary, women are to understand that submission to their husbands is necessary. If men and women are expected to submit to one another arbitrarily, problems are created and conflicts arise. But with God’s perfect metaphor of Christ and the church, the redeemed are given new motivation for honoring and respecting one another as Christ and the church do.
II. b. ii. Intimacy with Christ. In every human is a void that can only be filled by a relationship with Christ. In his book entitled Rumors of Another World, Philip Yancey (2003) explains that sex is about relationship, not just a biological act. He says, “When a society loses faith in its gods, or God, lesser powers arise to take their place” (p. 78). This is true with the culture in which the youth of the Puerto Rican community are living. The lesser obsession of sex and sexual exploration has taken over their hearts and has forced them to bow in worship. Yancy (2003) quotes G.K. Chesterton as saying, “Every man who knocks on the door of a brothel is looking for God” (p. 78).
When the longing for relationship creeps into the hearts of men and is not fulfilled by God, it will be stuffed with sin. Romans 1 describes this process saying, “And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil” (vv. 28-29). However, Yancey explains that just as all of creation points to the glory of God, so sex and human intimacy point to another world that we are created for. Although sexual immorality is spoken so adamantly against in the Bible, sex itself is not condemned and is even encouraged when it is in the appropriate relationship. Intimacy through sexuality in marriage is a picture of intimacy with Christ. It is a form of worship and should not be abused as a thing to be worship but as an act of worship. In Revelation, the church is often referred to as the bride of Christ and He is named the groom. The Father will ultimately present the bride to Christ and the intimacy that they experience will be a complex marriage relationship that the marriage seen on earth is simply pointing to.
When addressing the sexual immorality of the Puerto Rican community, it is important to understand that within their hearts is a desire for something deeper: intimacy. Intimacy with people is wonderful, but if it is not coupled with intimacy with Jesus, there will be nothing fulfilling about it.
The Bible and the Puerto Rican community in the city
II. c. i. Urban theology and ministry. In the Bible, Jerusalem is the city that is named the most often and that plays a metaphorical role, representing the accomplishments of the nation of Israel. VanEngen (1994) suggests that Jesus had a missional heart for the city as it is expressed in His weeping over Jerusalem. He desired its salvation and He desired the salvation of each individual and He died for them. Understanding Jesus heart and sacrifice for individuals as well as for the redemption of groups of people, such as cities, allows ministers to develop a theology of mission to reach people in the city.
Many theologians during history have seen the city as an enemy of God because of the amount of sin that is accessible and rampant when concentrated groups of people exist. However, understanding Jesus’ heart for Jerusalem and His redemption of it in Revelation, it cannot be argued that God hates cities. VanEngen (1994) argues that ministers must use a three-fold model to understand how to reach the city. The first is to understand the biblical text and allow it to provide insights on all aspects of the ministry; second is to incorporate the existing “faith community” or church into a strategy for engagement; and third is to understand that the context of a city is not an unhealthy context for individuals to be in, but that God can and will work in their context (p. 249).
Understanding and working within their context means developing a strategy of ministry that addresses their felt needs. Ellison (1997) addresses this issue in his article entitled “Addressing Felt Needs of Urban Dwellers.” He states that evangelism must be multifaceted by not only proclaiming the gospel with words but also demonstrating it in deeds. He says, “Evangelization is essentially a communication process. It involves senders and receivers. In order for receivers to respond, they must hear and understand the message. Faith is the product of hearing God speak” (Ellison, 1997, p. 94). Ellison argues that Christ Himself came and proclaimed the gospel by addressing the felt needs of those to whom He was ministering. He was incarnate amongst the people of His day. In the same way, Ephesians 2:8-10 explains that along with salvation by grace comes good works, “which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Living among the people of the city and meeting their physical and relational needs is just as important as simply giving them the word of the gospel. Reaching those who live in the city is not an impossible task, as has been suggested by theologians in the past, but it is a task that God would desire to be done as well as one that can be done through active participation in the lives of those living in urban settings.
II. c. ii. Claiming Jesus’ power in the Puerto Rican community. One of the main reasons that the gospel is prevented from going out is because of the warfare that goes on in the spiritual realm. Ephesians says, “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (6:12). Assuming that the problem is a lack of resources or simply the depravity of the community is erroneous because scripture tells us that there is a whole other dimension that is at work in this struggle for peace and salvation in the Puerto Rican community in New York City.
Victor Lorenzo (1994), whose primary ministry has been in the cities of Argentina, writes about his experience with the need for the church to engage in the spiritual battle of winning the city. He says the following on the subject:
God has given authority to His Church and its leaders to take neighborhoods, cities, nations as well as continents for Jesus Christ. The effectiveness of the Church in winning unbelievers to Christ and in improving society will depend greatly on its readiness to undertake this battle. Spiritual unity among the churches and dedication to intercessory prayer are important prerequisites for victory. (p. 172)
Lorenzo leans on the truth that through Jesus, we can have victory over darkness. The church must play an active part in the spiritual battle in the city and thus must continue to engage in prayer and intercession. Beckett (1993) speaks of his own experience practicing community deliverance and he shares his experience saying:
Again, after prayer and searching the Word of God for answers I found a hint. ‘Call to me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden which you do not know—do not distinguish and recognize have knowledge of and understand’ (Jer 33:3, AMP). This verse indicated that the hidden and unseen things, which I could not understand, could be important to the Lord. (p. 157)
The Lord desires that Christians seek His face and ask to see the things that are otherwise hidden in the spiritual realm. He will reveal His will and the things that need to be battled against as the Church seeks Him and calls out for wisdom and insight into these things. Romans 8 tells believers, “But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing will be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom 8: 37-39).
III. Strategy for Ministry to Puerto Rican Youth
“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.”
2 Corinthians 5:20
This paper proposes a strategic plan for ministry to Puerto Rican youth in New York City. Having considered the challenges facing these adolescents, how can the body of Christ have an active role in raising up the next generation of Puerto Ricans in New York City into those who seek God amidst the challenges of urban life and during the move from childhood to adulthood? The first section addresses the need for relational evangelism rather than other evangelistic strategies. The second recommendation for ministry is to actively engage in the spiritual battle in the city and claim Christ’s power over the community of people and over the place where they live, work, and come together. The third recommendation is for an active equipping and training of the youth to reach their peers through evangelism and discipleship.
Relational Evangelism.
III. a. i. The urban soul’s need for relationships. As seen, God has created human beings for relationships, both with Him and with those around them. In the urban context one of the greatest longings in the human heart is for relationships. Living in a context like New York City is a phenomenon that isolates and exposes simultaneously. The density of the city creates constant contact with human beings physically, but because of the amount of shared and public space there is very little relational interaction between residents.
When considering a strategy for evangelism among Puerto Rican youth in New York City, relational evangelism is the most effective form of ministry. Some churches attempt to reach the youth through media, however this is problematic because they are bombarded with so many other media influences that have proven to be detrimental to their development and education; adding to this input will not be the most effective form of outreach. Others attempt to practice proclamation evangelism in which they would proclaim the gospel to a large group of people. While this is often an effective strategy for leading people to salvation, it does not assist in being a part of the regeneration and growth process in the lives of the youth.
Tony Carnes (2001) explains, in his book New York Glory, that the urban soul has an existential need for identification with a group of other people who share similar traits. According to Carnes, this group of people may be ethno-racial, political, social, or religious. He says, “In New York City, power, fame, money, and sex are, in this sense, also time-tested popular religions” (Carnes, 2001, p. 5). Because of this desire to connect with a group of people or with a belief system, there has been an increase in the number of New York City residents that are involved in religious activities and groups is growing at record pace (Carnes, 2001). The voice of Christianity needs to meet these needs in people’s hearts. People are searching for community and thus relational evangelism is the way that the church should respond. This type of evangelism requires long-term discipleship.
III. a. ii. Long-Term Discipleship. The Psalms talk over and over again about waiting on the Lord for peace and healing from iniquities. Also, waiting on Him for wisdom and to seek His will. This waiting requires a long-term endurance and seeking of God’s face for the results of the fruit that He will bring about in the lives of believers. The youth of the Puerto Rican community needs to be engaged in long-term discipleship along side of evangelism. The church needs to engage in the endurance of fulfilling what Jesus commanded in Matthew, saying, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:18-20). This commandment comes with the burden not only to evangelize the world, but also to walk with them and continue to teach them the truths that Jesus spoke. The youth of the Puerto Rican community need to be in long-term relationship with more mature believers to learn and grow along side them.
In his work on evangelism and discipleship, Downs (1999) explains that often those in the Christian community are anxious to do the work of evangelism and be a part of the “harvest” but are unwilling to participate in the longer process of background work that produces the harvest. He suggests that the body of Christ needs to begin to sow into culture that which it desires to reap. The work of God is not limited to the places where God is visibly working or where things are being accomplished for the work of the Kingdom, but that it is also in the places that seem the quietest or the most dedicated to darkness. Downs asserts that the Christian community must look also to the future of the Kingdom and not become obsessed with the results of God’s work. This produces followers of Christ who move from place to place in order to be a part of the newest revival or the largest harvest. He says, “We should live in the constant hope of Christ’s imminent return, but plan and work as though He won’t return for a long, long time. We must begin the long, long process of sowing to our culture” (p. 180). In order to reach the youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City, the Puerto Rican body of Christ needs to become dedicated to taking the long walk of discipleship and evangelism that it will take to reach those who do not know Christ.
The Puerto Rican body of Christ claiming Christ’s power
III. b. i. Involvement from the established Puerto Rican body of Christ. It is imperative that the local Puerto Rican church get involved in the lives of the youth in the city. Currently, the majority of Puerto Rican believers are associated with Catholicism (Carnes, 2001). But as interest in religion grows in the city, the Protestant Christian church is also growing among Puerto Ricans. These are the believers who must begin to reach out to the youth of their community.
The first way that Puerto Rican believers can begin to reach the youth of their community is through prayer. As discussed previously, the importance of spiritual warfare in winning communities for Christ is a large aspect of the strategy that needs to be implemented to win the youth over to Christ. Without facing the spiritual powers and authorities that are coming up against the youth, spiritual strongholds may prevent their hearts from responding with tender desire for transformation. Hardness of heart is an epidemic that can only be cured through careful and fervent intercession for the Holy Spirit to do a great work and to take the footing that the enemy has made in their hearts.
A second way for the Puerto Rican church in New York City to engage the youth is to begin to attempt understanding of the youth and to reach out to them in their context. The problems of urbanization, sexualization, and drugs are not problems that youth can come out of themselves before they have an encounter with the body of Christ. If the church is expecting whole people to walk through their doors, they are going to be sorely disappointed. In order to win some for Christ, a heart rescue may be the best strategy. In the same way that fire fighters would enter a burning house to save the few that are trapped inside, no one else is equipped to enter places of darkness and call forth those who are trapped in its embrace. The Puerto Rican church must humble their hearts and walk into the dirty and dark places of the city where their members are awaiting hope and the glory of a life with Christ.
III. b. ii. Engaging in community prayer walking. An active way of engaging in the spiritual battle that wages over the youth of the Puerto Rican community is through prayer walking and intercession in these places of darkness where the youth dwell and engage in sin. According to Hawthorne and Kendrick (1993), prayer walking is “praying on-site with insight” (p. 12). They explain that prayer walking is not a new practice but has become a way to engage in citywide intercession and to actively engage in listening to the Holy Spirit while praying over a community. It helps people to focus on their context and to pray with specificity regarding the challenges that face their community.
Hawthorne and Kendrick (1993) also explain that prayer walking helps to produce unity among individuals in a group who engaging in intercession together. They suggest that in a prayer meeting setting, such as those that occur in the church building, encourages distance between clergy or church leadership and the lay people. They say, “When walking a street together, prayerwalkers are surrounded by prayer needs, and it becomes easier to share the same concerns and the same level of intensity” (p. 37). Engaging in the unifying practice of prayer walking throughout the streets of New York City is an active way for the Puerto Rican body of Christ to fight the spiritual battle in which the youth are caught. Claiming Christ’s power over the places where the youth dwell and where they congregate will help to break the powers of the enemy that would seek to entangle the youth.
There are three important aspects of prayer walking that center the heart of the believer on the realities of the Kingdom and allow the community to proceed into enemy lines with joy and anticipation. The first aspect is worship. Hawthorne and Kendrick (1993) explain that worship is preparing the way for warfare. In the Bible, this is also demonstrated in 2 Chronicles 20:1-29 as the Israelites go into battle, not with swords and spears, but with worship of God. As they worship before the battlefield, God sends their enemies to destroy each other, leaving Israel only to collect the spoils. Worship is not a practice to engage in to prepare for battle, but in itself is an act of warfare.
The second aspect of prayer walking described by Hawethorne and Kendrick (1993) is direct warfare. They say that prayer walks are aimed at exposing the enemies schemes and actively engaging in intercession against them. It is the act of digging deep into the spiritual climate of the physical space and actively battling against the powers that have claim on it. The third and final aspect of prayer walking is welcoming the power, blessings, peace, and joy of the Kingdom of God. It is praying for awakening and welcoming a new move of the Holy Spirit that will produce changes in the community.
Youth to youth evangelism and discipleship
The church is to be a reproducible entity. Christ gave us the mandate to spread the gospel amongst all nations and so each believer is exhorted to take part in the experience of evangelism as both a receiver and a giver. The same is true with the youth of the Puerto Rican community. An important part of reaching the youth for Christ is also by empowering those youth who are already believers or who become believers. Empowering the youth both for evangelism and for peer discipleship and encouragement is an important part of the strategy for ministry to Puerto Rican youth of New York City.
III. c. i. Listening rather than speaking. The youth of the Puerto Rican community, as they are coming to be active members of the Christian community, must begin to be trusted to make decisions and initiate evangelism among their peers. The leaders of the church need to learn to acknowledge and empower the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the youth. This empowerment comes through the patient listening to the dreams of the youth and beginning to help them strategize ways of implementing their creative ideas. A demonstration and internalization of true humility is needed from both the church leadership and the youth in the Puerto Rican community in New York City.
III. c. ii. Educating and equipping. As the leaders of the Puerto Rican body of Christ in New York City listen to the youth of the community, they must begin to empower them to take initiative towards reaching their peers. This empowerment comes not only through listening, but also to being prepared to educate and equip them to carry out their own ministry strategies. This will be enacted in different ways for each situation. Some situations may require financial support from the church for events or literature to distribute. In other situations it may be the support of prayer and encouragement. In still other situations, the leadership may need to have teaching sessions regarding topics like evangelism, Biblical interpretation, or godly dating and marriage. Although much variety and creativity will be seen in situations, educating and equipping the youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City will empower them to do the work of Christ among their peers.
This section has presented a strategic plan for ministry to the youth of the Puerto Rican community that addresses the specific challenges they are facing. The first aspect is relational evangelism and long term discipleship. The second part of the ministry plan is engaging in the spiritual battle that wages against the youth of the Puerto Rican community through prayer and intercession, specifically through prayer walks through the community. The final part of the plan is to encourage the church to begin to empower and use the ideas and initiative of the youth to reach their peers.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this paper has discussed the problems facing the youth of the Puerto Rican community in New York City. The first problem discussed is the challenge of being a member of an urban center. The second challenged faced by the youth is that of the temptation and often exploration of their sexuality. The third challenged faced is the challenge of drug and drug culture.
The second section of this paper has presented what the Bible says regarding these challenges. The first challenge addressed biblical is the issue of sin and salvation. Without a thorough discussion and definition of these two doctrines, there is no ground from which to move. The second challenged discussed was that of sexuality and the biblical roles of gender as they relate to a metaphor for the church. The third aspect of this discussion is the need to develop a theology of the city and a theology of how to minister to a city using prayer and contextualization.
The final section found in this paper is the importance of evangelism and the need for the Puerto Rican church to engage its youth in active discipleship. Seeking to address a few of the specific challenges presented to Puerto Rican youth living in the city, this paper explored the possibilities of presenting the gospel as a relevant choice that will empower individuals and the community to live together in peace. This paper presented one possible strategy to answer the question of how the body of Christ can have an active role in raising up the next generation of Puerto Ricans in New York City into those who seek God amidst the challenges of urban life and during the move from childhood to adulthood? This paper proposed a strategic plan for winning Puerto Rican youth for Christ, engaging them in community discipleship.
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