Rev. Gabriel Salguero is the president of the National Latino Evangelical Coalition and co-lead pastor of the Lamb's Church in New York with his wife, Rev. Jeanette Salguero. He is also a Sojourners board member.
Posts By This Author
An Easter Sermon: Immigration’s Winter and Spring
SB1070 protest in 2010 in Phoenix. Photo licensed by SEIU / © 2010 Shell Photographics / Flickr.com
“That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain the resurrection of the dead.” Philippians 3:10-11
Harsh winters make us more deeply appreciative of spring. Last week, after a particularly intense winter, it finally reached 60 degrees in New York. I, for one, celebrated heartily. Spring is a reminder that winter is not interminable and flowers will bloom again. Almost exactly one year ago, the Senate released a bipartisan bill on immigration reform. Many Christian leaders celebrated the possibility that finally the nearly 11 million men, women, and children would be afforded the opportunity to integrate into this great country. In addition, in January the GOP released a set of principles that set the tone for the genuine possibility for immigration reform. There was a growing consensus that this is the year for immigration reform. Then the news started to change and many prognosticators said, “Immigration reform is dead.”
It is into this public eulogy of immigration reform that the Christian message of Lent and Easter can breathe new life.
Discipleship and Strangers: A Cup of Cold Water
Cup of cold water, Gunnar Pippel / Shutterstock.com
During this time of Lent I’ve been meditating anew what it means to be a follower of Jesus. Interestingly, the only Gospel to contain the word ekklesia — church — is the Gospel of Matthew. Also in Matthew is an interesting take on the call of the disciples. Matthew 10 begins with the premise that as disciples we are all are potentially homeless in a world that has radically different values. Immediately after Jesus calls the 12 disciples, he warns them that they will be misunderstood, mistreated, and often on the road. Then Jesus gives a particular imperative for discipleship. I call it the “cup of cold water” discipleship test. Part of the discipleship marker is hospitality. A cup of cold water is a reprieve, a welcome, a new start.
A cup of cold water is the minimal requirement for what the Scripture calls hospitality or in the original language, xenophilia — love of the stranger. Jesus says that whoever gives a cup of cold water to these nomadic disciples will not fail to receive their reward. Hospitality is a Christian virtue. The writer of the book of Hebrews reminds us, “Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers for some have entertained angels unaware.”
Walking Prophetically: Marching as a Form of Worship
This Sunday like tens of thousands of Americans I'll be in Washington D.C. in the March for America rally on behalf of undocumented immigrants.
Standing at the Crossroads
The urgent call for humane and comprehensive change.
Diplomacy: Revisiting the Huntington Thesis
Happy Birthday, Billy Graham
Latino Evangelicals and the Mosaic Shift
The Election, Immigration, and the Gospel
Hispanic Heritage Month, Immigration, and the Presidency
This week is significant in the lives of the more than 40 million Hispanics in the United States in that it marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The New Monastics and Mosaic Leadership: Otra Voz
[Click here to see all posts in this conversation on New Monastics and race.]
I've been following the recent online conversation about racial reconciliation and the New Monastics rather closely. Why? Because it is a conversation whose time has come. I honestly believe that [...]
The Church and Lost Innocence
Child prostitution and human trafficking are a global problem. The Caribbean is no exception. Just last week my wife, Jeanette, and I were asked to speak at Cigua Palmera's fundraiser for their Inocencia project (www.ciguapalmera.org). Inocencia, is the Spanish word for innocence. The Cigua Palmera Foundation, whose mission is " to improve the quality of life in the Dominican Republic and Haiti," is working on a project to create [...]
Beyond Politics: Election 2008 in High-Def Part III
What about the mosaic revival is comforting? As a Latino evangelical leader, one of the things I am asking is moving beyond polarization. In this mosaic revival, we know that though politics is not the whole solution, it will be a vital part. We need the nexus of clergy, good government, activists, entrepreneurs, moms and dads, educators, etc. As a Christian who is part of the mosaic revival, I cling to one thing: my commitment is to Christ and the gospel first, not to any political [...]
A Mosaic Revival: High-Definition Election 2008 Part II
This is part two of my reflections concerning Election 2008 and Generation X, Y, and next. As I said before, this is an exciting time in the national landscape. A revival is taking place that incorporates thousands of younger evangelicals with pioneers in the faith. This is a broad coalition of Moseses and Joshuas and Deborahs, to use biblical language. In my last posting here concerning the [...]
Election 2008 in High-Definition: Beyond Black and White
Without question the 2008 election is a historic time. Much has been said about the momentous nature of this presidential election. A woman, an African American, and a Latino were all trying to make history, albeit on one side of the political aisle. This moment in U.S. history should not be understated. As a Latino evangelical leader, I've been watching this election closely. It's an excellent time to talk [...]
A New Year's Prayer for Christian Peacemakers
Last year, my wife Jeanette and I returned to Honduras with a group from our congregation. What alarmed me was that a decade ago the MS (La Mara Salvatrucha) had a considerable presence in many of the poorest neighborhoods. Now they have a stronghold. One of my pastor friends told me, "Gabriel, people are afraid to come to church. The MS killed a woman in front of the church just the other day." The MS is going global. Recently Law & Order had an episode that featured the MS [...]
Debating with Dignity
It happened again. A presidential candidate's debate in two languages. Just as the Democratic presidential candidates had done before, the Republicans have followed suit - a presidential candidates debate on Spanish-language channel, Univision. (Tom Tancredo was the only candidate who did not attend the debate). I blogged on the earlier Democratic debate and thought it only equitable to do [...]