Retratos || LIBERATING THEOLOGY: "What shall we do with Apollos?"

THE TROUBLE WITH APOLLOS

The Book of Acts shares an intriguing story about an eloquent, intellectual Jew hailing from Alexandria, in Egypt, which was one of the greatest centers of culture and learning in that day.  Whether seeking more learning or for another reason, this scholar Apollos, had traveled across the Mediterranean Sea to the booming city of Ephesus, considered to be the greatest metropolis of the Roman province of Asia.  And somewhere between his time in Alexandria and Ephesus, the Lord had taken hold of Apollos’ heart, and had turned his knowledge of Scripture and powerful skills in rhetoric into a passion for sharing his newfound faith in Jesus.  Yet there was only one problem: Apollos’ knowledge of “The Way” was incomplete, and thus the teaching he was sharing, though coming from a convicted and converted heart, was inaccurate. And when the leaders of the church in Ephesus heard him speaking, they recognized his error: Apollos was teaching about Jesus, but not about His baptism. What would they do? Should he be rebuked? Perhaps removed from leadership in the church? (See Acts 18:24-28.)

The quandary of what to do with Apollos may strike a chord in the hearts of church leaders and pastors today, perhaps particularly in church traditions that place a high value on theology, yet serve populations and contexts that have a great variety of backgrounds. It is certainly a question that Reformed pastors serving within the Hispanic-American context must face when considering people for leadership roles, or even welcoming new attendees and converts into church membership. And sometimes, the challenge is explaining to majority-culture churches, predominantly populated by like-minded, theologically knowledgeable individuals, the reasons for welcoming individuals who may not have all their theological i’s dotted and t’s crossed into membership and (sometimes) leadership. 

LOVING APOLLOS, MAINTAINING THEOLOGY

Of course, guarding, teaching, and semper reformando a strong theology is necessary if the church is to maintain her focus and grounding in the midst of a lost world. The question is: how do we serve and welcome believers from a diversity of theological backgrounds into the church, prayerfully walking with them and helping them grow in the knowledge of the Lord, while not allowing the finer points of theology to become a stumbling block for church participation?

Consider Apollos: Like the Apostle Paul, Apollos was a highly educated Jew, well-taught in the Scriptures, and well able to communicate.  Like the Apostle Paul, Apollos’ trajectory in life changed when he met Jesus, and he began to pour his God-given gifts and talents into sharing his new-found love and purpose for life.  He was confident and eager, speaking boldly in the synagogues to share with fellow Jews the truth of the resurrected Messiah. When Priscilla and Aquilla heard him, they heard the error of Apollos’ theology - and to our ears, it does indeed appear rather serious.  Apollos was not teaching baptism into the Lord Jesus, only the baptism of repentance of John the Baptist. In fact, he had never even heard of baptism in the name of Jesus!  Priscilla and Aquilla recognized the seriousness of this theological error, and the ways that it could potentially misguide and mislead Apollos’ listeners. Yet they also recognized Apollos’ heart: a heart that unmistakably had been transformed by the grace and truth of Jesus. And so, rather than censuring Apollos at the risk of quenching his flame, Priscilla and Aquilla wisely and gently came alongside him, befriending him and helping him to understand “the way of God more accurately” (Acts 18:26). 

Through their wisdom and gentle dealing with Apollos, Priscilla and Aquilla were able to help strengthen this new believer’s gifts and talents, and send him back out more powerfully equipped as a servant of the Lord. Rather than dealing harshly, rather than reacting out of fear, Priscilla and Aquilla recognized a heart of service for the Lord, and encouraged Apollos to grow even more in his faith.  And the result was that, rather than feeling censured and discouraged, this couple gave Apollos the training and equipping that allowed him to go on to become one of the great evangelists serving in the early church alongside Paul, Barnabas, and others. 

THE REALITY OF DIVERSE THEOLOGY IN THE HISPANIC-AMERICAN CONTEXT

It seems the mindset of Priscilla and Aquilla is one we would do well to consider as we serve the diversity of the Hispanic-American community, coming from all sorts of theological backgrounds. The critiques may sound something like this: 

“Pastor Enrique, we are concerned because when we visited your church today, you prayed for a new baby and introduced it to the congregation, but did not baptize him!” “Pastor Felipe, my understanding from speaking with your church members is that they do not understand the word ‘reformed,’ and yet they are members of a PCA church?!” “Pastor Carlos, there is a woman in your congregation who was trying to pray in tongues - you need to correct her theology!” 

Yet the reality in this context is far more complex. If we are indeed seeking to reach the diversity of the Hispanic-American community, we must recognize that we are reaching a community of people with backgrounds and experiences of religion and Christianity that are anything but monolithic. Indeed, assuming that el sabor of Hispanic-American (and Latin-American at-large) religious experience is primarily Roman Catholic or even liberationist theology, is somewhat equivalent to assuming that Latin-American cuisine is basically tacos (and perhaps hard-shell, ground-beef “Old El Paso” tacos at that!). Rather, we must first recognize the diversity of experiences that have formed and shaped beliefs, so that we need not be alarmed, but can engage our communities well. 

While it is true that los conquistadores brought a lasting Roman Catholic influence to much of Latin America, in some areas, syncretism with indigenous beliefs gave religion a dark and spiritualistic flavor.  In many areas, Liberation Theology, introduced by Gustavo Gutierrez at the Second General Conference of Bishops in Medellin, Colombia in 1960, became the driving force.  At the same time, Pentecostalism has had wide acceptance through the influence of 20th century missionaries, while the efforts of smaller mission boards have also led to a growth of non-denominational churches, each with their own distinctives from the region.  Some areas boast small pockets of conservative Reformed churches and presbyteries, while Mennonite communities thrive in some of the more rural areas of places like Honduras and Bolivia.  In all of this, the point is that there is no one singular definition or understanding of “Latin American Christianity.”  So when Hispanics come to the United States and search for a Spanish-speaking church or congregation to care for them, they not only bring diverse religious palates, but a vast array of Christian or pseudo-Christian backgrounds and convictions. 

A LIBERATING THEOLOGY TO LOVE “APOLLOS”

How then should all of this knowledge influence our approach to ministry within the Hispanic-American context?  If our prayer and desire is indeed to reach the needs of the Hispanic-American community with the truth of the Gospel, we must be winsome in our approach, indeed focusing first on the preaching and teaching of Christ alone, given by grace alone, received through faith alone, as found in Scripture alone, and for the glory of God alone!  Rather than fearing liberation theology, Pentecostalism, or Roman Catholic traditions may creep into and besmirch our churches, perhaps the story of Apollos (and the Gospel message) invites us rather to find a liberating theology: one that recognizes the primacy of confessing that “Jesus Christ is Lord” and believing with one’s heart “that God raised him from the dead,” as Paul says (cf. Romans 10:9), and trusting that theological growth will happen as these individuals are then brought into the true teaching of the Word of God and fellowship with His Body.

Think back once again to Apollos: a highly educated Jewish man from Alexandria who crossed paths with the church in Ephesus at some point after meeting Jesus.  The book of Acts does not give us the details of his conversion, but it does point us to his changed heart, eager to serve the Lord. No doubt Priscilla and Aquila had seen many converts in the early days of the church with stories similar to that of Apollos, both Jew and Gentile: converts who accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, but had much growing to do to leave behind the Jewish or even polytheistic Greco-Roman heritage from which they had come. (Indeed, both Acts and the New Testament epistles provide copious examples to this end.) And wisely, Priscilla and Aquila (like the Apostle Paul and so many others), rather than coming with words of rebuke, came alongside Apollos with corrected teaching and equipping, that allowed him to grow in his faith, and in his preparedness for Gospel ministry. Certainly, they corrected his theology; yet it was not from a place of fear or harshness, but rather from an understanding that growing in the knowledge of Jesus would help liberate Apollos to serve the Lord in an even better capacity. 

IMPLICATIONS OF LIBERATING AND REFORMED THEOLOGY

Indeed, as we serve and support the Hispanic-American church and seek to reach the religious diversity of the context, the story of Apollos serves as an excellent reminder that a love of and commitment to Reformed distinctives and theology should actually help us to embrace and love our context with the love of Christ.  A solid Reformed theology in the Hispanic context should be a theology that liberates us to listen to the stories and hearts of those within our context, and then to preach, teach, and explain the Word of God faithfully, trusting that growth will follow. 

A solid Reformed theology liberates us to demonstrate and articulate the love of Christ first and foremost, and then seek to winsomely and lovingly help others to grow in their faith and love of Jesus as we come alongside them to explain more accurately the doctrines of the faith. It means welcoming those of Pentecostal, Roman-Catholic, and other backgrounds who are coming into the fellowship of our churches, and rather than rebuking their theology, coming alongside of them to encourage them in the Truth of the Word of God, and thus liberate them to be able to go out and share the Good News more accurately.  Yes, it takes wisdom and patience, but most of all, a strong reliance upon the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the power of His Word, and the constant work of the Holy Spirit in our own hearts, and the hearts of those whom we serve.  As we continue to grow in our own faith and theology, may we grow most especially in the grace and love of Jesus that enables us to share His truth in grace and love with our communities, and with the world.

¡A Dios sea la gloria!

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JOIN US IN PRAYER:

• Please pray for the encouragement of our Hispanic pastors and ministry leaders who are facing the daily challenges of caring for church members and contexts with a wide variety of religious and theological backgrounds. Pray for the love of Christ to be preeminent in all things, and for much wisdom and discernment in walking alongside these individuals for their growth.

• Please pray that God would use the work of HLI, the many churches and leaders we support, and the Reformed Church in the Hispanic-American context to come alongside and raise up more leaders to accurately share the Way of Jesus with the needs of the Hispanic-American community.

• Please pray for understanding and grace between majority culture churches and Hispanic churches who have the reality of different contexts, and a need for different applications of the same rich, Reformed theology. Pray for us to continually pray for one another and encourage one another in the work of the Kingdom!

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Anna Portillo is the wife of HLI's Executive Director, José Portillo. Aside from being a wife and mother, Anna is a freelance author and editor in her spare time, with a number of published books and devotionals for adults and children. She also writes regularly for the Retratos blog, and serves in Women's ministries and in leading worship and Vive Charlotte Church.

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