This morning, as I prepared breakfast for fifteen people, I contemplated the toast I was making. Toast is delicious and a delicacy for us jungle folk, but it requires lighting our propane stove and spending 45 minutes grilling it. As I flipped each piece in a skillet, I contemplated a huge advancement for mankind: what if there were some sort of automatic machine that would toast your bread for you?
It was in that moment I realized I’m never taking a toaster, or any other appliance, for granted again. I also realized that in two weeks, I will be back home with all my old comforts, hoping to embrace them differently than I ever have. I have been rudely awakened to the vast differences between America and the Amazon Rainforest of Peru. Despite the differences that I could spend an entire post listing off, there is a glaring similarity between concepts of Christianity in both American churches and the churches of Peru: the way human interpretation of religion interferes with the relationship we may have with our God .
Though the inhabitants and geographical designs of the villages we visit are varied, they each have a common denominator: the Cross Church. Every Cross Church is identical; it is based with the parameters of a square, and layered with what appears to be subsequent, smaller floors on top. The architect could have been a toddler with a sack of blue building blocks, eager to stack each smaller than the previous one. When looking at it from the front, it takes the shape of an almost pyramid, starting off wide and tipped off tiny. It’s a cotton candy blue, wildly out of place in the villages colored by natural green’s and reddish-brown’s. Out of all this, perhaps the most embellished feature is the cross, which stretches about the same length as the building itself. It is adorned with the Spanish acronym for “Save Our Souls,” and is marked with the dates that José Francisco, a traveling prophet of the late 1900’s, established the Cross Church.
As my team and I have gone into these villages, we have been thirsty to learn about what the people believe and why they rely so heavily on the teachings of Francisco. From what we’ve learned, he was a prophet-esque type preacher. There is a man currently in Brazil who has announced that he can communicate with the now dead Francisco. This messenger says Francisco knows where Jesus is coming back, on the border of Brazil, Peru, and Columbia (which is convenient for these South Americans) and when, which hasn’t been revealed yet. Francisco established his following and his churches, and eventually made his way into these villages, promoting and prompting his beliefs.
We have also noticed an obscure amount of crosses on these villager’s necks. They are even worn by the babies too young to ask for this representation of their salvation. From what we’ve gathered, we’ve noticed another common factor within these villages: they believe they need a tangible cross in order to secure their salvation and get into Heaven.
This lead us into more digging. Do they pray to God? We know they believe in Jesus’ death, hence the cross, but do they believe that Jesus died and rose again to offer them the gift of eternal life, aka the Gospel? And what could Francisco have told them about two perpendicular pieces of wood to make them idolize the cross so much more than the man who died for them on it?
Today was the most revealing day thus far. In our current village, Olaya, they asked for a group of us to teach English and mathematics. Because I enjoy teaching and being around the incredible kids, I instantly volunteered to teach them English. Despite my ambitions, I ended up as the adult math teacher, and even though my personal math career is over, I was happy to share what I know with them. The other half of my team usually goes on house visits, which is essentially building relationships with the locals in the village by going to their homes. Today, I felt like I was supposed to be straying away from my comfort zone of playing with kids and teaching the adults to join the house visit crew.
We visited several houses, all of which let us pray for them, a blessing that isn’t always allowed. As we concluded what seemed to be a fairly uneventful day of relationship-building, we decided to go up to Olaya’s Cross Church just to check it out and pray over it. When we arrived, the town leader, Jose, and his brother-in-law were doing some maintenance around the church.
The men were very chatty, excited to have visitors and eager to learn about us and where we come from. Eventually, we started asking questions about their Cross Church. They explained to us the meaning of the letters on the cross, “Save Our Souls,” and that the date written on it, 7/17/71, is when Francisco established his cross church. They told us that the cross displayed outside their church is old, and that they have to bury it before they build a new one. We laughed as we imagined the hole they’d have to dig, because their cross is longer and wider than most of their homes. They explained that burying the cross is in the rules Francisco left, and they would be punished if they didn’t obey.
They asked us if they could pray for us before we moved on. We graciously accepted, cautious enough to understand that though they do things differently, they still revere God and pray to Him. When they saw us standing, they told us that we have to kneel in front of the cross.
In that moment, my heart broke for them. Why? If it’s out of reverence from God, if it’s because they physically feel drawn to their knees in the presence of the Lord, then that is one scenario worthy of understanding. But if they feel that kneeling is the only way they can talk to God, if they think that in order for them to send a prayer God’s way they have to hike across the village from their homes to Fransisco’s cross, then that’s a heart breaking concept.
It was also in that moment I realized their convoluted version of Christianity isn’t so different than what we have engulfing us in the States. Though we are worlds apart, and though there could not possibly be more literal differences between Olaya and America, every nation is full of their own version of “A Cross Church.” And that is because of our own common denominator: sin. Each part of the world has contorted Christianity to some respect, some more than others, because somewhere along the way us sinners intercepted the truth of the Bible and proclaimed it differently, for self-promotion or with other motives. And so though these people are doing their best to seek God, their information is from a man who told them to rely on the protection of a cross to get them into Heaven.
The truth is, it’s not about a cross. It’s not about a resume of good works. It’s not about Mary, Jesus’ mother. It’s about a baby who was born and died for the sins of the world. All those factors play into the story of Jesus; He was born to Mary, He had a life packed of goodness, and He died on a cross, but those are all just details and things, they are supporting roles. There is only one way to get eternity with Jesus, and that is by accepting Him as Lord and Savior. It’s not by kneeling in front of a cross or saying your required number of prayers a day. There isn’t a rule book of a set of tasks that have to be done in order for God to hear us, because we’d all fall short.
I don’t know why Francisco was so adamant about a cross. I have rationalized and reasoned, but at the end of the day, the only One who can judge these people’s sincerity is God. It is my job to convey the truth of the Bible. It is my job to share the truth about Jesus and His love that is validated by the Bible, not any human prophet or preacher.
It is my biggest prayer that these people understand that they are so close; they acknowledge God’s existence and seek prayer. But until they put down the cross and instead reach for a relationship with Jesus, they won’t grasp the true meaning of salvation. Salvation isn’t only incredible because of the future it ensures, but because of the present we get to live in. No man-made teaching could ever compare to the truth and goodness of the Gospel, and I pray that the people of Olaya and all the other villages we’ve visited recognize that their God wants them earnestly and that the cross cannot compare to it’s sufferer.
We are all seeking for more, we are all seeking a relationship with God. The difference is in how we choose to follow God –through human eyes, or through the eyes of God’s Word, the Bible? This isn’t to say that all men are incapable of sharing God’s truth, because that is absolutely false. God has used men since the beginning of time to represent Him here on earth through miracles and teachings, but all of those men spoke and speak on the behalf of God, not themselves. I am understanding that no matter where I am, God calls me to spread the truth and love written in His word, pure and without worldly influence. Going back to America is going to be different, but in some ways, it’s all the same; no matter who we are or where we live or what we do, we all need the truth and goodness of God to guide our lives.
