Preaching From the Heart … and the Bible
Imagine that a $15 monthly sponsorship o
Imagine that a $15 monthly sponsorship of one Langham scholar leads to outreach that affects hundreds of lives in that scholar’s country. Multiply that outreach by 200, and it’s easy to see that one scholar can touch more than 20,000 lives in the course of a few months. That’s what’s happened with graduating Ph.D. scholar Daniel Santos, who has returned to his home country of Brazil to be a teacher for the teachers.
Name: Daniel Santos
Hometown: Goiânia, Goiás, Brazil
Graduate Work: Ph.D., Old Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
Thesis: “The Role of Moses’ Intercession in Exodus 32″
His Life Growing Up
“I grew up in an Evangelical Presbyterian denomination. Three generations before me, and we were taught by American missionaries here. It is a very rural area of Brazil. My father was an elder; he used to preach sometimes in the churches. Then I went to seminary at the age of 18, in Goiânia. After graduating I started to teach at the seminary where I was from. I taught Hebrew and Old Testament, and I was pastor in a church. All my ministry prior to going to U.S. was in the rural areas.”
Current Studies
“I am finishing my dissertation on the repentance of God in Exodus 32-34. There is a lot going on with the Open Theism movement in Brazil. You can hear conversation among people about this … I have seen many of my colleagues who have not spent time studying the Bible and formulating a biblical perspective on these issues … They are trying to say a lot on that passage in particular, so that’s the reason why I chose it.”
His Work in Brazil
“I am working in three different seminaries … One of them is in Sao Paulo, the third largest city in the world [with] 15 million people. I teach a Master’s course in one university- Mackenzie Presbyterian University (www.mackenzie.com.br). I teach modular courses for professors and leaders. This is a graduate school that receives professors and leaders from [universities and seminaries] in other regions. But in Brazil, a professor has to do some pastoring as well-you cannot live on teaching only unless you work for a very large university. For every student that I am in contact with, those students will easily be in contact with 100 students each at their seminaries. Since they are also involved in their church environments, you can add to that another 200 people in their churches.”
How His Education Will Impact Brazil
“It is my hope that I’m reaching the leaders and professors from other institutions. They have already asked me to teach twice more in 2006. In August I am teaching a module on Open Theism. [My education at Trinity] has prepared me to deal with issues in Brazil from a very broad perspective. I have in mind many other professors that I have been with in Chicago and other places when I’m teaching something and answering questions. You have many other ways of dealing with the same issue. I want to rather emphasize how we can have a biblical perspective on these issues. If you have the chance to say something and make a contribution here in our context, you have to have a good way to handle the biblical text.
“My work with JSM has helped me to be open here in Brazil, and also to be willing to help a variety of different denominational seminaries. They know I’m open to work and engage in a variety of contexts.”
His Future
“If you are trying to start [a ministry] on your own, it could take a long time, because you are not in context with the seminary and the church. In my case it is happening at a rather quick pace because I am involved in Sao Paulo. And in January, I will be the auxiliary pastor in a church to help with the teaching assignments there.
“Yes, the church is growing … like beans here. They are teaching all kinds of things … There’s a common saying around here: ‘Preach from the heart,’ not the Bible … as if you couldn’t preach from the heart expounding the Bible. It’s a very common misconception here. They think that if you preach from the heart, you will have a bigger impact on the church.
“The one branch of JSM [that I really like] is the preaching seminars. I am amazed to see how people are looking forward to seeing someone just preaching the Bible. People are responding in a very positive way to the simple exposition of the biblical text.
Prayer Requests
“I wrote an article last year for my university and there is a great need here for writing commentaries and biblical studies. This is something I would need some help praying about, because it would take a lot of time thinking and reflecting on certain issues. I’m really looking forward to helping my country through writing because by writing you can reach a variety of different denominations faster: Books-they can go anywhere. I’d really like JSM to pray about which area I should dedicate more time in my life and my ministry. I’m going to have to decide next year on whether my ministry is in teaching or pastoring or writing. Next year, I will have to make a decision that will shape my ministry for the next ten years.”