October 2, 2005

Dear personal Friends and Friends of ITEBA,

Within the narrow limits of a newsletter let me try to describe the facts of life of this small, independent, lay school of theology called ITEBA.

Everyone at ITEBA is very grateful for the $80,000 gift from Presbyterian Women for the purchase of our own building. What a blessing! We can now move out of our cramped temporary quarters in the Presbyterian Church of Itapagipe (United Presbyterian Church) into whatever appropriate building we can afford to buy. This is a great day in the life of ITEBA. But the reality is that a building large enough to meet Ministry of Education standards will either be much more expensive or in need of re-habbing, which will probably cost another $50,000. Then you have the problem of office furniture, library shelves, desks, computers, telephone systems, white boards, the indispensable climate-control system for the library, and odds-and-ends, which could easily amount to another $40,000. Then there’s the library collection itself, which is very inadequate and largely in English or German even though no one here can read either of those. A conservative estimate for the purchase of books needed to make the library respectable is $12,000, not including magazines or journals. In other words, ITEBA needs another $100,000+ just to get decently started in a new building. That’s right, “started,” because this is only the beginning for ITEBA

In recent years many private universities have sprung up in Salvador and are doing well. The differences between them and ITEBA, however, are enormous. As a rule, their operators have strong political backing and powerful financing, and, perhaps more importantly, they offer degree programs that fit the job market. By contrast, ITEBA enjoys no such backing or financing from any local source and offers an as yet officially unrecognized diploma unconnected to any realistic job opportunities. In any case, most people wanting to study theology in Salvador—and there aren’t many—do so in a denominational setting so as to give themselves some chance of employment later, whether as lay or ordained. In short, the market for programs in theology is weak to begin with, and the market for non-denominational or lay programs even weaker. Thus, the only way for ITEBA to continue operating is with strong support from the United States, and this will remain the case even on that happy day when ITEBA finally gains recognition from the Ministry of Education. Such recognition, it should be remembered, is graded, and given ITEBA’s situation, it will almost inevitably receive recognition with a low grade. In any event, even a high grade would not change things much. Moreover, getting recognition from the Ministry of Education is a five-year process, which has not yet even begun for ITEBA. That’s right, this is only the beginning. The road ahead is long and hard, and I want to be sure that you haven’t lost your taste for challenges.

You should understand, too, that in addition to all the unfavorable factors mentioned above, ITEBA is run by Negro women, who as a group get the least respect and the most discrimination in this very racist/classist/male-dominated society. Thus, every conceivable social and economic factor argues against the existence of ITEBA so that the mere fact of its having survived to this point is a miracle, which God has performed through many faithful folks, not least among which are the members of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

It is my hope that you have not lost your taste for being God’s ethical instruments in history. That’s right, “ethical instruments,” because ITEBA is all about social justice. According to the UN, Brazil is one of the world’s most inequitable and unjust societies, with very low upward social mobility. This cruel system is designed to prevent meaningful change and to keep people, especially Negroes, in their place, and toward this end the system uses all sorts of barriers, trickery, propaganda, and blind alleys. The only way to effect social justice here is through education. We know that because the one area of government responsibility that is most neglected and under-financed is public education K-12. The sheer intentionality of that neglect indicates that the Brazilian elite fears education and recognizes its potential for social transformation. Thus ITEBA is on the cutting edge of a quiet revolution. Our curriculum may be government standard, but we are educating people whom the Brazilian elite has been trying hard to keep uneducated. My hope is that your faith is subversive, as it was meant to be, and that you’ll help ITEBA do justice in Brazil.

Yours in Christ,

Bob Butterfield (with occasional help from Keiko, who sends her love)

The 2005 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 44