Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Latin AmericaPaul Freston In Latin America, evangelical Protestantism poses an increasing challenge to Catholicism's long-established religious hegemony. At the same time, the region is among the most generally democratic outside the West, despite often being labeled as 'underdeveloped.' Scholars disagree whether Latin American Protestantism, as a fast-growing and predominantly lower-class phenomenon, will encourage a political culture that is repressive and authoritarian, or if it will have democratizing effects. Drawing from a range of sources, Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Latin America provides case studies of five countries: Brazil, Peru, Mexico, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The contributors, mainly scholars based in Latin America, bring first hand-knowledge to their chapters. The result is a groundbreaking work that explores the relationship between Latin American evangelicalism and politics, its influences, manifestations, and prospects for the future.Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in Latin America is one of four volumes in the series Evangelical Christianity and Democracy in the Global South, which seeks to answer the question: What happens when a revivalist religion based on scriptural orthodoxy participates in the volatile politics of the Third World? At a time when the global-political impact of another revivalist and scriptural religion - Islam - fuels vexed debate among analysts the world over, these volumes offer an unusual comparative perspective on a critical issue: the often combustible interaction of resurgent religion and the developing world's unstable politics. |
Contents
The Many Faces of Evangelical Politics in Latin America | 3 |
1 Democratic Activity and Religious Practices of Evangelicals in Mexico | 37 |
Guatemalan Evangelicals and the Transition to Democracy 19822001 | 63 |
3 The Evolution of Protestant Participation in Nicaraguan Politics and the Rise of Evangelical Parties | 97 |
4 Evangelicals and Politics in Fujimoris Peru | 131 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
actors Africa alliance Anthony Garotinho Assemblies Assemblies of God authoritarian Baptist Benedita Bishop Brazil Brazilian Cambio 90 campaign Casco Catholic Church charismatic Christian civil society CONEP congregation congress context corruption countries culture democracy democratic denominations discourse economic elections electoral ethic evan EvangeŽlica evangelical candidates evangelical churches evangelical community evangelical parties evangelical political evangelical vote faith favor Fonseca Freston FSLN Fujimori Garotinho gelical global South groups Guatemala Guillermo Osorno human rights indigenous institutional interview Latin America leaders leadership left-wing liberal democracy Liberal Party liberation theology linked litical Managua Maya mayor movements neopentecostal Nicaragua one’s organizations Osorno parliamentarians Partido pastors peasant patrols pentecostal percent Peru pluralism political activity political involvement political parties politicians population Presbyterian president presidential pro-Fujimori Protestant Protestantism regime region religion religious Rıos Montt Rodrigues role Sandinista sectors self-coup Shining Path Silva Siura social capital theological UCKG Universal Church Workers Party