Latin American Church history

Land Migration

• Bering strait crossing 15,000-40,000 years ago
• Migration from Asia

1500 Aztecs, centered around Tenochtitlan (Mexico City today)
Incan empire, centered around Cuzco (Peru)

Hernan Cortes was unauthorized to enter Mexico
Montezuma killed in 1521

Francisco Pizarro conquered Inca land 1532

Christopher Columbus -did perform genocide, up to 250,000 killed (this is often overlooked): if the Indians didn’t find him gold, he maimed or killed them. Didn’t want to convert Indians bc it would be wrong to put Christians in slavery. Advocated torture and slavery.

Death and Disease

• Disease killed way more than any army did; probably 90% of native population were killed by diseases (such as smallpox).
• Native populations of Brazil and Caribbean were mostly decimated.
• Syphillis, which was originally in Latin America, was transferred to Europe.
• Some native populations remain in Guatemala and other countries

1st church in the Western hemisphere found in Santo Domingo.

Early Church Organization
Virgin of Guadelupe – vision seen in 1531 by Juan Diego, baptized the day before on the same spot as the Aztec fertility god’s shrine. She spoke his language, he thought it was the Virgin Mary; receives an imprint on his coat. Shows the bishop this miracle and mass conversions happen. This is an indigenous form of Christianity, influencing beyond Mexico (move from foreign Roman Catholicism to an indigenous Catholicism).

Tabula Rasa

• Western missionaries rejected all aspects of native culture
• Only whites could be priests for 300 years

Conquistadors

• Given lots of gold, but still didn’t free the Incan emperor as promised.
• Came without families

Encomienda
- a rudimentary govt set up,
- if you came of your own accord, you could steward the land for a few generation, teach the natives Spanish, and take care of them
- in reality, the natives were enslaved, for all practical purposes.
- When the govt tried to take the land back, people claimed land as their own.
-Natives would be taught Spanish/Portuguese and Christianity
- Usually tried to get natives to go into mines to find gold.

Bartolome de las Casas (1484-1566)
- originally came as a settler and saw the horrible treatment of natives
- went back to Spain to become priest to serve
- came back to be an advocate for the Indians as humans
- first priest ordained in New World, 1512
- advocated for the end of the Encomienda system – need to treat natives more justly
- the govt of Spain agreed, the settlers didn’t like it, so repealed it.
- Tried a new system in Venezuela, but it didn’t work.
- Radical step in Chiapas: didn’t allow slaveholders to take communion; therefore, was sent back to Spain.

Conversion without Formation

• For first few hundred years, the church baptizes, but doesn’t teach the new converts.
• Apart from church, there is the Virgin who rescues, so this grows b/c the church isn’t teaching.
• Ordination was only for Europeans – any type of mestizo couldn’t be ordained. This didn’t change until 1800.

Marian Theology
- A strong maternal focus in theology
- Self-sacrificing mother-virgin
- A “quaternity” instead of a Trinity with the Virgin Mary as the 4th member
- What’s the difference in veneration and worship of the Virgin?
- Can we talk to someone else besides God to advocate for us?
- Anglican tradition never spoke against veneration – asking someone else to intercede for us, including Mary.

Machismo
- opposite of Marian theology
- this perspective puts women on a pedestal

Mixed race, caste system
-Conquistadors came unmarried; had concubines in the Americas
- mestizo (native + white) culture, mulatto (black + white) culture, all separated into categories with an informal caste system
- not allowed to do certain things, depending on your status in the caste system
- European at top, 100 categories of mixture, natives/slave at bottom
- An early idea of racial superiority

Jesuits
-came after Franciscans and Dominicans
- tried to work within Encomienda system, a more egalitarian system
- Encomienda system could have been used in a just way, but it wasn’t, and external forces destroyed their efforts
- For a while actually had "Christian villages", maybe lasted 100 years.
- Globally in 1760, Jesuits were being discredited, which helped lead to their demise.

African Slaves

• 3 million slaves came to Brazil
• the Portuguese did not want to evangelize the slaves
• the pope had wanted them to be evangelized.

Inquisition
-people were forced to "right orthodoxy."
- names of “heretics” were posted on church walls
- the church called people in to betray the “heretics” in the area

Simon Bolivar (1783-1830)
- part of the rich aristocracy of Peru, descendants of royalty, but didn’t want to be controlled by Europe
- called the "George Washington of Latin America", got rid of Spanish control
- was president once the Spanish were kicked out
- happened here about a generation after the US revolution

Independence
- saw the Virgin as who they were, not what the Europeans wanted them to be (identity by opposition)
-Brazil received independence from Portugal in 1890s

Government against the Church

Government begins to see the Church as a foreign institution. Mary is not, but the European church is. Church starts to become persecuted, and the people do not back it. So the church moves closer and closer to the Pope to become beholden to another power. Mexico declares itself not to be Catholic.

Church against the People

Rich and Poor

• High inequality rooted in the encomienda system--Hacienda System--Huge landholders

Catholicism 1900-1950

Pope start to realizes that LA is a huge issue that shouldn’t be ignored. Up until the 20th century, the church was mostly on the side of the government and the rich and the powerful. In the 20th century, the church starts to support the poor.

Mainline Protestants in Latin America

Presbyterians are the first in 1850s, then Southern Baptists.

Liberation Theology

Bishops meet in 1955 and begin to push for a social agenda in Latin America. They went to Vatican II to advocate for a different approach for the poor. Bishops and different priests start to live among the poor, starting churches with them. At the 2nd conference of these bishops in 1968, the Pope visited Latin America for the first time ever. He declared the Catholic church a poor church, identifying with the poor.

The discussions at this conference led to the birth of Liberation Theology. Gustavo Gutierrez wrote a book in 1971 about liberation themes. Late 70s saw many base communities looking for answers to their issues from Scripture. Gutierrez talked about orthopraxy to go along with orthodoxy. He advocated: The church needs to align its priorities with the poor. These communities could meet and read scripture in light of their context, without a priest, although they couldn’t do communion. He advocated reading scripture and posing questions in light of their context, then decide on action together as a lay community. Much of the philosophical base was consistent with marxism. Anything that says the economic is the base reality is marxist [political, social, and religious systems are founded on economics]. Some would advocate to overthrow governments, but the majority looked to empower communities to speak to power not to seize power. They tried to help facilitating the poor to theologize themselves.

The liberation theology movement grew up until the 80s. Pope John Paul II and others who were more conservative became concerned with this, so the leaders of the Liberation theology movement were censored by Rome. Most felt it wasn’t Marxism but fear of loss of control by the church: lay people reading scripture and acting on it without priestly mediation.

Liberation Theology and Politics

These base communities got political. Church critics of corrupt Latin American governments. Very powerful landowners created a huge poor population with few middle class. The Catholic church sides with the poor people, against the government and the rich aristocracy. The government responds by killing Oscar Romero and other clergy. Government start to move toward more democratic means in the late 80s. Bishops standing against totalitarianism led to dialogues that opened the way to more democratic governments. The church’s role shifted from liberation theology, protesting against the government in the 60s and 70s to more positive responses, looking to create partnerships with micro-enterprises, advocating for businesses in society into the 80s and 90s.

Charismatic Catholic Communities

Started in the 60s and 70s as in the U.S.

Base communities

3 million involved in these, many in Brazil. Less reading groups, more community projects.

Evangelicos=(non-Catholic) Protestants+Pentecostals

Pentecostalism

Almost all Protestants today are Pentecostal.

“Liberation theology opted for the poor, and the poor opted for Pentecostalism.” Pentecostalism: fastest growing social movement in human history. By 2050, there will be a billion charismatics. Pentecostals will far supercede protestants who are not pentecostal as well as all mainline groups from the West.

Pentecostal revivals start to happen 3-10 years after Azusa street. In Chile, the Pentecostalism they have is not an American version because it started so early. Pentecostalism focuses on the prosperity of the Gospel and individualism.

Brazilian Pentecostalism

By the 50s, large Pentecostal denominations starting and developing without American missionary roots. IURD: 3-6 million members. Very strong prosperity teaching church. Some view it as cultic. One of the biggest communities in the world. 15% of Brazil is Protestant--Pentecostal. Brazil has the largest number of Pentecostals in the world. In the 1980s-90s, these churches start to plant churches abroad. Immigrant churches are the fastest growing churches, even in the West. 8 out of 10 Protestants in Brazil are Pentecostal. Even half of the Catholics in Brazil are charismatic. The Catholic church is adopting “charismatic” processes to stop the loss of people. Brazil sends more missionaries than any other country. They are evangelizing Spain and Portugal.

Base Communities and Pentecostals together

Prayer, Fellowship and Exorcism are commonalities, as well as work for the poor. The difference is the Pentecostal church stresses individual change, healing, and prosperity. The base community looks at transformation through the community. Both strongly believe in the Holy Spirit, encounter with God in the world through the Spirit. Follow the lead of the Holy Spirit: God speaks through regular people, prophetic leadings. When at its best, Pentecostalism acts as a very strong community, addressing issues of the poor. Catholics were not paying attention to good marriages, getting off drugs, and holding a job. Pentecostals hold these communities to this ethical lifestyle, working toward transformation. Because the Pentecostal communities are patriarchal, they have worked against machismo because they spoke against the dual life-style.

Pentecostal Politics

Brazil: the evangelicos are left wing. Pentecostals throughout South America are not adapting to one party. They are similar to other Christian groups in that personal transformation is important. Some Protestant government leaders are beginning to be elected, influenced with and talking to the Pentecostal church. Although only 15% of Christians are Pentecostal, most Pentecostal people participate in church, so they have a larger influence.

Catholic Responses

Ask the government to come against Pentecostals and “end the sects.” They didn’t do that, but instead the Catholics began to restructure toward Pentecostal forms. Some have dismissed Pentecostals as an American copies, but LA’s resent that.

Pentecostalism: why did it grow?

• More a voice for people.
• More displaced people in the cities with no community.
• Pentecostal churches were forming in urban areas as a new family.
• Pentecostalism encouraged a work ethic.
• Still an idea that Catholicism is European. Pentecostalism as home grown.
• A strong understanding of the spirit world similar to native cultures (like in Africa)
• Pentecostals addressed that world and gave answers to these concerns.
• Pentecostal worship gave people hope and confidence that they could deal with the world.
• Connected with the primal spirituality of Brazil.
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  Conversion without Formation
  - For the last 100 years, no formation through education or discipleship at all.
  - Crafting own spirituality in a void.
  - Can't participate in own language, etc.
  - Ordination only for Europeans
  * Any mixed heritage prevented ordination
  
  - Didn't change until 1800s
  - Catholic population untrained for 270 yrs.
  
  Marian Theology
  - Strong maternal focus w/in theology in S. American Christianity
  - Self-sacrificing mother virgin as part of their theological reflection
  - Quaternity vs. Trinity
  * 4th person very significantly involved in reality
  - Today, people trying to find common ground, i.e. how we see Mary in theological reflection (Missiology lectures)
  - In terms of inter-religious dialogue, w/some traditions in Africa, Asia w/diff between veneration and worship of ancestors.
  * Evangelicals have always stood against this - "Can we talk to someone else besides God to advocate for us?" In S. America they'll ask Mary to petition Jesus. The Anglican tradition has never spoken against talking to others, calling that "veneration," not worship.
  
  RB: "As we start to look at Xian expressions in Latin America w/deep respect for ancestors, feels that Western constructions of faith don't place significant role for those."
  RB: Will Evangelicals ever say it's okay to speak or pray to someone? It's an area that needs to be addressed as
  our Christian faith becomes more global. (RB doesn't advocate, just saying)
  
  - W/strong focus on Mary, it produced corresponding cultural expression.
  * Mary/virgin dyad as role model for women, that it birthed the flip side, a machismo character on the male side for men. Some see this as the corresponding opposite for what we're seeing in Mary. Developed this perspective on culture and view of women as either the virgin or the mother. The mother being a quiet, self-sacrificing servant for children.
  - Claim is that machismo perspective puts women on pedestal, but women writers are saying it doesn't work out in reality.
  - Churches in 20th C, diff ways of addressing Marian and Machismo parts
  
  Mixed Race, Caste System
  - Conquistadors having women slaves, functioning as concubines
  - Beginning of a mixed race from Day 1
  - Mestizo cultures developing
  - Mulattos - white & africans
  - Started to separate
  - Castizo - white and mestizo
  - Informal caste system in S. America for couple hundred yrs
  - Not able to do certain things depending on level in system
  - European, Mestizo...slaves and natives (high to low)
  * Which is really early...that conversation doesn't go on in West until 19th C.
  
  Jesuits
  - 40-50 yrs after Dominicans and Franciscans
  - Work with Indians w/in the encomienda system
  - Tried to set up egalitarian, native communities w/in
  - Movie: The Mission - Jeremy Irons trying to do that, got destroyed by outside community
  * De Las Casa
  - Encomienda system could've been used in a just way; giving them the land, teaching, etc.
  - They tried, but external forces basically ended up destroying.
  - But actually for a time had Christian villages of natives living toether and supporting each other.
  - Might've lasted 100 years.
  - Globally, in 1760 (before that as well), Jesuits were being discredited in different places
  
  African Slaves
  - 3 million slaves coming from Brazil
  - Portuguese didn't want to evangelize the slaves
  - Don't have them coming into Christian enclaves or encomiendo
  - African slaves not put in conversations of Christian faith at all
  
  Inquisition
  - Church has right to bring anyone in, inquire about their orthodoxy, able to torture to get ppl to confess "right" sorts of things, couple 100 years
  - See posted on church walls, all the "accepted heretics" in that area, etc.
  - Exhorted ppl to betray others
  - S./Latin America
  
  Simon Bolivar 1783-1830
  - Basically church didn't change much over 250 yrs
  - Natives weren't being trained in Christian faith, churches everywhere in Latin America
  - Family was part of rich aristocracy there in Peru; descendants of royalty
  - Didn't want to continue to w/European decisions for their region
  - i.e. Similar to American Revolution rationale about getting Europe off of back, autonomy at home
  - Called George Washington of Latin America
  - W/in 20 yr period, all of Latin America getting rid of Spanish control over those areas
  - Bolivar led revoution; state formed, Venezuela, Columbia, Ecaudor he oversaw
  - Spanish-speaking Latin America.
  
  Independence
  - People fighting against Spain
  - Rallying cry - pictures of Virgin, part of who they were, not who Europe was
  - Brazil didn't release dform Port. until 1889
  - Portugal all along in different areas, (Africa, Latin America), one of the last grps who gives up their territories
  
  RB: So, would you say, 'pretty healthy church" at this point?
  Class: (mumbled) "no...."
  
  Government Against Church
  - Church hasn't become local
  - Remember, from Africa - for a church to really become part of the culture, it HAS to be doing Christian formation and training in local languages
  - Here, we have a church now that's seen as foreign
  - The Government is now against the church
  - Church is being persecuted by the government; it doesn't have the backing oft he people
  - Church starts moving closer to the Pope, becomes more "other" and beholden to a particular power; doing will of Pope, w/back against people and government, looking to survive
  - Mexico declares itself no longer Catholic
  - At turn of century, Marxist like revolution: Priests not allowed to wear their garbs - backlash against church, against foreigners of church
  
  Church Against People
  - Divisions which were Europeans over Natives, become over next couple hundred yrs the landowners against no land, huge division all over South
  - System of encomienda - hacienda system: a way of some having huge land while others had little
  - Context coming into 20th C
  
  Catholicism 1900-1950
  - Pope starts to realize S. America is a huge issue that shouldn't be ignored
  - Good number of Catholics in the world are in S. America, but they were never trained or ordained, having foreigners as bishops, SO they got involved, finally!
  - Up until 20th C, he church was always on the side of the landowners, rich, powerful, or govt, NEVER about the powerless (except De las Casa and Jesuits)...
  * In 20th C, the church starts to support the poor
  - Church help set up Christian Democratic parties
  - Started to speak and challenge in some ways, right wing dictators ( though for many, partnership between power in church, etc. BUT still beginning of different sorts of voices)
  
  Mainline Protestants in Latin America
  - Late 19th C, Protestant missionaries, i.e. Presbyterians, S. Baptists starting churches
  - in Spanish-speaking, as well, Chile, etc, places further south
  
  Missionaries to Latin America
  - Theology that needs to work for them; only Evangelicals would only see Catholics as needing evangelism
  - So from US, we had conservative Evang. and beginning in 20th C, Charismatics seeing Catholics not as Christians
  
  Liberation Theology
  -Group of Bishops met in 1955, began to push for a socially oriented agenda. In 1960s went to Vatican II ('63-'65) and advocated - liberation theology, theology of the poor
  - priests and bishops living among poor
  - This hadnt been part of Catholic church for a long time
  - Pope came to Western Hemisphere, Latin America for first time
  - They declared, when 1/3 of Catholics were in Latin America, that Catholic Church was a "poor church" of the poor for the first time
  - Many see this as the birth of Liberation Theology
  - By late 1970s, up to 80K different communities w/in Brazil that were lay people reading the bible looking for answers to their particular social situation based on scripture, looking at context in scripture and their own context. Beginning to rethink theologically
  - Guiterrez, orthodoxy, thinking and theology...so that the church need to align its practices w/the poor. He advocated base communities of poor reading scripture together w/lay ppl. Couldn't do communion, but could read scripture in light of questions of their own particular context
  * took on some of the educational theories of Paolo Friere: you think in terms of posing problems to a context and your answers are action steps to respond in that context. He encouraged ppl to read scripture and write in light of their context.
  * Action - Reflection process going on in lay communities
  - Much of the philosophical base in Liberation Theology is consistent with Marxism. "Anything where economy is basis is Marxist...everything else is playing around economics."
  * But others say it's much bigger, but there were parallels
  - They wanted transformation, some would advocate for a govt to be overthrown but they were for empowered communities seeking truth for power, not looking to seize power.
  - Comm. starting all over Latin America, facilitating the poor theologizing for themselves
  * these were on periphery, Church still very powerful
  - Pope John Paul II a bit more conservative in 60-70s, concerned about it and leaders of Liberation Theology (Leonardo Boff/Boch censored in '86, etc. ppl discouraged this)
  - Liberation Theology begins to wane in early 80s as Catholic Church is concerned and censors.
  * Most people feel it's not Marxism, but Church fearing loss of control b/c no priest meditating it. It scares the church...maybe that's why they did that?
  - Conservative bishops appointed by S. America, who weren't endorsing it, too.
  
  LT and Politics
  - Base Comm got political (not just w/Lib Theo)
  - Church advocate for poor in 50-60s
  - Father Cicero in Brazil, radical w/poor
  - Diff cardinals spekaing against some practices of Central America governments
  - in El Salvador, Oscar Romero opp govt in 1980 (killed in 80 while INSIDE church serving communion)
  * Very powerful landowners, where access to land and prop is very hard, and so huge poor pop, few middle class, and a lot of rich
  - Church speaking for poor, but govt powerful, SO church speaking against govt, and govt responds brutally
  * Six priests killed in '89
  - Government move towards more democratic means in late 80s, early 90s in Latin America
  * Some think Bishops and Churches standing against Totalitarian that created dialogue that created free reofmrs in govt towards democracy, maybe the stand against dictator regimes had some effect.
  - Church's role, Catholic Ch role shifted - speaking against govt to more positive responses of looking to create partnerships with microenterprises, business partnerships, advocate things w/in society, not asmuch confrontational as 70s-80s
  
  Charismatic Catholic Communities
  - 60s, similar timing as US and West
  - In terms of Catholics becoming Charismatic
  
  Base Communities
  - In 80s, up to 3 million involved, broad movement
  * 2/3 in Brazil
  * Large # of base comm
  - Now less reading grps than community projects
  
  Evangelicos = (non-Catholic) Protestants + Pentecostals
  - Went from 10, 20K Protestants, no Pentecostals, but NOW, almost everyone's Pentecostal/Catholic
  
  "Liberation theology opted for the poor, the poor opted for pentecostalism"
  
  - In mid 80's, radical shift in terms of Christianity
  * Pentecostal - fastest growing social movement in human history
  - In 2050, there'll probably be a billion Pentecostals; any churches starting DAILY in Pentecostal tradition
  * That's why Catholic church very worried about Latin America, but by 2050, still be ahead, but not by much
  * Protestants who aren't Pentecostal as well other mainline groups will be less.
  
  - Pentecostal revivals start 10 years after Azusa Street Revival
  - Pentecostals make up 95% of Protestants in Chile now
  - They're differentiating themselves from Pentecostals in 60s and 70s
  - In Chile, Methodist Pentecostal Church
  
  Brazilian Pentecostalism
  - Antonio Consejero - Apocalyptic vision, some see him as start of Pentecostal experience there.
  - Between 1910-30s, missionaries in Sao Paolo
  - First AOG church in 1911
  *AOG starting ordaining indigenous pastors
  - By 50s, large Pentecostal churches develop in Brazil
  ** Independent churches w/no roots in US or West, starting w/o missionary involvement
  - Largest churches in the world, Universal de Reino de Dios (IURD) 6 million members. Radio stations, own political party, owns Rio de Janiero futbol team.
  * ppl like or dislike; strong Prosperity Teaching
  - Selling things for healing, oils, etc.
  - Called out for other people giving so much so they can receive so much
  - HUGE community, one of biggest in world
  - 15% of Brazil as Protestant/Pentecostal
  - Largest # of Pentecostals in world is in Brazil
  - AOG 12 million in Brazil (2-3 mill in US) - 4 mil? (RB confused)
  
  - 50-60s growing churches
  - 70-80s strong Prosperity teaching
  
  - 80-90s Brazilian churches start planting churches abroad
  * I.e. Los Angeles, London, west cities - re-evangelize the west
  - Immigrant churches have the zeal, passion, desire, to do these sorts of activities
  - Great amount of church planting going on w/these communities in the west
  
  - IURD: increased their membership by 2 mill in last 10-12 ys
  - In Sao Paolo, 3 million marched for Jesus. RB: Whole different world going on there.
  - 8 out of 10 Protestants in Brazil are Pentecostal (accord to Pew Forum)
  - 1/2 of Catholics in Brazil are Pentecostal
  
  - Brazil's the largest missionary sending country
  
  Base Communities and Pentecostals together
  - Prayer, fellowship, and exorcism becoming part of church
  - A lot of work for the poor; Pentecostal church has historically done a huge amount - attraction of prosperity teaching (overcoming poverty)
  
  * Differences: Pentecostal church stresses individual change, transformation, healing, wealth
  Base Comm: personal transformation that happens through transforming community, working for justice in that area
  
  * Similarities: Strong belief in Holy Spirit, God's encountered in world thru the Spirit
  Base Comm: What's God doing among the people? Spirit will speak to us about what we're supposed to do
  Pentecostal: God speaks through regular folks, God will lead thru prophetic leading or as more ppl are given voice to express what's going on, God will lead the community
  
  Pentecostal as its best acts as a strong community that it addresses issue for the poor
  * One thing they're doing that Catholics weren't doing: changing people's marriages, getting ppl off drugs, getting people to hold down a job. Strongly exhorted to have strong marriages, getting a job (being a good Christian), etc. Hold poor communities to counter-cultural lifestyles, working for transformation
  * Pentecostal comm are patriarchal, working against machismo, in sense that Machismo celebrated two lives of women at home, men out. Came against that lifestyle and approach...
  
  Pentecostal Politics
  - Across the board
  - In Brazil, Evangelicos are left wing
  - Pentecostals throughout S. America, there's no one pattern
  - Personal transformation is huge - get your own life together before doing other things
  - Doing work in blocks, Fujimori in Peru (Evangelical support)
  - Pentecostal in Mexico support govt against ??
  - History of Pentecostals in politics is CHECKERED
  * Guatemala in 1880s killing Catholics b/c first Evangelical President
  - Governments influenced by talking with Protestants
  
  Catholics Responses
  - Religion who's losing power asks government intervention
  - Catholics restructuring towards Pentecostal forms, learning instead of working against
  * Some have dismissed Pentecostals as American copy, not indigenous, but most Latin America would resent that
  - It's not American church in Brazil, b/c they're started by locals, not Americans
  * Although Americans want to control, but there's Brazilian expressions going on
  
  Pentecostalism - What did it grow?
  - Way more local control, voice for people
  - Why it's growing is: people coming to cities who're separate from their families, rural tribes/influences of elders and communities, displaced in cities w/no community at all. And there's church in urban situation speaking about a way out, speaking and acting as a family
  - Pentecostals gave them a work ethic, taking on jobs for first time since beginning of global world
  - May have been hints or feeling that Catholicism was still European, and Pentecostalism didn't feel European, it was their own
  - Understanding (esp from African influence) of spirit world - Pentecostalism addressed that world (spiritual)
  * Addresses demons and spirits
  - Pentecostal worship gave people hope and confidence that they could deal with this kind of world, global world that was urban, poor, controlled by spirits, we can transform and do something about it in the community together.
  - Primal spirituality of Brazil, etc. connected.