Religious Politics in Latin America, Pentecostal vs. Catholic

Brian H. Smith

Description

Brian H. Smith's book surveys recent religious and political developments in Latin American Christianity, especially in the rapidly growing Pentecostal churches and in Catholicism. He finds that despite efforts by the Vatican to make the Latin American Church less involved in politics (in the wake of liberation theology) by the papal appointment of a whole new generation of conservative bishops since 1980, Catholicism is still very much a political force throughout the region.

Catholic bishops, in spite of their conservative religious ideology, have felt obligated to preach the social doctrine of the Church and have vigorously denounced new economic models for enriching a minority of the population at the cost of the majority who are poor. Bishops also have denounced corruption in governments that has grown to epidemic proportions in recent years, and have strongly opposed legislative proposals that are anti-Catholic.

Regardless of these efforts by Catholic prelates to maintain government support for the Church's institutions and its traditional moral concerns in law, Protestantism - especially in Pentecostal denominations among low-income sectors - has grown at a significant rate in the past twenty years.

Although traditionally reluctant to involve themselves in politics, Pentecostals in recent years have become more active either by forming new Christian parties or by joining or supporting existing political movements. Their political agenda overlaps in some areas with that of Catholics. These shared concerns could lead to a coalition between Catholic and Pentecostal leaders that could have a real impact on public policy, given that over ninety percent of the population is now affiliated with one of these two denominations.

However, Pentecostal religious and political leaders are also pushing publicly for full separation of church and state (which exists now only in Cuba and Mexico) and for all religions to have equal status in law. Both these similarities and the differences in the political agenda of Catholics and Pentecostals could complicate public policy debate in the years ahead and certainly short-circuit any attempts to remove religion as a significant, and sometimes divisive, influence in politics in newly constituted liberal democracies in Latin America.

Sujets

• Religion
• Christianisme
• Political Science
• Latin American
• Ciudad del Vaticano
• Christianity
• World
• Caribbean
• Vatican

Informations

• Publié par: University of Notre Dame Press
• Date de parution: 15 novembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9780268092986
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

Extrait

Religious Politics in Latin Anterica, Pentecostal vs. Catholic

Brian H. Smith

Réîgîouŝ Poîtîcŝ în Làîn Amérîcà, Péntécoŝtà vŝ Càthoîc

TITLES FROM THE HELEN KELLOGG

INSTITUTE FOR INTER NATIONA L STUDIES

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uis é onzlez Poitiça Suçtués and Démoçaçy in Uuguay (1991)

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oberto Bouzas and Jaime s, eds  eçonomiç Intégation in thé Wéstén Hémisphéé (1994)

ark  Jones eéçtoa Laws and thé SuViVa of Pésidéntia Démoçaçiés (1995)

imitri Śotiropolous Popuism and buéauçaçy: Thé casé of Gééçé undé PASOK, 8 8 (1996)

eter ester eich Méxiço's Hiddén RéVouion: Thé cathoiç chuçh in Law and Poitiçs Śinçé 5 (1996)

ichael leet and Brian Śmith Thé cathoiç chuçh and Démoçaçy in chié and Péu (1997)

A James cAdams, ed Tansitiona Justiçé and thé Rué ofLaw in Néw Démoçaçiés (1997)

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ctor é okman and uillermo 'onnell, eds  PoVéty and Inéquaity in Latin Améiça: Issués and Néw chaéngés (1998)

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Religious Politics iN LatiN Anericà,

PeNtecostàl vs. Catholic

BrianH.Smih

Univérsity of Notré Damé Préss otre ame, ndiana

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CONTENtS

AcknowlEdgmEnt

Vii

 PEntEcostal éxpansionē Catholic ètEnchmEnt



 éxplanatio ad °mplications of PEntEcostal rowth

3 AssEssm‚t of ContEmporary Catholicism

 ŚcEnariosuturE PEntEcostal / Catholic

otEs

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EfEEncEs

°ndEx

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A CKNOWLe DGMeNtS

his research was supported by a 1995 Śummer Śtipend om the ational Éndowment Or the umanities (É) Or which  am most grateful  woud also like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Pro­ fessor Andrew J Śtein of the Political Ścience epartment at en­ nessee echnological Ûniversity rom the very beginning of the project Andrew provided me with several extremely helpful biblio­ graphical materials and references as well as some excellent construc­ tive criticisms on the rst draft of this manuscript everend Édward  Cleary,  P , of the Political Ścience e­ partment of Providence College read the manuscript twice and also gave me several suggestions on how to strengthen it and bring it up to date Or publication after the rst draft was completed in 1995.  owe him many thanks Or his encouragement in completing this work and Or his warm colleagueship along the way Professor ichael leet of the Political Ścience epartment of arquette Ûniversity also acted as constructive critic and support­ ive colleague during the writing of this book y Āmilyary aye, Śean, and atieshowed great patience with me during the peculiarly hot Wisconsin summer of 1995 and let me hide out" in the cool basement until the opus was done

vii

1

PENTECO STA L EXPA NSION, CATHOLIC RETRENCHMENT

ne of The mosT signicanT culTural changes in aTin merica in The pasT Two generaTions has been The sTeady growTh of ProTesTanTism in a region ThaT has TradiTionally been overwhelmingly CaTholic Or 500 years he expansion has been so signicanT ThaT some esTimaTes are by The middle of The neXT cenTury ProTesTanTs may ouTnumber CaTholics in aTin merica oreover, The vasT majoriTy of These converTs are among The pooresT classes and aliaTed wiTh Ùndamen­ TalisT branches of ProTesTanTism, parTicularly Those wiTh a PenTecos­ Tal characTer T The same Time ThaT ProTesTanTism has been growing sTead ily, CaTholicism has been experiencing some serious inTernal Tensions Ollowing inTense social and poliTical commiTmenTs in The  960s and  970s  Clerical involvemenT in parTisan poliTics, CaTholic collabora Tion in arxisT parTies and movemenTs, and episcopal calls Or sub­ sTanTial sTrucTural reOrms Āvoring The poor all have creaTed seri­ ous divisions among CaTholics and raised concerns in ome abouT a severely poliTicized Church n order To resTore uniTy in The CaTho­ lic Church, and To make iT more compeTiTive wiTh ProTesTanTism, The aTican has been insisTing ThaT greaTer emphasis be given To spiriTual raTher Than poliTical issues and To obedience To church auThoriTy he Ocus of This book will be To review The liTeraTure on The reasons Or PenTecosTal growTh and CaTholic reTrenchmenT, as well as asess The socioeconomic and poliTical implicaTions of These reli gious changes Or democraTic governmenTs in The hemisphere, many of which Ollow upon a decade or more of miliTary rule in Their respecTive socieTies 

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