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Latin America is a variety
of cultural situations. |
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It's not just a uniform block. |
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You have places like Brazil,
where there is 150 million people, |
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and where the Church,
has grown significantly. |
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Brazilians have been sending missionaries
since the beginning of the 20th century, |
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to Europe,
and Africa. |
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Also, there are places like
Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, |
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where there are Indian minorities,
native minorities, |
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same in Guatemala
and Mexico. |
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And the Gospel has been a factor
for social transformation there. |
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The growth of the Gospel
in Latin America, |
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has been especially significant
in the urban world, |
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with people who have been displaced
from the rural areas, and who are homeless. |
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The popular Churches, especially,
have become a home for the homeless, |
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which is what Peter says
in his 1st Espiscle. |
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So, we see some of the patterns
that are in the New Testament, |
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taking place also
in Latin America. |
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At the same time, we are concerned
that there is a lack of depth to this. |
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And that we need leaders, we need
to train leaders fast, as fast as possible, |
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to keep up
with the new miracle growth. |
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We are concerned also
with the fact |
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that after a 150 years
of Protestant missionary work, |
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we have a kind of evangelical nominalism
in some of the older Churches. |
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And at the same time, we would like to
connect with the new Mega Church movements. |
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Some of which,
use practices of popular religiosity, |
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that are popular
among Roman Catholics, |
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which are more syncretistic,
so we see the use of 'blessed water', |
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of external signs,
and we are concerned for that. |
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So, I think,
we need what Laussane has, |
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which is the Evangelistic passion
on the one side, |
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and the reflection on practice,
on the other side. |
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That it that you try to evaluate
what you do, |
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and what it happening,
Biblically and theologically, |
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so, that you can make
corrections along the way. |
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And, now we have the
phenomenon of immigration. |
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Latin Americans have gone to Europe.
They have gone to the United States. |
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Many of them work
in the Arab countries. |
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And they are a diaspora,
used in the Jewish world, |
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for those
that were exiled. |
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We could say
they are a diaspora, |
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that has a
missionary vision. |
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And right now, in Spain,
where I live, and work, |
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we are seeing how the Churches
that have been a bit inward looking |
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because of years of persecution,
can now take advantage |
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of a new situation of
religious freedom to evangelize. |
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And Latin Americans
are being used in that. |
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At the same time,
Spanish churches are being challenged |
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to do something
about the material needs of immigrants. |
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And that takes us back
to the emphasis of Laussane, |
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on putting together proclamation
and quality of persons, and social concern. |
