Transformative Theology: An Ecumenical Approach to Transformation in Guatemala
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The Latin American debate on development has been put on the agenda of theologians and church leaders since the 1960s, most critically by the representatives of liberation theology. Different epistemological and hermeneutic approaches have been used. By using a case from Guatemala this paper claims that different theological discourses are in play and influence the way political, social, economic and cultural development is understood and practiced. These discourses are often in conflict with each other. Bjune (2012) argues that the growth and strength of the Alliance of Evangelical Churches in Guatemala (aeg) have made “the evangelicals” a political actor in the country, contributing to maintaining the privileges of the rich and powerful. I argue that the Conference of Evangelical Churches in Guatemala (ciedeg) and their use of theology can be seen as a counter discourse to that of aeg as well as to what can be seen as western development thinking. The different theological discourses are thus also linked to economy and political influence: While aeg seems to go hand in hand with strong economic forces, the international support for the ecumenically-oriented ciedeg has declined. This article focuses on theological discourse as an important field in the debate on religion and development in Latin America.
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Transformative Theology: An Ecumenical Approach to Transformation in Guatemala
In: Mission StudiesSearch for other papers by Arnhild Leer-Helgesen in
Current site
Google Scholar
PubMed
The Latin American debate on development has been put on the agenda of theologians and church leaders since the 1960s, most critically by the representatives of liberation theology. Different epistemological and hermeneutic approaches have been used. By using a case from Guatemala this paper claims that different theological discourses are in play and influence the way political, social, economic and cultural development is understood and practiced. These discourses are often in conflict with each other. Bjune (2012) argues that the growth and strength of the Alliance of Evangelical Churches in Guatemala (aeg) have made “the evangelicals” a political actor in the country, contributing to maintaining the privileges of the rich and powerful. I argue that the Conference of Evangelical Churches in Guatemala (ciedeg) and their use of theology can be seen as a counter discourse to that of aeg as well as to what can be seen as western development thinking. The different theological discourses are thus also linked to economy and political influence: While aeg seems to go hand in hand with strong economic forces, the international support for the ecumenically-oriented ciedeg has declined. This article focuses on theological discourse as an important field in the debate on religion and development in Latin America.
| All Time | Past 365 days | Past 30 Days | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Abstract Views | 531 | 70 | 3 |
| Full Text Views | 212 | 5 | 1 |
| PDF Views & Downloads | 65 | 11 | 2 |
