Establishment and Growth of Protestantism in Colombia Leslie J. Thompson September, 2005 School of Education, University of Wales, Bangor This Dissertation is submitted in part fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Ph.D. of the University of Wales ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The researcher is most grateful to friends in Colombia who came to his assistance. Some lent books long out of print on the early years of the Protestant Church. Rev. Guillermo Triana, President of the Confederación Evangélica de Colombia (CEDEC), provided minutes of key meetings that helped the researcher gain an understanding of missionary/national conflicts. Rev. Jairo Gutierrez made a special trip to the Baptist Theological Seminary Library in Cali, Colombia and, with their permission, copied several entire books that would otherwise have been unavailable. The chief librarian at the National Library of Colombia in Bogotá was very helpful. An old friend, Jeanne Burford de Bucana (1995) must be thanked for her book La Iglesia Evangélica en Colombia. Without these special resources, the task of completing this work would have been very difficult. Two men deserve special mention: Dr. Bill Rees and Dr. Colin Baker, my thesis supervisors at the University of Wales, Bangor. Dr. Rees has patiently reviewed this work chapter by chapter and provided invaluable suggestions and assistance. Dr. Baker has been a source of constant encouragement. As a group, the pastors of the Asociación de Iglesias Evangélicas del Caribe receive chief credit for the completion of this work. They are the men who actually lived out the researcher’s thesis. For their participation in interviews as well as their responses to numerous phone calls and electronic communications, the following individuals deserve special mention: Gregorio Landero, Ubaldo Padilla, Juan González, Marcos Díaz, Alvaro Méndez, Enoc Palacio, Wilson Martínez, Danilo Díaz, Eleazar Moreno, Eddie Romero, and Nicolas Woodbury. The researcher’s wife and four sons were constant encouragers, allowing the space and considerable time necessary for reading, thinking and writing. Along with them, special appreciation for the LOGOI office staff must be voiced for the manner in which they provided full access to the LOGOI files. Two individuals deserve special acknowledgement: Angie Torres Moure and Patty Torrelio. All, however, were great cheerleaders, often protecting the researcher from needless office detail and granting him the time necessary for his research and writing. They all truly deserve heart-felt thanks. ABSTRACT The aim of this thesis is to show the importance of providing well- constructed programs of theological education for pastors in the South American nation of Colombia. The establishment of the Protestant Church in that land provides the background. The Roman Catholic opposition, the political violence, the missionary/national conflicts, the cultish Pentecostalism and the national pastors’ lack of education supply the study’s framework. Underlying the research is the attempt to show the importance of providing solid biblical training for Colombia’s national pastors by showing the success of the FLET (Spanish acronym for Latin American Faculty of Theological Education) educational programs in transforming 300 churches of the Asociación de Iglesias Evangélicas del Caribe (The Association of Evangelical Churches of the Caribbean). Chapter 1 presents the highly diverse nation of Colombia, describing how the uncertain political climate has prevailed throughout its history, from the pre-Colonial era through modern times. The effect of the Inquisition is analyzed, including the persecution that ensued and how it delayed the arrival of Protestants in that country. A description of the post-Colonial era during the nineteenth century shows Spain’s loss of power in Latin America, followed by the fight for independence by Colombia and Venezuela. As the political climate began to change, Protestants were identified with the new political liberal movement and thus welcomed into the country. Chapter 2 presents a look into the Colombian nation today. A description of its geography, people, resources, transportation systems and economy is provided. The rise of the guerrilla movement is explained, including an introduction of the main characters, including “Tirofijo”, creator of the FARC; Pablo Escobar, leader of the infamous Medellin Cartel; and Camilo Torres; Colombia’s revolutionary priest. This chapter portrays the formation of the paramilitary army, and explains how it was eventually discredited for its abuses. In Chapter 3 the growth and struggles of Protestants in Latin America is described. When Napoleon invaded Spain, the Inquisition was abolished, resulting in an invitation by President Mosquera for missionaries to enter Colombia. This chapter explains how political convulsions eventually brought about change, which opened the doors for Protestants. A correlation between politics and religion emerged, with Catholics being recognized as Conservatives while Protestants were identified with the Liberals. A return to power by the Conservative party and the Catholic Church marked the signing of a “Concordat” between Colombia and Rome and many obstacles for the Protestants. The differences between Catholicism and Protestantism are presented, including the influence of religion on the Indians and the limitations placed on non-Catholics. Chapter 4 presents the challenges faced by the Protestant Church in Colombia and introduces the four major problems dealt with in this thesis, all having to do with the education of national church leaders. Rapid growth of the Protestant Church began in Colombia after the Second Vatican Council declared that Protestants were “separated brethren,” thus removing the stigma of heresy from Protestants. Protestant churches multiplied as a result of the great emphasis on evangelism, on the one hand, and the popular doctrines of neo-Pentecostals on the other. Since there were few well-taught ministers available, ill-prepared leaders were named as pastors. Consequently, little importance was given to the need of preserving the biblical doctrines and the theological heritage introduced by the missionaries. The resulting tangle of teachings and doctrinal confusion led to the hypothesis: the establishment and growth of Protestantism is dependent on the biblical and theological education of its leadership. Those involved in building the Church must train the national leaders so that they build their churches on the historic essentials of Christianity. This hypothesis is spelled out in response to the four serious problems that emerge as a result of the growth of the Protestant Church in Colombia. The chapter explains how efforts were made to remove the severe educational handicap of pastors and national leaders alike. Chapter 5 shows how the Protestant Church overall was affected by the four main problems identified by this thesis. After identifying the basic problems of the Protestant Church in Colombia, the chapter discusses possible solutions. The chapter details the researcher’s personal and professional background, including his experiences and observations of the Protestant Church throughout Latin America, leading to the formation of the FLET pastor education program by LOGOI Ministries headquartered in Miami, Florida. The chapter concludes by introducing the education program designed for pastors already in service, but with limited Bible and doctrinal studies. Chapter 6 details how the LOGOI pastor education program was introduced in Colombia and the way it impacted the 300 churches of the Asociación de Iglesias Evangélicas del Caribe (AIEC), the churches associated with the Latin America Mission. A description of the program and methodologies used by LOGOI in Colombia to train pastors with little education is discussed. The study dates from Vatican II onward, the late 1960s to the mid 1980s. Although details vary from one denomination of churches to another, the findings are broad enough to provide a general picture of the condition of the Protestant Church in Colombia overall. Chapter 7 completes the story of the training of the 300 AIEC pastors, but also seeks to validate the researcher’s hypothesis—the indispensable need of pastors for a biblical and theological education. The implication of this research is that if Historic Protestantism is to have a lasting, significant role in Colombia as well as throughout Latin America the pastors propagating it must have a solid biblical and theological education. Further, what has been seen in Colombia may serve as an example to other Protestant churches in other nations. It is maintained that churches that have sustained growth are those built around well-trained leaders who hold faithfully to the teachings of the Bible, rather than on those who rely on mere piety, zeal, good religious programs, emotionalism, or on good will. The conclusion highlights the researcher’s special findings as he follows the history of the growth of Protestantism in Colombia. Then he reviews the priority given by missionaries to evangelism, contrasted with the lack of emphasis on training national pastors. The importance of training national pastors for the establishment of the Protestant Church in Colombia follows, and is demonstrated by the rapid growth of Protestantism, the unexpected departure of most missionaries and the introduction of debilitating popular doctrines by neo-Pentecostals. The researcher ends presenting personal conclusions along with his