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Protestantism in Panama

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Protestantism in Panama PROTESTANTISM IN PANAMA - And why middle classers go Evangelical - Gerriejan Anna Ravensbergen Master thesis Latin American Studies CEDLA Amsterdam January 2008 Advisor: Arij Ouweneel A. Ravensbergen Protestantism in Panama CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGMENT.............................................................................................................................. 5 INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Research question ...................................................................................................................................... 6 Relevance ................................................................................................................................................... 8 Definition of terms ..................................................................................................................................... 9 THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK............................................................................................................ 13 Explanation #1: Structural change ........................................................................................................... 13 Explanation #2: Social need .................................................................................................................... 16 Explanation #3: Spiritual fulfillment ....................................................................................................... 18 The Catholic Church and the invasion of the sects .................................................................................. 21 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................ 22 THE FIELDWORK ................................................................................................................................... 25 Motivation ............................................................................................................................................... 25 Methods in the field ................................................................................................................................. 26 Biases as a researcher .............................................................................................................................. 30 The writing process and analysis of data ................................................................................................. 33 THE RELIGIOUS FIELD OF PANAMA................................................................................................ 35 Religious plurality ................................................................................................................................... 35 The Catholic Church in Panama .............................................................................................................. 37 From liberalism to secularization ............................................................................................................ 39 The Protestant Church in Panama ............................................................................................................ 42 Summarizing ............................................................................................................................................ 50 CROSSROADS & CALLE BELÉN ......................................................................................................... 52 Historical roots ........................................................................................................................................ 52 Daily routines .......................................................................................................................................... 55 Haven of the educated: appealing to the middle class ............................................................................. 58 2 A. Ravensbergen Protestantism in Panama Summarizing ............................................................................................................................................ 65 THE RELIGIOUS CHOICES................................................................................................................... 66 The respondents ....................................................................................................................................... 67 Cumplir con Ritos.................................................................................................................................... 67 Searching for or bumping into the Living God ........................................................................................ 71 Conocer a Cristo ..................................................................................................................................... 78 Joining an Evangelical Church ................................................................................................................ 80 Volver atrás ............................................................................................................................................. 81 Discussion ................................................................................................................................................ 83 CONCLUSION........................................................................................................................................... 85 BIBLIOGRAPHY ...................................................................................................................................... 89 3 A. Ravensbergen Protestantism in Panama MAY I INTRODUCE The Republic of Panama = 3.2 million inhabitants 3 cities: Panama City, Colón, David 1500 islands A Constitutional Democracy Presidented by Martín Torrijos 75,517 km2 Size wise equaling Austria or Ireland Rid of Spain since 1821 and Colombia: 1903 Pretty diligent with 8 % econ growth Cashing $8,359 p/p/p/year Booming in real estate business Mainly producing services: banking..... A primary $-laundering center for narcotics revenue Managing the Canal better than the U.S ever did Exporting lots of bananas, shrimp and sugar Feeding NL with this, export partner # 3 30 % set aside for natural conservation Hosting 7 Indian tribes Boasting 92.7% adult literacy Dry from January till April Pretty hot (32°) and humid (>100%) otherwise 4 A. Ravensbergen Protestantism in Panama ACKNOWLEDGMENT For all the people who gave me encouragement and support during this year’s work on my thesis, I am very grateful. Thanks to Arij Ouweneel, my advisor at CEDLA who apart from academical advice, kept on telling me things were going to be just fine. In which he turned out to be right of course. I am also indebted to Fransisco Blanco of the Catholic University in Panama City. The Friday afternoons he spent on giving me a crash course Panamanian religious history were of great value. A big thanks to my dear friends of Sar- donna. Their deep friendship is of irreplaceable worth to me and their humor has kept me laughing during this tumultuous year. I am also grateful for my family, the save haven I can always venture out from and safely return to. Thanks to the family Porras, for their efforts to make me feel at home in their city and their live. Many thanks to Luis Porras, for his great resilience and being a friend through every stage. Without the help of the several dozens of people of the churches I assisted, this thesis would not have been written. I am very grateful for everyone’s willingness to share their lives so openly with me. I would like to thank Bob and Mary Gunn, who in- troduced me to their church. And the small group of Crossroads hosted by Augusto and Delia, people I wish I had met earlier in my stay. I am also grateful to the ladies of Calle Belén who welcomed me in their meetings, their thoughts and their lives. Finally, my deepest gratitude to Him, Who moves my world and to Whom I owe everything. 5 A. Ravensbergen Protestantism in Panama INTRODUCTION he religious landscape of Latin America has seen some considerable change in the T last few decades. At least ten percent of the Latin Americans today call themselves evangélico , with substantially higher numbers in Brazil, Chili and Central America. Not only the numbers increase but also the influence Protestants have on the political and so- cial debates. The Brazilian Universal Church for instance founded its own political party in 2005 and pastor Edir Macedo owns one of Brazil’s biggest television stations as well as several radio stations, news papers and a soccer team ( Economist , 23/12/2006: 50). Religious changes in the region have long escaped academic attention because of their image of a marginal variable, destined to wither in the light of new and modern ideolo- gies. This perception however proved wrong, especially in the ‘South’ in which one has been starting to speak of a ‘Protestant explosion’ (Burnett and Stoll, 1993: 1-4). 1 While secular ideologies of the nineteenth and early twentieth century faded – from Marxism to Freudianism – the spirit-filled version of Christianity flourished. Pentecostal denomina- tions have prospered and infused in traditional denominations through charismatic initia- tives. Once in the margin, these developments now form the world’s fastest-growing reli- gious movements (Pew Forum).2 Research question The question
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