2 of 3

Evangelicals have been among the strongest supporters of oppressive regimes in Peru (Alberto Fujimori), in Zambia when Chiluba became authoritarian, and in South Africa during the apartheid years. Parliamentary leaders from Brazil's Universal Church of the Kingdom of God have gone to prison for taking bribes, and evangelicals contributed to Kenya's simmering tribal strife.

In the worst case, General Efraín Ríos Montt, the Sunday school teacher and Pentecostal elder who served as president of Guatemala from 1982 to 1984 and remains a political power to this day, presided over some of the most systemic human-rights abuses and wanton violence in recent Latin American history. Were these the only stories in these books, they would make for very discouraging reading indeed.

But the other side, where evangelical faith has clearly supported the right kind of human dignity with the most honorable forms of democratic practice, is just as strong. In Peru, lay Pentecostals led the effort to form "peasant patrols" that put their lives on the line to protect native communities against the Shining Path Communist guerilla movement. Members of Brazil's Parliament from the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God have shown genuine political sophistication in working cooperatively with both right-leaning and left-leaning movements. In Zambia, evangelicals led the resistance to President Chiluba when he fell prey to the "third termism" that has so often imperiled young African democracies.

Most impressively, in Kenya a series of courageous Anglican bishops, led by Archbishop David Gitari, has spoken out forcefully on many occasions to chastise government corruption, defend basic human rights, and appeal for national harmony. Especially impressive in their witness has been the delicate balancing of biblical depth and political altruism in speaking truth to power.

These impressive case studies point to several general realities. First, local cultures and local history matter. There is no one-size-fits-all political impact when evangelical movements grow; a great deal depends, for example, on whether the local context has been dominated by a powerful Catholic church and a strongly anti-clerical government (Mexico) or a national hero with strong Christian connections who becomes a tyrant (Robert Mugabe in Zimbabwe).

Second, to say that some group is "evangelical" tells us almost nothing about its approach to politics. Rather, what makes the difference politically is the kind of evangelicalism present, the approaches to Scripture and holiness evangelicals promote, and the particular challenges facing evangelical movements. Tensions with expanding Islam in northern Nigeria, for example, make for challenges very different from the need to maneuver between right-wing death squads and Communist insurgents in Nicaragua.

Third, vibrant experiences of conversion and thrilling instances of direct divine assistance do not by themselves make for political wisdom. The burgeoning of evangelical movements around the world is a recent development of supreme importance for the kingdom of God. But it also spotlights a pressing need for education, wisdom, depth, balance, and discretion. For an evangelical politics in the majority world to reflect the innocence of doves and the wisdom of serpents (instead of the reverse) will take considerable work.

next page... |  2 of 3

share this page

June 2008, Vol. 52, No. 6