News

Evangelicals Outgrow Catholics in Central America

“Nondenominational believers” rank close behind.

Churchgoers attend a mass.

Churchgoers attend a mass.

Getty / Jorge Salvador Cabrera

Evangelicalism is now the largest religious demographic in Central America, according to a poll of about 4,000 people in five countries. More than a third of people from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica told researchers from M&R Consultants that they are evangelical, while another 29 percent said they are creyente sin denominación (nondenominational believers).

Only about a third of people in the region said they were Catholic—down from about 60 percent in the 1970s. Some scholars have attributed the shift to internal Catholic conflict and the long fallout from the church’s political affiliations on the extreme right and left, along with the disruptions of urbanization.

Evangelical theologian Samuel Escobar, noting the trend in an interview in 2006, said Catholics who moved to Central American cities found empowerment in their evangelical conversion. “Their decision to accept Christ meant a change in patterns of behavior which helped people to reorient their lives,” he said.

According to sociologist Ariel Goldstein, who is critical of evangelical involvement in the regions’ politics, evangelicals grow because they adapt to local customs, have clergy who live close to the people, innovate, use social media, meet practical needs, and create community.

Also in this issue

What does ministry look like when every day might be one’s last? Our cover story details the ongoing work of several Ukrainian pastors who’ve led scattered and traumatized congregations through a year of war. Also in this issue: ministry to moms and babies in post-Dobbs Mississippi, what the tower of Babel really means, and Chinese ministries that use tea to bridge generational divides.

Cover Story

Ministers in Ukraine Are ‘Ready to Meet God at Any Moment’

The Bono Interview: Plaudits and Problems

News

Church Planting After the Fall (of the Berlin Wall)

God’s Yoke for the Decision Fatigued

Let’s Rethink the Evangelical Gender Wars

Divine Abundance Is More Than a Charismatic Hobbyhorse

Testimony

I Was the Proverbial, Drug-Fueled Rock and Roller

6 Ways to Parent Your Kids for the New Creation

The Stage or the Cross?

Our March Issue: Illumination and Illusion

‘Why Church?’ Is the Wrong Question

I Don’t Want to Be a Universalist

News

Mississippi Evangelicals Prepare to Welcome Dobbs Babies

News

Israeli Academics Question Archaeological Discoveries

News

With Gossip of the Gospel, the Church Grows in Nepal

Words Are Holy. So Why Don’t We Talk Like They Are?

Beware Our Tower of Babel

Can Bubble Tea Bring Gen Z into the Chinese Church?

David Platt: We Take the Gospel to the Nations, as the Nations

Review

All the World’s Not a Stage

Review

What Women Miss When They Go Missing from Church

New & Noteworthy Books

Excerpt

The Bible Gives Investors Like Me a New Perspective on Risk

View issue

Our Latest

News

Meet the Evangelical Expats Staying in Lebanon

Shout to the Lord in a Foreign Language

Worshiping God with words we don’t understand may seem strange. But I consider it a spiritual practice.

Jesus Is Still Right About Persecution

Nine truths believers need to understand to pray well for the suffering body of Christ.

The Bulletin

Electioneering

The Bulletin discusses the final presidential campaign push, churches in the age of screens, and the UN’s work in Gaza.

News

Argentina Moves to Officially Celebrate Its Evangelicals

Leaders are grateful for the government recognition but hope for further progress.

All Saints Die

Our yearly reminder for Christians neither to run from nor to leap toward death, but to learn the art of dying well.

 

 

 

 

The Antidote to Election Anxiety

My community is the kind you see in articles hyping the threat of political violence. Reality is more mundane—and hopeful.

News

Steven Curtis Chapman Joins Country Music Royalty

The Christian music star is the first in the industry to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube