The Latino/Latin American Church and the Reformation | Reformed Worship 6/6/17, 9(42 AM

The Latino/Latin American Church

and the Reformation
The reception of the Protestant Reformation in the United States Latino and
Latin American church is a sweet agony. On the one hand, there is the
continuity of missional passion, while on the other hand, there are
discontinuities in the theological heritage. Still, the Latino church continues
to grow rapidly as more people confess “Jesús es el Señor.”

Latinos are the largest minority population in the U.S. Notably, the Pew
Research Center reports that 22 percent of Latinos self-identify as
Protestants. This is not a surprise considering that the Protestant Latin
American church is one of the fastest-growing sectors of Christianity in the
world.

As Christians in North America become more consciously diverse, and more

specifically as the Reformed Christian church grows in its awareness of
diversity in the body of Christ, attention to what it means to be a Christian
and Reformed is more needed than ever. As the commemoration of the
Protestant Reformation draws near, the Latino and Latin American church
can be a helpful gauge of the impact (and problems) the Reformation has
crossing into new cultures. Though the focus of this article is on Latinos in
the U.S., the concluding questions are ones that Reformed Christians
throughout the world need to continually be asking themselves.

Heritage of the Protestant Reformation

Contemporary Protestantism in Latin America and in the U.S. Latino

experience can be traced to two main movements of the late nineteenth and
early twentieth centuries: the missions of the Euro-American mainline

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churches and the missionary activities of the Holiness movements in the

United States after the wars for independence in the Americas. The Reformed
tradition arrived principally by way of Presbyterian missionaries in the
nineteenth century.

The 1960s witnessed the emergence of a Protestant movement in Latin

America that produced its own scholars and theologies. By the beginning of
the twenty-first century, Latin American/Latino Protestants grew to become
one of the largest minority Protestant groups in the U.S. Certain sectors
embody principles of the Reformation more than others.

The theological intuitions of U.S. Latinos hark back to the experience of Latin
American churches. These Latinos are culturally and ethnically diverse.
Nevertheless, they share a common trait: an emphasis on being a people with
a mission to embody the gospel despite being underrepresented in important
theological forums. Historically Latino and Latin American theological
reflection, though intensely missional, does not have a significant voice
within the Anglo-evangelical or historical Reformed church.

Most Latinos prefer to identify as evangélicos in the heritage of the Latin

American usage and not simply as “evangelical.” This is the case because
“evangelical” refers to a theologically, politically, and culturally conservative
movement with emphasis on personal piety and missions. In the United
States, evangélicos and pentecostales share theological orthodoxy and a
missionary impulse, but they tend not to identity with Republican
conservatism. Rather, piety is emphasized in communal expressions, and
social witness tends to prioritize structural social issues.

It could be said that Latino churches are distant recipients of the Protestant
Reformation. Although there is no direct ecclesial tradition nor ethnic
genealogy that takes them to Europe, the Protestant ethos is vital. More

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specifically, they share the theological solas of the Reformation in informal

ways. The solas are treated not as an explicit theological inheritance from a
treasured Reformed orthodoxy, but instead as theological signposts of the
Christian experience. This experience is received by faith alone, in the unique
work of Christ alone, testified in Scripture alone, and as such is a sheer divine
gift that brings glory to God. Even without a lot of explicit theological
formulation, these beliefs are not disputed.

Back to the (Reformational) Future

In contrast to the Euro-American experience, there was no religious

revolution in the Spanish-Portuguese Americas. In other words, there was no
historical impetus for such a concise theological formulation in this part of
the world. The German, Swiss, and English reformations, with their
recuperation of the centrality of Scripture and its democratization for the
masses, was not successful in Spain. Spain had Reformers, but their influence
was cut short by the Inquisition and the monarchy. Spain dominated Latin
America. Nevertheless, the work of some Spanish Reformers lived on to
shape Spanish religious language in Latin America. Casiodoro de Reina and
Cipriano de Valera produced the first Spanish translation of the Bible from
the Latin Vulgate (1569 and 1602). Juan Valdés likely did the first translation
of the New Testament from the Greek into Spanish. These two
accomplishments are key for the Bible’s reception in the Americas.

By the twentieth century, indigenous Most Latinos prefer

evangelical churches emerged as a de facto
theological and civic opponent to Roman
to identify as
Catholicism. First, on the theological front, evangélicos in the
the work of evangelicals retrieving heritage of the Latin
Reformational theology in contextual
perspective emerged in the 1970s with the
American usage and

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formation of ecumenical bodies such as the not simply as

FTL (Latin American Theological
Fellowship), ISAL (Church and Society in
“evangelical.” This is
Latin America), and CLAI (Latin American the case because
Council of Churches). These “evangelical” refers
interdenominational assemblies deployed
the Reformational intuitions in service to an
to a theologically,
emerging contextual paradigm: Misión politically, and
Integral (holistic mission). Here, dogmatic culturally
theology was implemented in the service of
missional theology, not the other way
conservative
around. Justification by faith and the reign movement with
of Christ were carefully considered, emphasis on
especially as to how these precious
personal piety and
doctrines affect every sociopolitical sphere.
As the doctrines of the Protestant missions.
Reformation had explosive effects in the sixteenth century, the application of
these doctrines once again made waves in spheres well beyond the church
walls.

In the face of political turmoil, these evangelicals were the first regional
theologians to constructively engage the rise of revolutionary movements and
liberation theology with the doctrines of Scripture, ecclesiology, Christology,
and the confession of Jesus as Savior. The civic aspect of this new evangelical
tradition antagonized the religious-political synthesis of Catholicism as the
ultimate expression of Christendom on the continent. In a sense, by
relativizing human and religious institutions, the application of Reformed
doctrines desacralized the status quo in Latin America.

For instance, “the priesthood of all believers” implied a protest against any
kind of religious or secular authoritarianism. Social and political reform was a

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direct consequence of a culture shaped by the values of the Protestant

Reformation. A democratic society, equality under the law, and access for the
most vulnerable to the goods and justice of a healthy society became part of
the missional discourse of evangelicals.

Latinos and the Reformation Today

In the U.S. the Reformed tradition is mostly received by Latinos in its pietistic
and revivalist tenors. The Reformational solas are implicitly part of the
communal experience of seguimiento (daily walk). However, explicit
Reformed theology does not enjoy wide acceptance. Although Reformed
churches have attempted to engage in cross-cultural missions to Latinos, they
have been perceived as a mostly monoethnic and scholastic culture. Latinos
have historically preferred a diverse community and a praxis-oriented
Pentecostalism.

Today most Latinos identify within the Pentecostal and charismatic

traditions. Latino theologies tend to have an ecumenical ethos due in part to a
shared migrant experience. Additionally, the guilds of theological thinking
within the Reformed and evangelical traditions are still somewhat
uncomfortable with global theologies. Latino theologians work to elaborate
how Christology, pneumatology, and ecclesiology speak to the liminal (in-
between) culture identities of immigrants. The theological concerns of
Latinos gravitate toward the struggles of those who live as members of the
minority culture; traditionally, this has not been an emphasis in Reformed
theological contemplation.

These brothers and sisters pose a theological and missional challenge to the
Reformed body celebrating the achievements of the Reformation: What have
we done with the “least of these” who are racially and culturally “other” in
light of the wonderful doctrine of grace? Does Reformed orthodoxy still

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translate into a liberating theology of cultural transformation, political

renovation, and longsuffering with a body of believers on the margins?

Moving forward, we must understand that for Latinos, confessional

orthodoxy is not the only criterion for human flourishing. Orthopraxis in
favor of empowerment and inclusion of those on the margins is the visible
criterion for a credible Reformation. As Latino theologians walking and
thinking en conjunto (together) with the church, we pray ecclesia semper
reformanda est (the church must always be reformed). Is the Reformed
communion praying the same? We ought to! After all, the Reformation is not
a static achievement but a continual call and task in this historical moment.

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