This study presents a historical survey of Protestantism in Ecuador from 1895 to the 1980s. Topics discussed include the reasons for Protestant growth; the connection of evangelization to political struggle; identity, achievements, and limitations of several Protestant groups; and the Ecuadorean reaction. Among the important groups studied are the Gospel Missionary Union, the Christian and Missionary Alliance, the Seventh Day Adventists, the Methodist Episcopal Church, HCJB Radio, the Summer Institute of Linguistics, and World Vision. Also analyzed is the Pentecostal movement which became increasingly important after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. / For many Ecuadoreans, the influx of Protestants, primarily fundamentalists from the United States, was an alarming threat to the prevailing culture and tradition. This was particularly true for the Catholic church and indigenous peoples. Most relevant was the role Protestants played in the removal of lowland Indians from their traditional territories. In that case, Protestants worked hand in hand with the Ecuadorean government and multinational corporations to open those lands for petroleum exploitation. / The Catholic church and indigenous peoples responded in various ways to Protestant evangelization. For the Church "Liberation Theology" became increasingly important as a counter to the Protestants. Indigenous groups responded by establishing a unifying Indian confederation. Indigenous groups also linked the Protestant influx to five hundred years of foreign conquest and colonization. / This study uses Ecuador to illustrate how Protestantism made inroads in Latin America over the last one hundred years. Protestantism expanded by connecting itself to political, social, and economic development. As the Ecuadorean case demonstrates, Protestantism filled the void which stemmed from weaknesses within the Catholic church. Protestantism also took advantage of social distress resulting from poverty, foreign debt, increased landlessness, and political crisis. It provided much worthwhile education, health care, communications, and disaster relief. However, there was a cost for many Ecuadoreans in the relinquishing of national sovereignty and traditional ways of life. / Source: Dissertation Abstracts International, Volume: 51-05, Section: A, page: 1739. / Major Professor: Darrell E. Levi. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--The Florida State University, 1990.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fsu.edu/oai:fsu.digital.flvc.org:fsu_78254 |
| Contributors | Goffin, Alvin Matthew., Florida State University |
| Source Sets | Florida State University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Text |
| Format | 264 p. |
| Rights | On campus use only. |
| Relation | Dissertation Abstracts International |
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