Protestantism in Guatemala: Living in the New Jerusalem

By Virginia Garrard-Burnett

Book Overview

Guatemala has undergone an unprecedented conversion to Protestantism since the 1970s, so that thirty percent of its people now belong to Protestant churches, more than in any other Latin American nation. To illuminate some of the causes of this phenomenon, Virginia Garrard-Burnett here offers the first history of Protestantism in a Latin American country, focusing specifically on the rise of Protestantism within the ethnic and political history of Guatemala.

Garrard-Burnett finds that while Protestant missionaries were early valued for their medical clinics, schools, translation projects, and especially for the counterbalance they provided against Roman Catholicism, Protestantism itself attracted few converts in Guatemala until the 1960s. Since then, however, the militarization of the state, increasing public violence, and the "globalization" of Guatemalan national politics have undermined the traditional ties of kinship, custom, and belief that gave Guatemalans a sense of identity, and many are turning to Protestantism to recreate a sense of order, identity, and belonging.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0292728174
• ISBN13: 9780292728172
• Release Date: September 1998
• Publisher: University of Texas Press
• Length: 264 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Thoughtful and research-based

The central thesis of this book is that the enormous conversion to protestanism among Guatemalans during the past 40 years can be traced to the destruction of traditional communities as a result of war, violence, and migration. The adoption of a new religion provides converts a sense of order and identity. This book, carefully researched and beautifully written, provides a compelling argument in support of the thesis. I would highly recommend this book to all readers who are interested in Guatemalan history and social studies.