Establishment and growth of Protestantism in Colombia / Leslie J. Thompson. [print]

List of Tables

1. Political Violence in Colombia (1988-1995) -- 2. Political Killings: A Regional Comparison -- 3. Organizations Entering Colombia (1900-1930) -- 4. Protestant Growth From 1916-1953 -- 5. Protestant Bible Schools Established -- 6. Launch of Evangelism in Depth, January 1968 -- 7. Denominations That Divided in Colombia -- 8. Comparison Between Traditional and Pentecostal Churches -- 9. Educational Needs of Latin American Pastors -- 10. Budget: Aprl 1978-April 1979 -- 11. First Pastor Graduate Profile.

List of Figures

1. Map of Modern-Day Colombia -- 2. Map of Guerrilla Activity -- 3. Areas in Colombia Controlled by Guerrillas -- 4. Map of the Area in Chile Where the Pastor Seminars Were Held -- 5. Les Thompson and Rev. Salabarria Hand Out Certificates -- 6. One of the Teachers, Rev. Salabarria Illustrates a Point -- 7. The Puerto Montt Band Adds to the Joy of the Event -- 8. The Church Where We Met in Puerto Montt -- 9. My Talented and Faithful Assistant, Jose Alejandro Wojnarowicz -- 10. The Happy Faces of Chile's Pastors -- 11. First Text -- 12. Second Text -- 13. Third Text -- 14. Fourth Text -- 15. Eleven LOGOI Centers Scattered Throughout Mexico -- 16. Justo's Alphabet Cards -- 17. Courses for New Readers -- 18. A Six-Book Study of the Life of Jesus -- 19. Coach Cartter Movie Poster.

Chapter 1: Colombia: A highly diverse nation

Introduction -- Discovery by the Spaniards -- Review of the literature -- Books dealing with modern Colombia -- The Influence of Pentecostalism -- Colombia's early history -- The pre-Colonial era (until 1525) -- The Colonial era (1525-1808) -- The domination of the Indians -- The Spanish Inquisition -- The 'Lutheran Heresy' in the New Spain -- The post-Colonial era (1808-1902) -- Spain Loses Power in Latin America -- Colombia and Venezuela gain independence -- Liberals, Masons, Socialists, Communists and Protestants -- Protestants are welcomed in Colombia -- Liberals favor Protestants -- A nation at war with itself: The political struggle (1808-1902) -- The constitutional conflicts -- Conclusion.

Chapter 2: Colombia today

Introduction -- The geography -- The nation's transportation systems -- The government and growth of the economy (1902-1945) -- The ries of the guerrilla movements -- "Tirofijo", creator of the FARC -- Pable Escobar and the Medellin Cartel -- Camilo Torres, Colombia's revolutionary priest -- The political and military response to the guerrillas -- The formation of the paramilitary army -- The paramilitary discredited because of its abuses -- Conclusion.

Chapter 3: The growth and struggles of the Protestants

Introduction -- The political milieu awaiting Protestants -- Why Protestants delayed to enter Latin America -- Protestant beginnings in Colombia -- Napoleon invades Spain and abolishes the Inquisition -- General Mosquera invites missionaries to enter Colombia -- A return to power for the Roman Catholic Church -- Colombia signs a "Concordat" with Rome -- Political convulsions eventually bring about change -- Protestants enter South America in greater numbers -- The Protestants begin to multipy -- Protestant objectives to Catholic beliefs -- The appeal of medieval Catholocism to the Indians -- The importance of Catholic symbols -- Catholic reactions to Protestant criticism -- Ways in which the Catholic Church limits Protestants -- A missionary family recounts Catholic bigotry -- Not all experiences with Catholics were negative -- The dark days of persecution -- Conclusion.

Chapter 4: A national church ill prepared for growth

Introduction -- Differences between the early missionaries and the new ones -- Missionaries establish schools for children and pastors -- Missionaries set up schools for children -- Missionaries set up schools to provide training for national pastors -- A typical Bible School -- Reasons for the educational difficulties -- The importance of education by missionaries -- The first problem found in our study of the educational systems -- Vatican II opens the door to Latin America's Protestants -- The Bible, a book for all to read -- The concept of "Separated Brethren" -- Preaching in the vernacular -- Problems created by unexpected growth -- Second Problem: a consequence of the lack of pastor training -- The uniting effect of Evangelism in Depth -- The ideas behind Evangelism in Depth -- Evangelism in Depth modeled in Guatemala -- Evangelism in Depth initiated in Colombia -- Evangelicals and Pentecostals come together -- Evangelicals and Pentecostals in controversy -- Explaining the Protestant/Pentecostal crisis -- Common practices of the popular neo-Pentecostals -- The third problem: a lack of discernment -- The missionary moratorium begins -- A very divisive debate -- The points made in the controversial deate -- Fourth problem: What happened once the missionaries left -- Conclusion.

Chapter 5: A national church in need of repair

Introduction -- The priority of evangelism in the 1960s and 70s -- A leading mission declares evangelism its priority -- The failure of Bible schools for pastors -- Pastors unprepared for their responsible jobs -- The crisis faced by untrained national pastors -- Pastors make choices -- How Pentecostalism got started -- Understanding popular Pentecostalism and its appeal -- Areas of Pentecostal belief difficult to accept -- The crisis faced by churches in Colombia -- A program to provide training for Latin America's untrained pastors -- My birthplace and background -- From Cuba to the expanse of an entire continent -- The formation of LOGOI -- Pastors in Southern Chile ask for a seminar -- First steps in our evolution of a program -- Fall of 1978 and our first summary of a training plan -- In the summer of 1979 a pastor asked the million-dollar question -- The emergence of our education program "FLET" -- The first textbooks are selected -- The first program introduced in Chile -- The first test of our program proves to be a failure -- We discover the solution to distance learning -- Conclusion.

Chapter 6: Education for pastors in Colombia

Introduction -- An overview of the Latin America Mission's work in Colombia -- Beginnings of the Latin America Mission in Colombia -- Requirements for pastor ordination by the AIEC -- Growth of the AIEC -- Victor Landero, the farmer turned evangelist -- Evangelism in Depth, the program that put people to work -- A spiritual crisis forces the AIEC to a search for answers -- The ingredients that created the crisis -- The neo-Pentecostal fire spreads -- Legitimate concerns of the AIEC church leaders -- The AIEC discovers the LOGOI pastor training program -- Leaders in the AIEC ask for LOGOI's program -- A bit of clarification -- The areas of concern in preparing the LOGOI curriculum -- Delays in initiating the study program in Colombia -- Financial problems brought on by LOGOI's success -- The cost entailed in creating the right products -- Financial resources -- The arrangement that permitted expansion into Colombia -- The LOGOI/LAM educational program begins in Colombia -- The educational program begins in Colombia -- The methodology used in implementing the LOGOI program -- Guaranteeing the learning process -- Completing the training process -- The supervisory arrangement between LOGOI and the AIEC -- An overview of the curriculum of study provided by LOGOI -- A brief description of the program introduced in Colombia -- Conclusion.

Chapter 7: A church transformed

Introduction -- An education plan is established -- Bible learning replaces the charismatic excitement -- An observation regarding the importance of pastor education -- The results start being seen -- A visit to northern Colombia -- The first graduation -- Pastors study in the hostile environment of guerrilla opposition -- Christian pastor and lay leaders jailed for subversion -- An Interview with a pastor serving in a guerrilla area -- Second interview with a pastor serving in a guerrilla area -- LOGOI students shot by a militia group -- AIEC leaders report on the effects of their educational drive -- Conclusion.

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