Calvin. History and Reception of a Reformation Week 5. Reading Calvin Today Sequence 8. Latin America Hello. My name is Odair Pedroso Mateus. I teach ecumenical theology at the Ecumenical Institute of the World Council of Churches. This week, our course consists of a series of sequences around the theme, "Reading Calvin Today." I would like to talk about how Calvin is read in Latin America. In order to do so, I'll first give a quick historical overview. Latin America is more than just a geographical region. Its cultures, though diverse, have much in common. Indeed, the countries that make up Latin America have all been shaped by centuries of Spanish and Portuguese colonization. Latin American societies share many characteristics: language, social structure, etc. Even historical periods are similar from country to country. When Reformed Protestantism arrived in Latin America in the 19th century, Latin American societies were highly polarized. On the one hand, there was a conservative vision of society, aiming to perpetuate the basic dynamics of colonization, including the dominant Catholicism that characterized it. On the other, there was a liberal, democratic vision of society, heavily influenced by the French Revolution, whose objective was to propel Latin America towards a society in the mold of
industrialized Europe. In this context, Reformed Protestantism appeared to these liberal, progressive, modernizing forces as a strategic partner. This greatly facilitated the insertion of Protestantism
in Latin America. But what exactly did this Reformed Protestantism consist of? It was a heavily Puritanical and North American brand of Protestantism, one marked in particular by
prolonged interaction with Methodism and by the series of "Great Awakenings"
of the 18th and 19th centuries. Thus it is this multifaceted, North American brand of Protestantism that inserted itself into the reality of Latin America. Representing a tiny minority, Latin American Protestantism reacted by developing a strong anti-Catholic sentiment, which has remained ever since. It also came to be deeply influenced by North American fundamentalism, characterized by a literalist interpretation of the Bible, and developed strong anti-ecumenical and anti-communist
convictions. Later, Latin America would see a surge of Pentecostal and Neo-Pentecostal churches. Yet the picture I've just painted -- that of a Puritanical, evangelical, fundamentalist-leaning form of Calvinism, a Calvinism in constant interaction with Pentecostal or Neo-Pentecostal spirituality --
is incomplete. It fails to capture all of what Latin American Calvinism truly represents. The last 50 years have seen the rise, within Latin American Calvinism, of a series of new religious initiatives that reflect a need on the part of Reformed Protestants to
redefine the Reformed tradition in the context of a profoundly changed, and changing, reality. This series of new initiatives also reflects a need to challenge, to go beyond the orthodox interpretations of Calvinism which have historically defined Latin American
Reformed Protestantism. Thus we can say that there are in fact two interpretations of Calvinism and Reformed Protestantism in Latin America. The first is more implicit: it is steeped in Protestant history and possesses the characteristics I mentioned earlier. It corresponds, to a great extent, to the orthodox Calvinism of the 17th century, which serves as its guiding force. The second interpretation views the traditional approach as inadequate in terms of confronting the new historical challenges which have arisen. According to this second interpretation, it is necessary to challenge the tenets of traditional orthodoxy and to clarify their limitations. It is necessary to open a new dialogue between Calvinism and the reality of Latin America in all its complexity. Let's explore this critique of traditional interpretations of Calvinism in a little more detail. I'm going to present three key points to illustrate what this critique is all about. First point: Calvin's theology, in its insistence on the centrality of Scripture (i.e., Scriptural interpretation and commentary), is undeniably influenced by (and inclusive of) the humanistic
disciplines of his time: literary science, philology, rhetoric, etc. Yet such an approach is incompatible with a literalist interpretation of Scripture -- which is what fundamentalism engages in. The question, then, becomes how to go beyond such an interpretation. Second point: Calvin's thought is very clearly a reaction to the Catholicism of his time. Yet Calvin himself acknowledged that the Roman Catholic church of his time retained some "vestiges of Christ's church." Calvin was also very insistent on the visible unity of the Church; in no way did he desire the division of the Church, or of Calvinism, into a multiplicity of sub-denominations. Thus the Calvinist tradition should resist any attempt at isolationism; any attitude opposed, for instance, to ecumenism. Third point: it is true that in his writings, Calvin highlights the importance of experience, on a personal, affective level, in terms of receiving Christ into one's life. Yet this experience is subordinate, or secondary, to the primacy of the Word as it is proclaimed and revealed to us in Scripture. This is reflected in his conception of sermons, of the sacraments and of the worship service. So we have three examples that illustrate the critique of traditional, orthodox Calvinism that has arisen, through a series of new initiatives and renewed interpretations, within
Reformed Protestantism in Latin America. Thank you for your attention. For those of you who'd like to learn more, I have a few book suggestions -- in French, English, Spanish and Portuguese. They will help you gain a more in-depth understanding of the ideas and dynamics discussed in this sequence. Goodbye.