An Evangelical Saga: Baptists and Their Predecessors in Latin America.An Evangelical Saga: Baptists and Their Predecessors in Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. . By Justice C. Anderson. Xulon Press, 2005, 637 pp. This work represents a lifetime of careful study by outstanding missiologist and church historian Justice Anderson. The book heralds that there is now a story for church historians to tell in recounting the beginnings and growth of Baptists and evangelicals in Latin America. No longer can church history focus solely on Europe and North America North America, third largest continent (1990 est. pop. 365,000,000), c.9,400,000 sq mi (24,346,000 sq km), the northern of the two continents of the Western Hemisphere. . The astonishing a·ston·ish tr.v. as·ton·ished, as·ton·ish·ing, as·ton·ish·es To fill with sudden wonder or amazement. See Synonyms at surprise. advance of evangelicalism evangelicalism Protestant movement that stresses conversion experiences, the Bible as the only basis for faith, and evangelism at home and abroad. The religious revival that occurred in Europe and America during the 18th century was generally referred to as the evangelical in Latin America through the last century is a thrilling story that has not been chronicled heretofore in any systematic way. Anderson has given us a carefully documented history, written out of a thorough and personal knowledge of Latin American Baptists. His presentation has a broad and global perspective-"connecting the Baptist story to the larger evangelical story of God's purposes for the whole world" (576). An Evangelical Saga provides essential insights for any who hope to understand the historical trajectory of Protestantism in Latin America, and the book will be most helpful to coming generations of English-speaking Christians who aspire to aspire to verb aim for, desire, pursue, hope for, long for, crave, seek out, wish for, dream about, yearn for, hunger for, hanker after, be eager for, set your heart on, set your sights on, be ambitious for witness and minister in Latin America. The voices Anderson recorded from the past will help readers understand the present and plan for the future. The book divides nicely into three sections, which treat respectively the "providential prov·i·den·tial adj. 1. Of or resulting from divine providence. 2. Happening as if through divine intervention; opportune. See Synonyms at happy. precursors" who sowed the initial seeds of the gospel, the "international pioneers" who planted churches and pursued initial strategies, and finally, in the larger third section, Baptist beginnings and progress country by country. Anderson included some material formerly available only in Spanish in his widely used church history textbook, Historia de los Bautistas (3 vols.). However, all the material has been thoroughly re-worked and updated for the English-speaking audience.--Reviewed by Robert I. Garrett, professor of missions, Dallas Baptist University Dallas Baptist University (DBU), formerly known as Dallas Baptist College, is a Christian liberal arts university located in Dallas, Texas, USA. History DBU began as Decatur Baptist College in Decatur, Texas, in 1898. , Dallas, Texas. |
|
||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion