Cruz Future

"Latin America is still part of the ‘‘New World,’’ autochthonous cultures having been replaced a long time ago—for the good or for the bad, Latin American culture is still Western. The elite in Latinized countries has been, also for a long time, secularized and suspicious of ecclesiastical authority. Separation of church and state has been the rule since the nineteenth century. Even though this situation differs from country to country, the generalization still holds."¹ (34)

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"‘‘Globalization’’ is seen as one of the major challenges for the near futurE On the negative side, this concept indicates submission to a global market that is often unfair, and the heightening of economic and cultural dependencE But there are positive sides to it too, for example, the Web. Because of it, countries where book learning is slim are jumping straight into the TV and Internet communication, widely availablE5 Issues such as those mentioned above, more universal in character, also help to establish a common basis among countries across the divide, rendering it implausible to speak of any ‘‘enormous rift’’ between rich and poor countries."² (35)

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"If someone asks, therefore, whether a new Reformation is taking place in Latin America, the answer is no. Growth of Pentecostalism (both in Catholic and Protestant circles), backlash concerning liturgical and social reforms, and other changes, are far from being revolutionary. Again, the sole major difference between ‘‘the North’’ and ‘‘the South’’ is demographic, and anyone can foresee a slow change in the axis of ecclesiastical power because of this." ³(36)

"as far as Latin America is concerned, demographic trends are clearly following those of Europe and North America. So this part of the world will eventually be less representative in the geopolitical configuration of Christianity in this century."⁴

1E Cruz 'The Future of the New World that Was Supposed to Be' , Dialog: A Journal of Theology 43:1 (2004), 34–36, 34.

2 E Cruz 'The Future of the New World that Was Supposed to Be' , Dialog: A Journal of Theology 43:1 (2004), 34–36, 35.

3E Cruz 'The Future of the New World that Was Supposed to Be' , Dialog: A Journal of Theology 43:1 (2004), 34–36, 36.

4E Cruz 'The Future of the New World that Was Supposed to Be' , Dialog: A Journal of Theology 43:1 (2004), 34–36, 36.