Padilla

building on A.T. van Leeuwen affirms that in Latin America "we are entering a period of history dominated by technocracy, especially by the mass media, and open to change in every dimension of life."¹ (105)

o

claims that rather than atheism, secularization in Latin America leads to a departure from the Roman Catholic Church towards other religious movements. ²(105-106)

"Latin America has become a shopping mall of religious options."³ (106)

o

"one especially important element that...has contributed to the growth of megachurches .... is their adoption of the culture of mass empire ... the use of mass media in charismatic churches...is part of a whole constellation of elements reflecting the spirit of the times: the business approach, the use of marketing techniques to achieve numerical goals, the offer of material prosperity, help so that people will "feel good" and the emphasis on entertainment. These factors are accompanied by a reduction of the content of the message to its minimum expression and an apathetic attitude toward the formation of disciples prepared to live out their faith in every dimension of life."⁴ (106)

o

claims that a Christendom mentality shapes Roman Catholic approaches in Latin America⁵ (106-107)

o

claims that the divided nature of protestantism make Catholic conspiracy theories highly improbable ⁶(108)

o

detects a dangerous model of Protestant Christendom as evangelicals, unprepared, enter the political sphere. Fears a conflict of Catholic v Protestant Christendoms ⁷(108)

o

fears that "In evangelical Protestantism... the obsession with numerical growth is leading many leaders to assimilate elements of the light culture that dominates society, to emphasise the individualism and subjectivism that mark the Christological and soteriological reductionism inherited from the past, and to minimize the ethical demands of the Gospel. ⁸"(109)

1CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 105.

2CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 105-106.

3CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 106.

4CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 106.

5CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 106–107.

6CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 108.

7CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 108.

8CR Padilla, 'The Future of Christianity in Latin America: Missiological Perspectives and Challenges', International Bulletin of Missionary Research 23:3 (1999), 105–112, 109.