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US Hispanics undergoing a 'Latino Reformation' (TIME Magazine Features the Evengelico's)
Ecumenical News ^ | 04/06/2013 | Elizabeth Dias

Posted on 04/07/2013 8:26:06 AM PDT by SeekAndFind

Hispanics in the United States are becoming evangelicals at a rapid rate Time Magazine reports this week. 

"Latino evangelicals are one of the fastest growing segments of America's churchgoing millions," said Elizabeth Dias, the  author of the report.

Time calls  the  phenomenon "The Latino Reformation".

Dias's account is Time's cover story in its April 4 edition.

"They call themselves Evangelicos," Time's managing editor Richard Stengel told MSNBC."They are Latino Americans who have embraced an evangelical form of Protestantism."

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"They have forsaken Catholicism for all kinds of reasons," he said. "They look at a kind of charismatic Protestantism as a way of becoming more American, of assimilating.

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"Its changing the church, the country and it's fascinating," said Stengel.

The Time article also indicates that Hispanics are turning to evangelicalism because they believe it gives them  a more personal relationship with God than Catholicism. There is no priest as a "middleman".  

Currently 62 percent of the approximately 52 millionHispanics in the U.S. are Catholic according to a 2012 Pew poll.

Stengel predicted that by 2050 half will be evangelical.

"It is difficult to track the groundswell of these new Protestants," said Dias in a background story. "They often meet in storefronts or living rooms, and language barriers complicate the census process."

After Dias began noticing a number of Hispanic churches in her travels around the Washington, D.C. area she decided to investigate.  She attended two of the largest congregations located in suburban Maryland.

"What I discovered signaled a Latino Reformation", she said."Both churches were doubling in size every few years. 

Dias met with many of the people attending and listened to their stories. 

"To the mainstream American culture, and even other white evangelical churches, they were invisible", she said. "But they were hiding in plain sight."

"The story of both churches repeats itself across America", added Dias. 

The rise of Hispanic evangelicals appears to be influencing the current political debate over immigration.

The common view is that evangelicals oppose granting rights to illegal immigrants. However, ABC News reported this week that evangelical leaders in several states are producing an advertising campaign aimed at changing the minds of conservative Christians on immigration reform.

ABC noted that one of the reasons for the push for immigration reform among evangelical leaders could be the large increase in Hispanics attending their churches.

The senior pastor of a Houston church, David Fleming, told ABC that the current immigration system isn't working.

He also cited humanitarian reasons for the need for Christians to embrace reform.

"These people speak English, they work hard, they pay taxes," said Fleming. "They are great neighbor. They are friends of ours."

"We live together. We serve together. We serve together. We are all in this together."

Another significant influence of the Hispanic evangelical movement is its imact on future elections.  

Stengel noted that Hispanic evangelicals are "extremely"  social conservatives.    

MSNBC commentator Joe Scarborough indicated that this fact could contradict the idea that moving undocumented Hispanics into the mainstream of society will be  a boon to the Democratic Party.



TOPICS: Evangelical Christian; Ministry/Outreach; Religion & Culture
KEYWORDS: aliens; evangelicals; evangelicos; hispanics; immigration; latinamerican
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1 posted on 04/07/2013 8:26:06 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Yeah...and they are all gonna vote Republican if we just could figure out a way to “do something humane about the poor indigent waifs from Mexico thronging here to seek their dreams.”


2 posted on 04/07/2013 8:31:20 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: SeekAndFind

A huge sigh of relief that it is Evangelism instead of Islam, or a return to Paganism of the nasty, Mesoamerican variety.


3 posted on 04/07/2013 8:31:32 AM PDT by yefragetuwrabrumuy (Best WoT news at rantburg.com)
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To: SeekAndFind

“ABC News reported this week that evangelical leaders in several states are producing an advertising campaign aimed at changing the minds of conservative Christians on immigration reform.”

Of course, ABC does not source their information....


4 posted on 04/07/2013 8:36:25 AM PDT by illiac (If we don't change directions soon, we'll get where we're going)
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To: Gaffer

Post Mortem Polls of the November 2012 elections showed that 78% of Evangelicals voted for Romney.

I would bet the other 22% who went Obama were Hispanic Evangelicals.


5 posted on 04/07/2013 8:37:21 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Possibly true. It is with regret that I conclude we will likely never know the real reason during out lifetimes.

Personally, I think this election was stolen. Stolen in a select group of precincts in a select group of contested states. Their ground game for cheating was worthy of future text books... we won’t ever see the proof, though, because History belongs to the victor.


6 posted on 04/07/2013 8:40:29 AM PDT by Gaffer
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To: Gaffer

The election was stolen, fixed, you name it. The second the Republican party establishment annointed McQueeg in ‘08 and Willard in ‘12, the race was fixed for the Government Party.


7 posted on 04/07/2013 8:44:21 AM PDT by fieldmarshaldj (Resist We Much)
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To: SeekAndFind

“They look at a kind of charismatic Protestantism as a way of becoming more American, of assimilating.”

Assimilating is not they’re main interest here.


8 posted on 04/07/2013 8:45:49 AM PDT by vladimir998
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To: Gaffer

I agree.


9 posted on 04/07/2013 8:52:43 AM PDT by Robert DeLong (u)
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To: Gaffer

Were not there poor indigent waifs from Italy, Spain, Ireland, Poland before?

Remember the signs posted in stores that said “Catholics need not apply.”??????????

Where is your heart? Or do you just not love other people?


10 posted on 04/07/2013 8:58:27 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: SeekAndFind

And what about the 95 percent of black Protestants that voted for Obama?

What is happening with them?


11 posted on 04/07/2013 9:00:42 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

RE: And what about the 95 percent of black Protestants that voted for Obama?

I guess no different from the 95% of the black catholics...


12 posted on 04/07/2013 9:02:03 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

These Latinos, if they were baptized Catholic, will always be Catholic — regardless of where they go to church.


13 posted on 04/07/2013 9:02:35 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

RE: These Latinos, if they were baptized Catholic, will always be Catholic — regardless of where they go to church.

Even if they don’t recognize the Pope as Primate of the Church any longer?


14 posted on 04/07/2013 9:03:25 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

You do remember these stats, don’t you?

**8 out of 10 white Protestants voted for Romney...95% of black Protestants voted for Obama...

6 out of 10 White Catholics voted for Romney...75% of Mexican Catholics voted for Obama...**


15 posted on 04/07/2013 9:04:51 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: Salvation

I also remember that 75% of Hispanic Catholics went Obama.
OVERALL, Catholics went for Obama by 2% points.

So, I would guess that Black Catholics like Black Protestants, voted OVERWHELMINGLY Obama.


16 posted on 04/07/2013 9:08:09 AM PDT by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

Sorry, but black Catholics aren’t in those stats. Just black Protestants. Please read them again.

Bye.


17 posted on 04/07/2013 9:13:28 AM PDT by Salvation ("With God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26)
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To: SeekAndFind

“The Time article also indicates that Hispanics are turning to evangelicalism because they believe it gives them a more personal relationship with God than Catholicism. “

Many are becoming Muslims, too, and they use the same reason.

More US Hispanics drawn to Islam
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1710677/posts

They could all become ‘evangelical’, but they’ll still vote democrat.


18 posted on 04/07/2013 9:16:52 AM PDT by AuntB (Illegal immigration is simply more "share the wealth" socialism and a CRIME not a race!)
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To: yefragetuwrabrumuy

“A huge sigh of relief that it is Evangelism instead of Islam”

Don’t be so sure.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1890255/posts

They’re called the Latino American Dawah Organization, or LADO for short.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1326561/posts
Mexico Discovers Islam

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1418168/posts
Islam on march south of border - (not comforting)

Among illegal aliens, especially the ones involved in the drug cartels, the religion of choice is La Muerte...worship of the dead....they’re symbols are always found in the national forest pot growing farms...along with LOTS of guns.


19 posted on 04/07/2013 9:21:24 AM PDT by AuntB (Illegal immigration is simply more "share the wealth" socialism and a CRIME not a race!)
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To: SeekAndFind

Another article from the MSM telling us why there is no need to worry about amnesty for illegals. But with all the previous articles about how so many are going back home, it’s a wonder there are even enough left in the US to write about.

More lapdog media propaganda put out to soften opposition to amnesty for illegal aliens.


20 posted on 04/07/2013 10:03:53 AM PDT by Will88
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