Nuestra Fe

Spanning more than five hundred years, this book covers the rich history of Christianity in Latin America as it describes and clarifies the multiplicity of expressions that have evolved under the rubric of Christianity. Using the same three-point analytical framework employed in Christianity in Latin America, each section will first include resources that exemplify or illustrate the institutional religious history for the period covered in that chapter, thereby providing the context from which to look at other concurrent though non-institutional developments within Christianity. Second, each section will include sources that look at the way Christianity manifested, and manifests, itself in the life of Latin American society, including its women, its enslaved and indigenous populations, and the modern-day marginalized sectors. Lastly, what the authors call "variations of the faith" is the third component of our selection process. How do "deviant" forms of Christianity express themselves? What did, or do, they see as their role within the Christian experience? Each chapter will also include a general introduction that will set the context and the themes encompassed by that chapter's readings along with questions for consideration. Additionally, each source, whether a reading, artwork, or photograph, will have its specific, but brief, introduction as well as questions guiding the reader as he or she interacts with the primary source. This book is a collection of primary sources, including traditional written documents, photographs of architectural features, litanies, poetry, official correspondence and declarations, and paintings. It provides a unique window into the role of the Christian church in Latin America by encouraging readers to grapple with the complexities inherent in its history. The introduction to each section and the questions for consideration encourage readers to view the impact and influence of the church from the perspectives of those who have experienced, guided, and been affected by it. As a stand-alone resource or as a companion to the authors' Christianity in Latin America: A History, published by Cambridge University Press in 2008, this book introduces students to the ever-changing yet paradoxically constant place of the Christian church in the region. By using a broad cross-section of sources, the book is engaging, thought-provoking, and challenging, The History compels one to confront the reality of the Latin American Christian church and its history in its vitality, multiple manifestations, and even contradictions