Publications by Year: Forthcoming

Forthcoming
McCleary, Rachel M.Protestant Doctrinal Heterodoxy and Heterogeneity in Guatemala, 1880s-1950s.” In Roots of Underdevelopment In Latin America edited by Felipe Valencia Caicedo. Springer, Forthcoming.Abstract

At the beginning of the twentieth century, Pentecostalism disrupted the U.S. religion market. Charismatic beliefs and practices, particularly the emphasis on baptism of the Holy Spirit and miraculous physical healing, comingled with the Wesleyan holiness movement. Soon, divisions arose between holiness and Pentecostal movements. Divisions also occurred within Pentecostalism giving rise to distinct types. Within this fluid religion market, with doctrinal debates and controversies, Pentecostal, holiness-Pentecostal, and holiness missionaries entered Guatemala openly competing with existing mainline Protestant, holiness, and evangelical missions. Without regard for doctrinal orthodoxy, independent missionaries proselytized their beliefs throughout the country, converting existing congregations and introducing Pentecostal beliefs. Likewise, the new denominations’ mission boards were complicit in creating doctrinal heterodoxy by hiring individual missionaries whose beliefs contradicted the denomination’s doctrinal position. A major legacy of the heterodoxy is the highly schismatic (heterogeneous) nature of the Guatemalan religion market.