Evangelical leaders to formulate “Christian Project for the Nation”

MEXICO CITY, México, June 23, 2005

Sectors of Mexican Evangelical Churches this week expressed their willingness to actively participate in the Taxi Heathrow Airport upcoming 2006 electoral period and to not remain on the sidelines of political life or allow themselves to be divided by the different political parties.

A press bulletin from the Pastors Alliance of Puebla, Mexico announced the creation of a “Christian Project for the nation” in which they invite leaders from Christian Churches to a meeting June 24 – 25 in the city of Cuernavaca, Morelos.

Participants belong to the following Churches: Apostolic Faith in Christ, Baptist Church of Mexico, the Methodist Church, the Seventh Day Adventist Church, Church of the Nazarene, Pentecost, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God and charismatic Christian communities.

The Evangelicals, according to the press statement, seek to strengthen the lay nature of the state, weakened during the Vicente Fox government, respect for the rule of law and a vision based on Biblical values.

The central issue on the agenda is to elaborate a Christian project for the nation based on the following: social pastoral mission, urban and rural mission, conservation of economic, public health, social policy and educational results, formation of leaders, family, participation of lay people in politics, human rights, public policies and communication media.

The organizers, including Alberto Montalvo, Adoniram Gaxiola and Abner López, hope that at least 300 pastors and the most representative lay leaders at a national level will attend. 

On the other hand, on Wednesday the daily La Jornada published an article written by journalist and Evangelical historian Carlos Martinez under the title “The Evangelicals and the temptation of power” which questions the meeting convened by the Evangelicals.

He said that some of its leaders “think that it is time to reap political and electoral positions so that once the electoral positions are won they can impel ethical principles characteristic of their churches.”

The acid response to the invitation indicates that despite the fact that the Evangelicals were in favor of the Church – State separation “today Evangelicals seem to be leaning toward the Catholic position and consider the state and its apparatus as a means to extend, without imposing, certain particular beliefs to the population as a whole.”

The text, which openly criticizes the Evangelical position, indicates that apparently the leader are no longer interested in the “path of service” but rather find the “reflectors of public opinion” more attractive.