Celebrating New Religious Freedom Law, Bolivian Evangelicals Push for More
“In the last few years, a new wave of Protestantism gained strength in the country, especially with the Neo-Pentecostals and their so-called prosperity theology. Some of them are exploring new ways to obtain power,” said Nelson Jordán Bazán, a professor at Nur University in Santa Cruz de la Sierra. “There is a trend of steadily raising their political participation in the Bolivian society.”
Indeed, some evangelical Christians are pushing for a greater recognition still. Already there is a campaign against the new religious freedom law, promoted by conservative Christians, on the grounds that it forces churches to submit to the state.
In their surging numbers and confidence, Bolivia’s conservative Christians are following a pattern established in Brazil, where evangelicals are said to have played an important role in electing far-right President Jair Bolsonaro last year.