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Protestants are grateful for Reformation Day celebrations—and wonder if they'll ever get religious equality.
This Reformation Day, 18 of Argentina’s 24 provinces will celebrate evangelical and Protestant churches.
Evangelical leaders hope that someday soon, the whole country will join in.
Last month the federal government moved closer to nationally recognizing October 31 in honor of these communities when the Chamber of Deputies approved a bill that has since headed to the Senate.
“For many evangelicals, appearing on the country’s public legislative agenda is very important. It responds to an aspiration for visibility in the community,” said Viviana Barrón, rector of Baptist school Seminario Internacional Teológico Bautista. “Years ago, many said that our churches were practically invisible to governments. That has been changing and is received with joy by many.”
“In our country, evangelical Christians are second-class citizens,” said Joel Issachar Stefanini, president and founder of the Federación Iglesias Pentecostales Autónomas.
“We have been fighting for more than 40 years, since democracy arrived again in our country, to be recognized as a Christian church and to have equal rights.”
Many evangelical leaders have been frustrated as to what they interpret as a 150-year-long state snub toward their community.
According to CONICET, Argentina’s national scientific research council, the evangelical community grew from 9 percent to 15.3 percent of the population between 2008 and 2019. The same report put the Catholic community at 62.9 percent. (Argentina has 46 million people.)
Argentina’s Supreme Court has ruled that the country has no official or state religion. But although its constitution guarantees freedom of religion, it also states ...
from Christianity Today Magazine
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