Calvin: Effective or decay of his theological thought-Ideological-Political America In A Revolutionary?

Calvin: Effective or decay of his thought Theological-Political Ideology in Revolutionary America? Challenges of modern Venezuela religious sectors of our country are the challenges posed by those ideological principles that need to be considered from a theological perspective and specifically from a theological vision of Latin America, to distance itself from any theological mediations brought North Atlantic from Europe, the United States and Canada. Especially the American Protestant theology must distance himself from the most recent urgent historical mediation of Protestantism Hispanic, American, which brought us through the mission a transnational ideology of the right theology, deeply conservative and ally of U.S. imperialism which was built under the influence of the postulates of the cold war against everything that was socialism, leftism and communism. What challenges has the Bolivarian revolution to our Calvinist conception of the world and reality? Can we talk about the relevance of Calvinist theology in particular and Protestant in general in these times of transformation of our continent? We must understand that the political transformation that occurred in Latin American countries, 50 years ago, in the second half of the twentieth century, has come from the political right and the oligarchy.

Little has been political support, ideological and social sectors from the left and the religious sector has been liberating, except for Cuba and Nicaragua. Democracy in Latin America, was built right from the doctrine of the sectors of white society and Protestant Anglo American, ideologically driven by the Department of State. The theology of liberation reached its maximum activity and influence on our continent, with the triumph of the Sandinista Revolution and went quickly into the background shortly after the fall of the Nicaraguan Revolution. Many sectors of the Theology of Liberation in our continent, fell into almost total silence and complicity. In some countries, like Venezuela, large traditional sectors of the TL, joined and became complicit in the most conservative and reactionary political right and business Creole, to combat this trend throughout Latin American Bolivarian and revolutionary socialism of the XXI Century. Leaving only, as a remnant liberating, holding the ideal of liberation theology, political and religious small areas invisible by religious hierarchies and political leaders. Some former leaders of the TL in Venezuela and throughout the continent, were changing their ideological and theological stance, have made numerous attempts to replace the Marxist method of analysis, based more on assumptions emphasize Christian humanism and new neutral policy analysis, devoid of fighting spirit of the TL.

This has allowed some religious and political sectors conform to the ideals of right and oligarchies, which fight for Socialism and liberation of our peoples. Calvinism as a theological and historical system, has much to contribute to their pedagogy and Social doctrine, the creation of new political models, ideological and epistemological structure based on a coherent thought and consistent with the ideals of liberation of our people . Calvinism has an immense capacity to adapt to different cultures, having evolved through a parish profoundly theological minded with a strong social commitment. William McComish says, "In Geneva, citizens at the same time evolved into republican and Protestant beliefs, when they expelled the last Prince Bishop ... the Genevan who reformed the Church also reformed the state? (William McComish: http://warc.ch/24gc/cts/11-s.pdf) Calvinism has been able to adapt to different cultures, making a thorough identification process, without losing its nature or essence both theological relevance and religious. This is because Calvinism was born as theological thought XXVI century Protestant Reformation, with strong humanistic influence introduced by John Calvin and many other reformers, and reformers.

He has also managed to build more than any other religious movement, alongside social and political system, adaptable to the political, social, economic and cultural conditions of any society around the world in which he has had to become incarnate.

Other Protestant religious systems, have lived with their religious background, cultural, political, with little capacity to adapt or compromise with the society around them. Some of these movements "evangelicals? have managed to survive and prevail, mimicking and adapting in ways not perfect with the society which conceives only as Mission Destination, showing intolerance and exclusion policies toward Catholicism and other religious or political beliefs. All this based on national origins radical fanaticism exogenous. His religious emphasis put it in the magical conversion of the soul of people, with deep emphasis proselytizing, aggressive and intimate, leaving aside the preaching of salvation-integral liberation and liberating. John Calvin was a reformer with a broad intellectual and humanistic base, capable of expressing religious theory in its broad political fact masterfully. For Calvin govern well is also the will of God in a visible and effective. He spoke about the correspondence between the state and the Church from a very clear vision of the separation of religion from politics. According to Calvin, the Church and state should live in peace and cooperate together in subjection to the Word of God.

Each must have its own jurisdiction. The state has authority in matters purely civil and temporary church in matters spiritual and transcendental. Calvin acknowledged that the Church fulfill its proper role educator, gave the state and society good citizens. The tasks of the Church and the state meet, interact harmoniously, but each retaining its nature and functions or individuals. "Calvin's vision regarding the relationship of church and state is not Erastaniana or eclecentrica, since the two schemes deny reciprocity. Erastus proposed the notion that the church is an arm of the state, as stated by Henry VIII in the Act of Supremacy. In a ecleciocracia, however, the state is an arm of the church. The officers of the church, using the institutions of state, direct society - which means that the church collects taxes, accepts claims, provides a means for the common defense, and regulates both economic and social relations. Neither was in the view of Calvin. Rather, his vision was of a republic, which is both teocratita and theonomic.

In a theocracy God governs both the state and the church. In Theonomy all laws derive from the law of God. Calvin was a Christian state governed by God, and under the law of God?. (G. Joseph Gatis, 2001.) Believe that the greatest contribution it can make the political process Calvinism Latin American revolutionary is to build broad thinking can adapt to different unique social, economic and cultural rights of our peoples. Besides the much-criticized work ethic that some negative principle raised as a Calvinist, but also recognize that people make among his followers with mystical and job responsibility, with strong commitments to society, others and the environment. The construction of this World Other is not possible without the construction of the New Humanity, which is a common principle of Christianity and the New Left thought continental and global Guevara strong influence, which aims to build a new, deep epistemological XXI Century Socialism. They can, Calvinism, Calvinists and many in the Venezuelan and Latin American Protestantism, do your political contributions and ideological-theological relevance, as objective as possible, the construction of the New Humanity.

This would be one of the most important legacies of this century historic Calvinism in the midst of revolutionary political change in Venezuela and need our continent and the whole world. Reconstruction is increasingly urgent liberation theology, Calvinist thinking can effectively help to strengthen the methods and paradigms of social and political analysis necessary in times of revolution, given the almost total failure of some Catholic and Protestant sectors that were once identified with the TL and now boast shamelessly right positions, allied with the reactionary powers immorally and American oligarchs who once said fight. The greatest contribution that the sector would Protestant committed to liberation theology in the Latin American Revolution, showing more political and ideological consistency than other sectors, is to enrich the discussion biblical-theological-ideological-political, with a reading of reality from a more ethical, popular, politically compromised biblical and profound changes are taking place in our continent and the world. The theological and professional training increasingly growing of many pastors, pastors and lay leaders in universities, seminaries and theological faculties in Latin America and elsewhere, allows us to live the most recent phase of this journey theological, already had described in a small but illustrative book, Journey of the Christian theology, which placed the time of its last edition fate in a transitory stage in San Jose.

We interpret now, has started a new theological and ideological journey that begins to move from San Jose, to new geographical and ideological destinations throughout the continent and the world, and may give new impetus to the Theology of Liberation in these times of revolution. The TL can drive in the Venezuelan Revolution and international deep ethical analysis can lay the groundwork for the construction of the New Humanity. You can reinforce the Revolution in our continent, reaching those ethical values ​​that help to build the New Society, known in our area as a liberating Christian Kingdom of God. The success or failure of the revolution in our Latin American and global context, is its people. So it is urgent and necessary intellectual and ideological formation of the New Man or New Woman, basing their ideals in the real revolutionary principles and values. We propose a new American Revolution in this, the need to form a Revolutionary Spirituality, based on principles and values ​​that transcend any materialist-capitalist system that can repower the formation of the revolutionary cadres needed to defend and maintain the political process liberating living our continent and much of the world.

Supposedly revolutionary in many sectors, there is a moral and ethical crisis, this has enabled many public offices in Venezuela, are in the hands of incompetent, unscrupulous and lacking counter any ethical commitment that have made the Revolution his average life and not assume it as a way of life. The Revolution in Venezuela and the rest of Latin America has suffered serious problems of infiltration and the reactionary revisionists who seek to undermine its political and ideological values ​​deeper. No revolution can be successful in our continent, if not truly and deeply Christian, indigenous, if you have a true awareness of gender and by not taking into account all forms of religious thought in our environment. Therefore you should put on the ethical, moral, cultural, social, religious and ethnic characteristics of our people. For us Protestants, is no longer possible to live a political life back to what's happening in our continent, we can not remain lukewarm, because then the people we spew out of his mouth and his heart. We, we are a people apart the rest of our people.

We can no longer Protestant fantasy of being a privileged group of spiritual and religious who have the exclusivity of salvation, oblivious to the world. Jesus says the Father, "I'm not asking you to remove them from the world but that you protect them from evil?. We must live aware of our belonging to people and our social, political, cultural and ethnic diversity, hence the urgent need to incarnate in the midst of our people, our people and to live our political process without any religious or ideological evasion. There is an urgent need for the evangelicals in Latin America, quit once and for all of the religious ghetto, which is enclosed by more than a century. This is precisely where Calvinism and Protestantism liberating, can make their great contribution to the construction of a new political and ideological thinking in the midst of our Latin American revolutionary process.

Obed Juan Vizcaino Najera. Maracaibo, Venezuela.