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The subordinate position of Evangelicals could also help to understand why they do not demand accountability of the government. In general, they pray and bless the government\u2019 authorities, but do not confront them. For example, one of the pastors offered an Evangelical Te Deum (thanksgiving service) in favour of President Oscar Berger in 2004. In the past, this function belonged exclusively to the Catholic Church which blessed and legitimized past governments. Even though in his sermon he read the text of Micah 6:8 to the President (\u2018seek justice, show mercy and walk humbly before God\u2019, NIV), he did not mention the acute problems of the Guatemalan society. Some NPS openly refuse to include in their discussions Guatemala\u00B4s problems because they feel that all they have to do is to preach the good news of the gospel. For some Evangelicals this exhortation was daring in the context of the silence which had predominated the period of internal conflict.\u000AThe NPS do not usually make pronouncements about socio-political problems. In their sermons they do not criticise politics or government actions. During the researcher\u2019s field work he did not perceive any call or exhortation to the government to look after human rights or in favour of social justice. Although some confront the problem of poverty, corruption and violence, they do not demand that the government fulfils its mission in this respect. This lack of critical attitude towards the State was evident during the governments of R\u00EDos Montt and Serrano El\u00EDas. With the exception of some of the Para- ecclesiastical entities, the Evangelical church including the Neo-Pentecostals, made no pronouncements on these issues. Some of the pastors who were interviewed gave a very succinct answer about it.\u000AOne of the ESH pastors commented that the experience of Serrano El\u00EDas was very bad. He underlined that it is an example of the lack of depth found in the Evangelical Church. He did not mention the role and the support that they had provided during the elections, in his government and after he left (A8ESH). On the contrary, the LDG senior pastor came out in defence of the former president Serrano El\u00EDas. He said that everything that had been said about him by the media was lies and that \u2018Serrano is a good Christian\u000A 214\u000A


































































































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