Page 55 - tesis

CHAPTER II\u000ATHE NEO-PENTECOSTAL CHURCHES IN GUATEMALA\u000AThis Chapter aims to set the scene describing the country, some of its contemporary historical background including the period of the civil war and the restoration of democracy. A short resume of the Evangelical missionary advances will be given as well as how the Neo-Pentecostal churches emerged. Finally, there will be a description of Neo- Pentecostalism and a description of the churches under review.\u000AA. EVANGELICALS AND THE GUATEMALAN CONTEXT\u000AIn order to place the NPCs within the Guatemalan social, religious and political context, the most significant features of Protestantism starting from the 1950s will be outlined. This decade not only marked the beginning of an incipient democratic system but also the growth and expansion of Evangelicals in the country. Special attention will be given to those aspects which are related to the presence and social role of the NPCs.\u000A1. A global perspective of the Guatemalan context\u000AGuatemala City was headquarters of the Captaincy General of the Central American region during Colonial times. The republic borders in the North with Mexico and Belize and in the South with El Salvador and Honduras. The territory measures 1,089 square kilometres. According to estimations of the National Institute of Statistics the estimated population in June 2006 was 13,018,759, based on data of the national population census carried out in 2002.16 According to this census the population is composed of 5,740.357 [51.1%] women and 5,496.839 men [48.9%] (INE 2002).\u000A16\u2018Tres millones de habitantes en Guatemala preocupan a expertos\u2019 sent by CERIGUA 14.06.06 Available at http://www.cerigua.org/portal/index.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5320&theme=Printer Accessed 01.02.08.\u000A42\u000A