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(Alonso 1998:194,186). Finally, Stoll affirms that from the 1970s the political tendencies within Latin American Protestantism underwent changes. Sectors that had been apolitical aligned themselves to the North American religious right-wing, the liberals became less liberal, the revolutionaries lost the greater part of their support, and a new current of Evangelicals who were theologically but not politically conservative came onto the stage (1990: 3).\u000ALater studies show that Evangelical theological conservatism accompanied by very little political participation did not necessarily signify a rejection of the \u2018world\u2019 and the present life (N\u00FA\u00F1ez 1978, Stoll 1990, Martin 1990, Mariz 1994, among others). Garrard- Burnett notes that this fundamentalism had a discourse and posture different from liberal Protestantism, but they did not necessarily stop being interested in the good of the people (1998: 32). Latin American Evangelicals followed the logic of North American evangelicalism for religious reasons (Stoll 1982: 7). During the civil war the majority of Evangelicals kept themselves distant from politics, showing an anti-communist posture in favour of defending the \u2018Christian faith\u2019, and assumed a culture of silence for fear of being kidnapped or murdered. In spite of this conservative position some churches continued to project themselves in the community through programmes of social aid.\u000AA small group of Evangelicals however did have a political posture different to anti-communist conservatism. According to Alonso, Presbyterian, Methodist, Quaker churches and others, made an effort to build bridges for dialogue with Guatemalan society and its problems through health, education and recreational projects. Some got involved in the frontlines of the armed conflict. Some indigenous Evangelical leaders joined the guerrillas in the 1960s (Alonso 1998: 197-199). Later on some churches were involved in acts of insurgency and counter-insurgency taking with them thousands of believers (Molina 1983: 11). During the armed conflict many lay people and indigenous pastors were murdered. Many people from the rural areas found refuge in Evangelical churches enabling them to survive an attack from the army or the guerrilla. In spite of these\u000A52\u000A


































































































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