The history of Christianity in Latin America – much as the history of Christianity in any other part of the world – defies simple categories, rigid periodization, or easy explanations. It is filled with seeming contradictions and perplexing developments, yet always has the energy and passion of any creation process. In this history, we can recognize transformations brought by Christianity to the Americas and others brought to Christianity by the Americas. We can see the changes within Christianity unfold as this region of the world struggled for its own identity. And we can witness the power of faith expressions emanating to the rest of the world from the crucible of the western hemisphere. But most of us cannot remain unaffected by Latin American Christianity.

As we come to the end of this rapid survey of the history of Christianity in Latin America, a final overview is in order, as well as a brief discussion of the challenges facing Latin American Christianity early in the twenty-first century and a brief word on the impact of this Christianity on the rest of the world.

FINAL OVERVIEW

As one looks back at the five hundred years of Latin American Christianity, one is struck first by its complexity. The form of Christianity that was brought to these lands from the Iberian Peninsula was in itself multilayered – from the simple faith of people going on pilgrimages to Santiago or appealing to the saints for crops and health, to the sophisticated debates at such places as the University of Salamanca, and all combined with a significant dose of nationalism.