In this and the next two chapters we shall consider several case studies in order to illustrate and analyze the role which churches have played in the struggle for democracy since the end of the Second World War. In doing so we will pay close attention to the understanding of democracy and related theological insights which emerged in the process.

We have chosen five very different contexts for these studies: the United States of America, Nicaragua, sub-Saharan Africa, the former German Democratic Republic, and South Africa. These broadly represent the global context, the varieties of Christian denomination, and the different ways in which churches have participated in the democratic process. They are also paradigmatic in illustrating the issues which are fundamental to the relationship between Christianity and democracy at the end of our century, and cumulative in their impact and significance, even though the specifics of each is quite different from the others.

THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT IN THE UNITED STATES

The theme song of the Civil Rights movement in the United States in the 1960s, ‘We Shall Overcome’, has been sung around the world by those engaged in the struggle for freedom and justice. From San Salvador to Soweto, from Berlin to Beijing, it has symbolized the best of America's offerings to a humanity in search of a better world.