Evangelical Movement in Peru

It has been interesting getting a sense of Peru's shifting religious landscape in my time living here. The country is at a real turning point and I am seeing that play out right in front of me.

Traditionally, Peru has been a heavily Roman Catholic country, just like the majority of Latin America. It still is that way; you can find a Catholic church in even the smallest of villages, but a new movement is rapidly gaining strength. The evangelical rise, as it has been dubbed, has swept through the country in the last few decades. Peru is now 12% evangelical and every major denomination is represented in most cities. From what I have seen, I would say this new development has an upside and a downside.
The downside would be that of the ever present American cultural imperialism. Most of the new churches have been established by American missionaries who have good hearts, but unintentionally bring their own culture at the expense of the locals'. A harmful mentality exists that locals can only worship Jesus through American traditions. The result is similar to what happened with the Spanish 500 years ago except that the cathedrals have been replaced with mega-churches and the hymns with David Crowder Band.

Now the upside is a completely fresh take for Peruvians on the character of Jesus. Catholicism has been so engrained in the culture that many, but not all, who say they are Catholic simply say so because it is the the norm. So many have lost any form of discipleship because of this vague cultural-religious mix. Again, this is not all who claim to be Catholic by a long shot but I would say it is the majority in Latin America. This evangelical movement offers a fresh, new, personal relationship with Jesus.

There is also a church here in Andahuaylas that has accomplished the best of both worlds and should serve as an example for missions work across the globe. It is non-denominational and works within the best parts of the Andean culture here in the sierra. The services are both in Spanish and in Quechua and the majority of their worship songs are from the region and sung in Quechua as well. They even have Huayno worship which I personally despise but it is a great example of worshipping the same God within a completely different culture.