Nowhere has the relationship between state and church been more volatile in recent decades than in Latin America. Anthony Gill's controversial book not only explains why Catholic leaders in some countries came to oppose dictatorial rule but, equally important, why many did not. Using historical and statistical evidence from twelve countries, Gill for the first time uncovers the causal connection between religious competition and the rise of progressive Catholicism. In places where evangelical Protestantism and "spiritist" sects made inroads among poor Catholics, Church leaders championed the rights of the poor and turned against authoritarian regimes to retain parishioners. Where competition was minimal, bishops maintained good relations with military rulers. Applying economic reasoning to an entirely new setting, Rendering unto Caesar offers a new theory of religious competition that dramatically revises our understanding of church-state relations.
Product Identifiers
Publisher
University of Chicago Press
ISBN-10
0226293858
ISBN-13
9780226293851
eBay Product ID (ePID)
421250
Product Key Features
Author
Anthony Gill
Publication Name
Rendering Unto Caesar : the Catholic Church and the State in Latin America
Format
Trade Paperback
Language
English
Publication Year
1998
Type
Textbook
Number of Pages
284 Pages
Dimensions
Item Length
0.9in
Item Height
0.1in
Item Width
0.6in
Item Weight
15.2 Oz
Additional Product Features
Lc Classification Number
Br660.G55 1998
Table of Content
Acknowledgments 1. Introduction: Caesar and the Church 2. A Brief History of Church-State Relations in Latin America 3. An Economic Model of Church-State Relations 4. Luther's Shadow: Protestant Competition and the Catholic Response 5. Chile: A Preferential Option for the Poor 6. Argentina: complicity with the Devil 7. The Institutional Limits of Catholic Progressivism Postscript Appendix: Rationality and Religion Notes References Index