Figure 1.--Here we have an unidentified American missiionary familyb in Surnam during the early-2020s. They are part of the evagelical effort.

A range of at first Dutch missionaries have been active in Latin America, including both Catholic and Protestant missionaries. The first Christian missionaries arrived in Suriname while it was not yet well-established Dutch colony (17th century). They faced serious obstacles, especially language barriers and the hostility of both Amer-indian and Maroon communities fighting for survival against slave-holding planters. And the Dutch were major participants in the slave trade. The Dutch did not end slavery in Suriname until relatively late in the campaign against slavery (1863). While the planters and slave traders were Christians to varying degrees, it is the Christian Abolitionist movements that finally ended slavery. Since World War II, the most active missionary effort has come from from the American evangelical denominations. As a result, they have created substantial Protestant communities in quite a number of formerly all Athletic countries, most importantly Brazil. Suriname is one such example. These dedicated people work as family groups. They have primarily been successful among the Afro-creole and Maroon communities, including people in very isolated interior villages. These missionaries as opposed ti early-missionaries seem very respectful of the traditional culture with which they are working., a factor in their success.

Sources

Anonamous. "Hindus of South America," Hinduism Today (January-February, 2000).

Created: 10:51 AM 2/28/2024
Last updated: 3:46 AM 2/29/2024