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Chile

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2024

Kenneth Ross
Affiliation:
Zomba Theological College, Malawi and University of Pretoria
Ana Maria Bidegain
Affiliation:
Florida International University
Todd M. Johnson
Affiliation:
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Massachusetts and Boston University
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Summary

During the twenty-first century, Christianity in Chile has been shaped by the social and religious transformations in the country. These are characterised by an advancing democratising process within the framework of a crisis of socio-political representation and a crisis of the current neoliberal development model. Likewise, in the religious field, a crisis is observed in the churches, especially the Catholic Church. Greater Evangelical presence and a growth in the number of non-believers has effected much change in the religious adherence of Chileans. These trends were already evident in the twentieth century, particularly due to the links of Christian movements with social and political processes, as well as the missionary activity of the Evangelical churches in Chilean society. A characteristic note of the evolution of Christianity in Chile in the twenty-first century is the change in religious adherence and the decline of trust in religious institutions in the face of secularising trends. However, a culture of Christian identity persists that in various quarters inspires a deep-rooted spirituality.

The contemporary religious culture of Chileans is mostly related to Western Christian traditions. In the 2012 national census, in which a religion question was asked, 66.7% declared themselves Catholic, 16.4% Evangelical or Protestant and 0.04% Orthodox. Jehovah's Witnesses reached 0.98% and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints 0.77%. On the other hand, 11.5% declared ‘no religion’ and 2.2% ignored the religion question. Finally, non-Christian religious adherents were few in number: Judaism (0.13%), Indigenous religions (0.1%), Buddhism (0.09%) and Islam (0.025%). The Institute of Statistics estimated a population of 19 million inhabitants in 2019.

The main phenomenon that manifests itself in the change of religious adherence has to do with the ostensible decline of Catholicism: from 81% in the 1970 national census to 67% in 2012. On the other hand, surveys by the Center for Public Studies (CEP) show no significant variation in the number of people who consider themselves Evangelical: 17% in 2008 and 16% in 2018. However, the trust in and prestige of churches and religious organisations have plummeted. In a 2018 international survey conducted by the International Social Survey Programme (ISSP), 28% of Chilean respondents declared a high level of trust and 39.1% little or no trust in religious organisations.

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Publisher: Edinburgh University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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  • Chile
  • Edited by Kenneth Ross, Zomba Theological College, Malawi and University of Pretoria, Ana Maria Bidegain, Florida International University, Todd M. Johnson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Massachusetts and Boston University
  • Book: Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Online publication: 22 November 2024
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  • Chile
  • Edited by Kenneth Ross, Zomba Theological College, Malawi and University of Pretoria, Ana Maria Bidegain, Florida International University, Todd M. Johnson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Massachusetts and Boston University
  • Book: Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Online publication: 22 November 2024
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Chile
  • Edited by Kenneth Ross, Zomba Theological College, Malawi and University of Pretoria, Ana Maria Bidegain, Florida International University, Todd M. Johnson, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Massachusetts and Boston University
  • Book: Christianity in Latin America and the Caribbean
  • Online publication: 22 November 2024
Available formats
×