Juan Martínez

Dr. Juan Martínez, Ph.D.
Mennonite Brethren
Associate Dean for Hispanic Church Studies
Associate Professor of Hispanic Studies and Pastoral Leadership
Fuller Theological Seminary, School of Theology
Pasadena, CA

Personal Statement:

Latino Protestants reflect the diversity of Protestantism in the United States. But the vast majority is from Pentecostal and/or Evangelical traditions. As such many are drawn to more conservative theological perspectives, such as a literal interpretation of the first chapters of the book of Genesis. For those influenced by fundamentalism young earth creationism is often considered an article of faith.

But the key issue for most Latino Protestants is the reality of the God who is present and active in human reality. God is creator and sustainer of the universe and of life on earth. God is also experienced in daily life as the one who walks with us. How God creates can be studied by science. A related issue is that of human dignity as God’s creation. Most Latino Protestants will react strongly against any explanation of reality, scientific or otherwise, that seeks to explain God out of the picture, that devalues human dignity, or that questions human moral responsibility before God.

So the most important question in this perspective is the place of God. When any theory, scientific or otherwise, attempts to explain “all,” then there is a strong negative reaction. But when scientific inquiry opens the door to understanding how it is that God created the world, then there is often a bridge for conversation between Christian faith and science. In simple and common parlance, science is seen as doing its best work when it explains the how. But if scientists address the “why” question or describes a universe in which there is no need or room for God, then there tends to be a strong reaction against science in general.

Though most Latino Protestants would tend to be creationists, there is often an openness to discussing how it is that God created the universe. This becomes an important door for addressing the human origins question in ways that allows for evolution as the means that God used in creation.