Christianity in Bolivia

Bolivia is a landlocked country in Western-Central South America. It shares borders with Brazil to the north and east, Paraguay to the Southeast, Argentina to the South, Chile to the Southwest, and Peru to the West. The country has two capital cities: La Paz (Executive and Legislative), and Sucre (Constitutional and Judicial). The official language is Spanish. Bolivia has a population of 12 million spread across different ethnic and cultural communities. These are Mestizo (Mixed White and Indigenous), 68%, Indigenous, 20%, White, 5%, Cholo, 2%, Black, 1%, others, 4%. The country’s religious configuration also reflects its multi-ethnic roots, with Roman Catholicism as the dominant faith. The religious composition by percentage is Roman Catholicism, 70%, Protestant (17.3%), other Christian denominations, 1.9%, Atheism, 10.1%, other faiths, 0.6%.

Modern History

 Bolivia has a rich history. It was once the centre of the ancient Tiwanaku (Tiahuanaco) Empire. From the 15^th to early 16^th century, it was a part of the Inca Empire. After the arrival of the conquistadores, it was subsumed within the Viceroyalty of Peru, and it provided Spain with immense wealth, including silver. The Nationalist Revolutionary Movement (Movimiento Nacionalista Revolucionario, MVR) ushered in Bolivia’s nationalist revolution on April 9, 1952, when it launched an armed takeover of La Paz by mineworkers in collaboration with disaffected elements of the National Police. Once in power, the MVR moved quickly to establish its populist credentials, decreeing universal suffrage, nationalising mining and export industries, and reapportioning large tracts of farmland among Indian smallholders. The movement ended in 1964 when the army took over power, ushering a prolonged period of military rule. Civilian rule was restored in 1985.

God’s Canvass in Bolivia

The geography of the country exhibits a great variety of terrain and climates. It has a high level of biodiversity, considered one of the greatest in the world. Examples of Bolivia’s fauna and flora and shown below.

Fauna

 Bolivia is home to a variety of rare species of animals. These include Llamas, condor, visacha, puma, turtles, tapirs, vicuna, jaguars, parrots, giant otters, caimans and small alligators. Some of them are presented below.

Flora

Aromatic shrubs are common in Bolivia, as are vanilla, sarsaparilla, and saffron plants. Useful native plants include palms, sweet potatoes, manioc, peanuts, and an astonishing variety of fruits. Examples of plants native to the country are shown below.

Beaches

Culture

Bolivian culture is very diverse due to the differing origin of its people. The society comprises of people of Spanish origin, descendants of the colonisers, indigenous groups from the Andes, and Mestizos, a mixture of Whites and indigenous tribes. The Spanish brought their own tradition of religious art which, in the hands of indigenous and Mestizo builders and artisans, developed into a rich and distinctive style of architecture, literature, and sculpture known as “Mestizo Baroque.”

Traditional Attire

          The traditional attire of Bolivia is similar to that in nearby Peru, except for regional variations. For highland Indian women of indigenous descent, the traditional skirt, known as a pollera, was originally a garment that they were forced to wear by colonial rulers. It was intended to easily identify and set apart the often looked down upon native community. Spanish colonisers made native women discard their previous traditional clothes in something more in keeping with what was being worn back in Spain by poor people. Prior to this, the national dress in Bolivia was altogether simpler, consisting of a log tunic belted around the middle of the body. Some of the current traditional attires are presented below.

Cuisines

        Bolivian cuisine stems from the combination of Spanish cuisine with indigenous ingredients, with later influences from Germans, Italians, French and Arabs. The traditional staples are corn, potatoes, quinoa and beans. These ingredients have been combined with a number of food items brought by the Spanish, such as rice, wheat, and meat, including beef, pork and chicken. Notable dishes are shown below.

Status of Christianity in Bolivia

         The state of Christianity in the country is concerning. This is because Roman Catholicism has over the years, accepted some indigenous pagan rituals and customs by assimilation. For instance, a deity said to be the virgin daughter of the Inca sun god has been transmuted into the Virgin Mary.  Consequently, pagan rites from the pre-Columbian era are still common during religious festivals of the natives. The natives equally worship mountain spirits, mother earth, known as Pachamama, for which fertility rituals are performed by the initiates.

Prayer Points

In 2 Corinthians 6:17, God said to believers who were fraternising with the world and its strange spirits, “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you.” Verse 15 of the same chapter posed the question, “And what concord hath Christ with Belial? I Therefore, it is not a surprise that darkness is intensifying in the country. In what part of the Bible, whether Old or New Testament did God command us to assimilate pagan rituals? How does this demonic practice prosper the Kingdom of God? Brethren, let us take up this matter with our Heavenly Father and plead with Him to destroy Babylon and its children in Bolivia so that its people can be delivered from bondage to satan and his demons. The following prayer points are relevant in this regard.

1. Ask God to destroy the influence of paganism and ancestral spirit worship in Bolivia.
2. Jeremiah 10:11 declares that the gods that did not create the heavens and the earth will perish from the earth and under the heavens.” Ask the Father to uproot and destroy the infrastructure of demonic principalities and powers operating in the country.
3. Pray that God would destroy all faulty spiritual foundations laid in the lives of those who claim to be Christians, which have allowed them to fraternise with pagans and participate in the demonic rituals in the name of ‘honouring the Virgin Mary’.
4. Ask the Father to pour out His Spirit on unsaved souls in Bolivia, using its President, Luis Arce as point of contact.
5. Pray that God would remove the covering of darkness from their hearts, minds, ears and eyes to enable them receive and accept the truth of the Gospel.
6. Pray that the Holy Spirit would convict them of their sins and lead them to repentance.
7. Ask the Father to send workers into His harvest in Bolivia.
8. Pray that He would sanctify believers with His word and empower them with His Spirit to preach the Gospel with boldness.
9. Pray for God’s protection for all ministers of the Gospel, especially in indigenous communities practising paganism.
10.   Thank the Father for His intervention in the lives of His children in Bolivia.

Intercession Checklist

 The political map of Bolivia provided in the article is to aid focused prayer for unsaved souls in the country. Pick a town, city or region from the map for the targeted prayer. Tell the Father that you are claiming this geographical space for Christ as His ambassador. The anchor Scripture is Psalm 2:8, “Ask of Me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost part of the earth for thy possession.”

      *******Some materials sourced from Bolivia, https://www.britannica.com; History of Bolivia, https://www.nationsonline.org; Bolivia, https://en.m.wikipedia.org.