CHRISTIANITY IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF SPAIN AS A
NATION
(Excerpt
from Doctoral Dissertation)
Jeff Turnbough
The Spanish people have the right
to boast of a long and rich history. Prehistoric cave
paintings in the north of Spain (Las Cuevas de Altamira
-- near Santillana
del Mar, Santander) give evidence of the prehistoric
Ibero peoples. The Phoenicians established a flourishing
commerce with the Iberian people as early as the 12th
century B.C.. The Celts crossed the Pyrenees and
settled in Iberia in the 6th century B.C. By 205 B.C.
the Romans had conquered and occupied
practically the whole Iberian Peninsula, and would
remain there for the next six hundred years. Julius
Caesar went to Spain to suppress the remaining warring
tribes and to solidify Spain as a Roman outpost.
Romanization brought political and
military jurisdiction, roads, commerce, culture, education,
and perhaps most important of all, Christianity. First, the
Roman gods were introduced to the Iberian people, whom they
accepted mainly as an exercise of patriotic duty. However,
when messengers of Christianity traveled Roman roads to
Spain, native Iberians converted. The Apostle Paul spoke of
his desire to take the gospel to Spain, and there is a
tradition that alleges he fulfilled that desire (Chapman
1938). The Spanish city of Santiago de Compostela is
purported to be the burial site of the Apostle James, and
the thousands of people who make a pilgrimage there each
year attest to their belief in this claim of apostolic ties
in Spain. As the Roman Empire declined in power and
influence, Christianity grew stronger in Spain, always
maintaining close ties with Rome.
These
historical facts are significant in terms of any idea or
suggestion of Spaniards converting to Christianity today.
Spaniards were among the first people groups in the world
to accept Christianity. The tradition of Christianity on
Spanish soil can be traced to the time of the original
apostles of Jesus Christ. There is a certain
(understandable) air of pride in that fact, even today.
Among
the warring tribes from Northern Europe who invaded and
plundered the Roman Empire, the Visigoths were most successful conquering
Spain. They settled and became permanent residents. Many
of the invading Visigoths converted to Christianity.
There were different Visigoth rulers who fought against
one another in different regions around the Iberian
Peninsula, vying for position and power. This meant the
peninsula was divided into what would later be called
kingdoms, which, as we will see later, would also become
significant historically. In terms of reestablishing a
semblance of order, Leovigild was one of the more important
Visigoth kings in Spain. While many of the Visigoths
followed an Arian form of Christianity, it was Leovigild
that set the stage so that his successor,
Recared, would convert officially to
Christianity in the year 589, tying Christianity to a
ruling party in what would later become the country of
Spain. In spite of that, the conflicts continued among
the Visigoth kingdoms, as they battled for territory
within the Iberian Peninsula.
Did the Visigoths invite Arab Muslims from the North of
Africa into Spain, or did the Arabs come of their own
volition? Some say it is only legend, and others believe
that it is historical fact that Count Julian invited the Arab Tarif and his
army to cross the Straits of Gibraltar in 711 to help
defeat his enemy Don Rodrigo. Whether the invitation is
historically factual or not, that year initiated a
period of Islamic invasion and rule in
Spain,
which would last eight hundred years. The remaining
Visigoth kings would fight with the Muslims during this
time. The Muslims would drive the Visigoths (known as
Christians) into the Northern most regions of the
Iberian Peninsula. The significant fact is, Spaniards
found themselves in a position of fighting for and
defending their territory and their religion. Fighting
against religious enemies to conquer land became a way
of life in Spain.
In 1492, Columbus sailed the ocean
blue, but something else happened too.
Isabella of Castile had married Ferdinand of Aragon (in 1469), uniting the two most
important Christian kingdoms in Spain, and together
they drove out the ruling Muslims from their last
stronghold in Granada. Continuing in the spirit of
triumph, they perpetuated their quest outside the
perimeters of the Iberian Peninsula to discover and
conquer new territories, eventually creating a world
empire for Spain. The year 1492 marked the beginning of
one of Spain’s greatest periods in history, at
least in terms of world dominance and prominence. Spain
sent Christian missionaries around the world. While the
last colonized territories of the empire were
surrendered in the late nineteenth century, the reign of
the Catholic kings and queens continues through today.
(In Spanish history books Christianity is almost always
referred to as Catholicism, and Christian kings as
Catholic kings.)
By the time of Charles I (also known as Charles V, emperor of the Austrian empire), who ruled from 1516-1556, Spain was at the height of its glory. Charles was the king of Spain and emperor of what some called the remnants of the Roman Empire, a large portion of Europe. For that reason, Charles was called upon to intervene and hear Martin Luther. The unity of Spain and the empire was based on a Catholic world, and it is no surprise that Charles condemned Luther and banned his ideas as heresy. In Spain, Protestants were added to the Inquisition lists with Muslims and Jews, as infidels and enemies of the state. (Some suggest that a few Spanish Catholics have never removed Protestants from the list even today, in spite of laws to the contrary.) Once again, Spaniards were in a position of fighting to defend their religion. This time the fight was staunch Roman Catholicism against Protestantism. The word Protestant itself carries a critical nuance, because it was very negative to be a protestor against the Catholic Church and the State of Spain in a time when an inquisition mentality prevailed. For that reason, even today Protestants in Spain much prefer the title Evangelical.
By the late 1800s, Spain would experiment with a new form of government, a republic. Important, although not central to the republic was a religious article that proposed the nation remain officially Catholic, but at least allow individuals to profess other faiths. (In spite of the Inquisition and Counter Reformation in Spain, the Protestant Reformation impacted some Spaniards.) The republic did not prosper and Spain returned to a Catholic monarchy. By the early part of the 20th century a majority of progressive Spaniards managed to install a second republic, which among other things allowed religious freedom. This time it culminated in a bloody civil war. The conservatives overthrew the republic, and after three years of utter turmoil (1936-1939), General Francisco Franco emerged as the dictator. The Roman Catholic Church had close ties with the Fascists and once in power, the Fascist government reinstated Roman Catholicism as the official religion of the state. Franco ruled Spain until his death in 1975.
The country was devastated by the civil war and consequently was forced into years of isolation. Spain was in no position to participate in World War I or II. However, post-war progress in the USA and Europe, the cold war, and growing ties in the West exerted much pressure on Spain to conform in many ways. The United States established relations with Franco in order to build military bases in Spain. After much international pressure from Western allies, new laws concerning religious freedom were finally adopted in 1967. However, it was not until the new constitution was adopted in 1978 (three years after the death of Franco) that Spain officially separated religion from the state, delegating religion as a private matter. Even though strict guidelines were included to legislate all religious activity, new laws gave the small non-Catholic minorities freedom to practice and propagate their religions.
During the later years of the Franco regime, dissention and corruption within the Spanish Roman Catholic Church, together with secularization negatively impacted Spanish society, eroding many Spaniard’s faith in the Roman Catholic Church and religion in general. Many people lost faith in the church altogether. Some believe the arrival of new laws guaranteeing religious freedom made little difference, since people were no longer interested in anything spiritual. Nonetheless, it appeared that the stigma against any religions other than Roman Catholicism stuck. During the early years of the new government, it was not uncommon to hear Spaniards say, “If I am not going to be a Roman Catholic, which is the only true religion, I certainly am not going to convert to any other religion.”
From the time of the Inquisition of the 17th century to the Franco regime, abundant documents point to the fact that Protestants in Spain have been stereotyped, ridiculed, persecuted, exiled, and even martyred for their faith (Aranjo 1933; Castro 1851; Delpech 1956; Hughey 1955; Martínez 1994; McCrie 1842; Sellers 1995, 1996, 1998; Vought 1973; Zoba 1999, etc.). Howard Schomer, the Chairman of the Committee on Fraternal Work and Personnel Exchanges of the World Council of Churches in 1956 wrote, “Nowhere else on the earth in this 20th century do Christians oppress Christians as in Spain . . . where Spanish Catholic intransigence reigns” (Delpech 1956:ix). Delpech asserts that the Inquisition was an attempt to banish and kill them all. Fox’s Book of Martyrs (Forbush 1926) details some of the atrocities against Protestant believers in the country of Spain. Aranjo believes that “In few nations has religion played such an absorbing role as in Spain. Her history has been molded by religious impulses and ideals, true or mistaken” (1933:14). The Spanish Roman Catholic Church and various ruling parties have clearly shared the culpability, each to greater or lesser degrees at different points in history. While today the position of the Roman Catholic Church has changed greatly, as has official legislation, the effects of these historical realities linger. That Evangelical Christianity has been stigmatized from this unjust treatment is an understatement. Social prejudices against Evangelical Christianity remain today. In spite of laws that guarantee religious liberty, Evangelicals have struggled to shed the years of shame and to become a positive and viable social entity within the Spanish cultural context.
--------------------
Aranjo Garcia, Carlos and Kenneth G. Grubb
1933 Religion in the Republic of Spain. London: World Dominion.
Castro, Adolfo de
1851 The Spanish Protestants and Their Persecution by Philip II: A Historical Work. (Original: Los Protestantes Españoles y su Persecución por Felipe II). Thomas Parker, transl., London: Charles Gilpin.
Chapman, Charles E.
1938 A History of Spain. New York: MacMillan.
Delpech, Jacques
1956 The Oppression of Protestants in Spain (Original: Les Protestants en Espagne). Tom and Dolores Johnson, transls. London: Lutterworth.
Duocastella, Rogelio
1968 Analisis sociológico del Catolicismo Español (Sociological Analysis of Spanish Catholicism). Madrid, Spain: Editorial Nova Terra.
Forbush, William Byron
Fox’s Book of Martyrs. Philadelphia, PA: John C. Winston.
Hughey, John David
1955 Religious Freedom in Spain: Its Ebb and Flow. London: Carey Kingsgate.
Martínez, José M.
1994 La España evangélica ayer y hoy: Esbozo de una historia para una reflexión (The Evangelical Spain Yesterday and Today: A Sketch of History for Reflection). Barcelona, Spain: Publicaciones Adamio.
McCrie, Thomas
1842 History of the Progress and Suppression of the Reformation in Spain in the Sixteenth Century. Philadelphia, PA: Presbyterian Board of Publications.
Sellers, Jeff M.
1995 Evangelism Effort Arouses Hostilities. Christianity Today 39(6):56.
1996 Evangelicals Weary of Religious Cult Label. Christianity Today 40(11):89.
1998 Evangelicals Protest Media Shutdowns. Christianity Today 42(6):23.
Turnbough, Jeffrey A.
2004 A Religious Paradigm Shift for Adult Spaniards in the Conversion to Evangelical Christianity, Doctoral Dissertation, Biola University’s School of Intercultural Studies.
Vought, Dale G.
1973 Protestants in Modern Spain. Pasadena, CA: William Carey Library.
2001 Like a Flickering Flame: A History of Protestant Missions in Spain. Sevilla, Spain: Author.
Zoba, Wendy Murray
1998 The Gypsy Reformation. Christianity Today 43(2): 50.
(If you are interested in
obtaining a complete copy of the dissertation,
please go to the following web address:
http://wwwlib.umi.com/dxweb/
Enter the
# 3124528
and/or
Author: Turnbough, Jeffrey A.
Title: A
RELIGIOUS PARADIGM SHIFT FOR ADULT SPANIARDS IN THE
CONVERSION PROCESS TO EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANITY
(View the abstract)