Miracle, Mystery, Authority

In order to appreciate the far-reaching consequences of traditional religion on the Latin American mentality and way of life, it becomes imperative to look historically at the phenomena which we may call in borrowed symbolism “Miracle, Mystery and Authority.”

If it be true that second century Christians sometimes formed themselves into burial clubs in order to achieve a type of organization legal under Roman law, then that fact could give the Czechs, the Basques, and other oppressed minorities today some good ideas on how to run an underground church in an unconventional form.

Not only are our statistics confusing, they can be used to arouse false hopes.