EMBASSY AND EVANGELICALS: BREAKING NEW GROUND

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 LIMA 004179 SIPDIS SENSITIVE G FOR LAURA LEDERER G/TIP FOR LINDA BROWN STATE FOR INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM OFFICE DRL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM FOR LISTON, SCHNEIDER, POSHTKOUHI, DRL FOR NEWLING, CUMBERLAND, SCHECHTER IIP/SC FOR TODD LEVENTHAL FSI/PD FOR NORDLAND, EMERSON E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PINR PHUM PGOV PE SUBJECT: EMBASSY AND EVANGELICALS: BREAKING NEW GROUND REF: A. LIMA 3415 ¶B. LIMA 3414 ¶C. CARACAS 2371 Sensitive but Unclassified. Please protect accordingly. ¶1. (U) This is the third in a three-part series on Peru,s Evangelical Christians. Reftels described the history and contemporary political strategy of this key emerging group. This cable discusses Embassy outreach. -------------- Summary: -------------- ¶2. (U) Peru,s rapidly-growing population of Evangelical Christians, estimated to represent 10-15 percent of the population, possesses demonstrated political potential. They helped defeat Sendero Luminoso, were critical in transforming a long-shot candidate into a president in 1990, and have developed a home-grown counterweight to the Cocaleros' pseudo-Inca ideology (Ref B). Evangelicals agree with the USG on drugs, trafficking in persons, and religious freedom. Many admire the United States. Peru,s Evangelical movement has both social depth and international breadth. On the one hand, Peru,s Evangelicals offer a pipeline to poor, indigenous Peruvians. On the other, they form part of an international movement that extends well beyond Peru. ¶3. (SBU) Evangelicals' pro-U.S. sympathies should not be taken for granted. This is an emerging group that can challenge the traditional often anti-U.S. elements that now predominate in Peruvian academe and in intellectual circles. Moreover, Evangelical groups from the U.S. have become very interested in Peru, are sponsoring important, local-level development projects, which showcase the positive role that U.S. citizens are taking in promoting Peru's development. Next to Americans of Peruvian descent, American Evangelicals are probably the most important constituency in the United States with an interest in Peru. Post notes other recent reporting on this key sector in other countries (Ref C) and believes it would be useful to develop a regional perspective on the Evangelicals. End Summary. -------------- Leading with Human Rights -------------- ¶4. (U) U.S. Human Rights policy has both thematic resonance and topical relevance for Evangelicals, as HR Officer found out when addressing the Union of Peruvian Evangelical Churches (UNICEP) on 3/29. Embassy's presentation traced the long process of extending human rights to greater numbers of U.S. citizens. An audience of 500 pastors responded positively to a presentation on the United States, struggles with slavery, Gilded Age corruption, fascism, communism, and contemporary terrorism. The presentation emphasized the success of U.S. inclusiveness based on the diverse origins of contemporary U.S. leaders. Finally, by casting drug addiction and TIP as modern day forms of slavery, it became possible to link the struggles from U.S. History with these contemporary bilateral issues. ¶5. (U) Along with the story of Human Rights in US History, Peruvian Evangelicals responded to a particular part of the Human Rights Report, the Section on Religious Freedom. Evangelicals admire the strict religious neutrality of the USG and advocate constitutional reforms that would move the GOP in the same direction. (Note: This PowerPoint presentation is available from Poloff David Brooks at: brooksdc2@state.gov) -------------- Break Out Older PAS Materials -------------- ¶6. (U) Evangelicals are interested in many traditional PAS materials ) the Outline series on U.S. History, Economy and Government is just one example. They have a strong desire for basic educational resources, an enthusiasm that exists for a variety of reasons: -Many Evangelicals are &late bloomers,8 people who came to their faith later in life. Converts from economically less-privileged groups have often emerged from difficult circumstances and frequently have delayed educational needs they are eager to address. -As Evangelicals awaken educationally, they bump up against the exclusivity and traditional Marxism of much of Peruvian academe, the educational establishment, and intellectual life. Consequently, they are responsive to other viewpoints. -------------- Family Focus Offers Opportunities: -------------- ¶7. (U) Many urban churches focus on reinforcing the family. Their assault on alcohol abuse (mostly by men) makes the churches popular with women and is reminiscent of 19th century temperance campaigns in the U.S. Likewise, urban Evangelicals, recruited from among the poor, many of them migrants to the cities, are well aware of the dangers of drugs and the costs of political extremism. Peru's Evangelical Churches are already delivering an anti-drug message, and, more important, could be potential partners in producing and disseminating material against drugs and human trafficking. Many of the larger churches have impressive cultural reproduction capabilities, including small recording studios and publishing capacities. -------------- Countering Anti-Americanism -------------- ¶8. (U) Peruvian Evangelicals tend to be pro-U.S. for a variety of reasons. Just as they teach an ethic of personal responsibility, the Evangelicals also promote the idea that Peru should solve its own problems, a vision of national self-reliance that contradicts Marxist-inspired intellectual orthodoxy that holds the U.S. responsible for Latin America's difficulties. ¶9. (U) Perhaps more important, Evangelicals are pro-U.S. because many of their churches were founded by U.S. missionaries and maintain contacts with U.S. churches, whose members often participate in projects that are both development-related and faith-based. Lima's Camino de Vida (Road to Life) Church, for example, runs a program that distributes free wheelchairs donated by U.S. citizens to poor, handicapped Peruvians. Though not large by USG standards, the program showcases U.S. philanthropy and puts a human face onto U.S. citizens' efforts to help Peru. At the invitation of the Camino de Vida Church, Embassy will participate in the next donation ceremony. ¶10. (U) Embassy's Web Page recently added a screen for Americans to register philanthropic projects with the Mission. We are designing a more detailed questionnaire for distribution to our Evangelical contacts so that we can get a better idea as to the number, nature, and location of a wider range of U.S. supported, faith-based projects in Peru. ¶11. (U) Finally, Peruvian Evangelicals are closely connected to similar movements in other countries. A tight relationship exists between the Lima's Agua Viva (Living Waters) Church and Colombian Pastor Cesar Castellanos' Mision Carismatica Internacional (Charismatic International Mission) in Colombia, for example (Ref A). The founders of the Agua Viva Church, a family of American Missionaries, also have family members working in Ukraine and soon in China. Lima's Camino de Vida Church regularly features speakers from Australia and the United States. Consequently, work with Peruvian Evangelicals on key issues could reinforce USG efforts in other countries. -------------- Ongoing Embassy Outreach -------------- ¶12. (U) Embassy has moved to build contacts with Peruvian Evangelical Christians. Ambassador appeared with the Israeli Ambassador as an official guest at the opening ceremonies of a Promise Keepers-style event for 20,000 Peruvian men at the National Stadium organized by Agua Viva Church on 7/30. NAS Program Officer and NAS Eradication Officer have also met with members of both the Camino de Vida and Agua Viva churches to discuss coordinated work regarding drug demand reduction, trafficking in persons, and coca erradication. Both churches were enthusiastic. Both also provide a communications and information pipeline to community leaders in areas where drug use and coca cultivation predominate. -------------- Comment: -------------- ¶13. (SBU) Evangelicals are creating a vision for the less-privileged masses in Peru that aligns with our own, including emphasis on national self-reliance as well as fighting illegal drugs, trafficking in persons, and anti-Americanism. ¶14. (U) We should regard Evangelical churches the same way we look at other institutions -- including schools and universities, civic groups, and the Catholic Church -- as possible venues for programming. Speakers on issues related to the family, anti-corruption, anti-trafficking, counternarcotics, human rights, U.S. History and culture, and the culture of lawfulness would encounter large and likely highly receptive local audiences that are economically diverse and increasingly active politically. ¶15. (U) Post notes other recent reporting on Evangelical Christians in other countries (Ref C). We believe it would be useful to have a regional perspective on this key emerging constituency, which both crosses borders and can contribute to the dissemination of messages consonant with our own. STRUBLE