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Hoover and Umaña patriarchadicy as the foundational myth of Pentecostalism in Chile (1910–1964)

2023; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 24; Issue: 4 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/21567689.2023.2285792

2156-7689

Miguel Ángel Mansilla, Luis Orellana Urtubia,

Religion and Society Interactions

ABSTRACTThis research seeks to elucidate the role of two historical figures of Chilean Pentecostalism, W. C. Hoover and Manuel Umaña, in the construction of patriarchadicy as the foundational and pervasive ideology of Pentecostalism. Our theoretical approach is based on the structuralist constructivism of Berger and Bourdieu. Berger allows us to consider religion from the standpoint of theodicy and Bourdieu from that of masculine dominance. Both of them have allowed us to generate a new conceptual proposal, which we have called patriarchadicy: an ideology vindicating the superiority of men and the inferiority of women as religious leaders. According to it, man's physical strength is interwoven with the moral strength of woman; man's moral weakness, with the physical weakness of woman. Thus, the socio-ecclesiastico-familial organicism is reinvented to generate an assumed ontological complementarity of man-head-leader and idoneous woman-hand-helpmeet. Our methodology has included a review of the two institutional publications, Chile Pentecostal: (1910–1927) and its second period (1933–1979), and Fuego de Pentecostés (1928–2019). Disclosure statementNo potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).Notes1 'Editorial', Chile Pentecostal 9 (1911), pp. 2–3.2 Alice Rasmussen and Dean Helland, La Iglesia Metodista Pentecostal: Ayer y hoy. Tomo I. (Santiago: Plan Mundial de Asistencia Misionera en Chile, 1987), p. 27; pp. 121–122.3 Ignacio Vergara, El protestantismo en Chile (Santiago: Editorial Pacífico 1962), pp. 258–259; Juan Kessler, El comienzo de los protestantes, pentecostales y adventistas en Chile (Santiago: Sabiduria Libros-Primera Ediciones, Traducción Jessica Rosales, 2019), pp. 230–231.4 After the schism of 1934, the Methodist Pentecostal Church (IMP) and the Evangelical Pentecostal Church (IEP) became the pillars of Chilean Pentecostalism, Even the missionary Pentecostal groups joined the Chilean Pentecostal culture. This also entailed that Pentecostal missionaries such as the Assemblies of God, of such importance in Latin America, should be irrelevant in terms of numbers and influence in Chile.5 Willis Hoover, 'Nuestros misioneros', Fuego de Pentecostés 26 (1930), pp. 2–3.6 'Fiesta Vitalicia del Pastor D. Manuel Umaña'. Chile Pentecostal 48 (1937), p. 1.; Luis Orellana, El fuego y la nieve: Historia del movimiento pentecostal en Chile 1909–1932 (Concepción: CEEP EDICIONES, 2008), p. 113.; Carlos Martínez, La Iglesia Metodista Pentecostal de Chile en Talca. (Talca: Monografía, 1999), p. 10.7 In Chilean Pentecostalism, the discourse of woman's suitability became an ideology of suitability that involved viewing the roles of being a wife and mother as divine mandates and sacred principles for the organisation of women's daily lives, which has been orally passed down in the culture since days of old. As such, the Biblical story becomes a mythical historicisation that excludes women from power based on the organicist symbolism of man-head and woman-hand. As Bourdieu notes, this was produced through a socialisation of the biological and a biologisation of the social.8 Elizabeth Salazar, Todas seriamos rainhas, Historia do pentecostalismo chileno do perspectiva da mulher 1909–1935, Tesis de Pós-Graduacão Maestre em Ciencias da Religião, Instituto Metodista de Esenio Superior, (São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brasil, 1995), p. 242.9 'La Conferencia Anual de 1938', Chile Cristiano 56 (1938), p. 1.10 In the case of Berger, the theodicy emerges as a psychosocial aspect of religious legitimation and the marginal experiences that constantly threaten man. But in the case of Pentecostalism, the patriarchy, we refer to the fact that it is religious legitimation that develops male power over women in Pentecostalism and thus justifies male domination of the female, explaining it as divine will based on the Bible. This is culturally aligned with Catholic patriarchy, which is where Pentecostal converts come from. As such, even Pentecostal communities founded by women must hand leadership over to men. The same is true even in communities in which women are the majority or are more highly qualified than men. Finally, even if a woman is recognized by the community as a 'pastor' if her husband, the pastor, dies, she must transfer the church to a man, even if he is from elsewhere, and she must leave the pastoral home. She would thus cease to be a pastor or 'sister pastor' and become simply a sister. Peter Berger, El dosel Sagrado: Para una teoría sociológica de la religion (Barcelona: Editorial Kairos, 1999), p. 92.11 'Fiesta Vitalicia del Pastor D. Manuel Umaña'. Chile Pentecostal 48 (1937), p. 1; Fuego de Pentecostés and La Voz Pentecostal 45 (2009).12 Walter Hollenweger, 'Pasado del metodismo en el presente del pentecostalismo', Revista Espíritus: Estudios sobre el pentecostalismo 1 (1985), p. 31.13 Willis Hoover, 'Quienes son estos pentecostales', Fuego de Pentecostés 7 (1928), pp. 2–5.14 David Stoll, ¿América Latina se vuelve protestante? (Cayombe-Ecuador: Abya-Yala, 1991).; Arturo Fontaine y Harold Beyer, H. 'Retrato del movimiento evangélico a la luz de las encuestas de opinión'. Estudios Públicos 44 (1991), pp. 1–52; Evguenia Fediakova, Evangélicos, política y sociedad en Chile. Dejando el refugio de las masas, 1990–2010 (Santiago: CEEP Ediciones–IDEA, 2013); Miguel Mansilla, Luis Orellana y Nicolas Panotto, 'La participación política de los evangélicos en Chile (1999-2017)', Rupturas, 9:1 (2018), pp. 179–208.15 This book has no date or publisher information.16 Víctor Sepúlveda, La pentecostalidad en Chile (Concepción: CEEP, 2009), p. 85.17 Cristian D. Epinay, El refugio de las masas (Santiago de Chile: Editorial Pacifico, 1968), p. 242.18 Miranda, 'Utopía e ideología', En: Contribuciones, 3:27 (1990), p. 157.19 Elizabeth Salazar, Todas seriamos rainhas, Historia do pentecostalismo chileno do perspectiva da mulher 1909–1935, Tesis de Pós-Graduacão Maestre em Ciencias da Religião, Instituto Metodista de Esenio Superior (São Bernardo do Campo, SP, Brasil, 1995), p. 242.20 Chile Pentecostal 56 (1938), p. 1.21 Berger, El dosel Sagrado: Para una teoría sociológica de la religión (Barcelona: Editorial Kairos), p. 92.22 In Berger's case, the theodicy appears as a psychosocial dimension of religious legimitation and the marginal experiences which contantly threaten man. But in the case of Pentecostalism, the patriarchadicy, we refer to the religious legitimation which elaborates Pentecostalism of the male power over women, and thus justifying the male domination over the femenine and explaining it biblically as divine will. Which is in cultural affinity with Catholic patriarchalism from which Pentecostals converts come. So, although the Pentecostal communities are founded by women they have to hand them over to the leadership of men and even if their communities are mostly female or if women are more qualified they have to hand them over to male leadership. Finally, even if the pastor's wife is recognized as pastor by the community, in case of the death of her husband, the pastor, she must pass the church over into to the hands of a man, even if he comes from another place, she has to leave the parsonage. She ceases to be the pastor or "sister pastor" and only is the sister.23 Chile Pentecostal 48 (1937), p.1; Fuego de Pentecostés 224 (1948); La Voz Pentecostal 45 (2009).24 D'Epinay, op. cit., p.106.25 Walter Hollenweger, 'Pasado del metodismo en el presente del pentecostalismo', Revista Espíritus: Estudios sobre el pentecostalismo, 1 (1985), p. 31.26 Wacker, 'Testimony' in Heaven Below: Early Pentecostals and American Culture, (Harvard: Harvard University Press, 2001), pp. 58–69.27 W. Browning, J. Ritchie, J. y K. Grubb, The West Coast Republics of South America. Chile, Peru and Bolivia (London: World Dominion Press, 1930); Prudencio Damboriena, El Protestantismo en Chile (Santiago: Mensaje VI. Chile, 1957), pp. 145–154; D'Epinay, op. cit.28 Juan Sepúlveda, De peregrino a ciudadanos. Breve historia del cristianismo evangélico en Chile (Konrad Adeauer. Chile, 1999), p. 109.29 Juan Sepúlveda, 'El nacimiento y desarrollo de las iglesias evangélicas' En Maximiliano Salinas Historia del pueblo de Dios en Chile (Cehilia-Rehue, 1987), pp. 247–277.30 André Corten, Os pobres e o Espírito Santo: o pentecostalismo no Brasil (Petrópolis: Vozes, 1996).31 E. Vilchis, 'Cristianismo y pobreza: una aproximación teórico-metodológica', Revista Cultura y Religión, 17 (2023) p. 3.32 C. Mariz, Coping with Powering. Pentecostalism and Christian Base Communities in Brazil (U.S: Temple University Press, 1994).33 Tatiana Inostroza; Isabel Orellana y Cecilia Inostroza en Trazos de mujeres. En la historia de la Iglesia Misión Pentecostal. s/f p.10.34 M. Tarducci, 'Solo respondo al llamado de Dios. El precario liderazgo de las pastoras pentecostales', AIBR. Revista de Antropología Iberoamericana, 40 (2005), pp. 1–21; V. C. Vilhena, 'Fridas, Flórias e os "homens de Deus" no início do movimento pentecostal brasileiro: uma teologia de dominação', Revista Cultura y Religión, 11:1 (2017), pp. 48–68.35 D'Epinay, op. cit., p. 241.36 Inostroza, op. cit., p.1037 M. Tarducci, 'Mujeres en el movimiento pentecostal: Sumisión o liberación'. En A. Frigerio (ed) El Pentecostalismo en Argentina (Buenos Aires: Centro Editor de América Latina, 1994), pp. 60–79.38 Inostroza, op. cit., p. 66.39 For Willis Hoover's biography, see the book written by his grandson Mario Hoover (2202); on Manuel Umaña´s biography, see Chile Pentecostal (July-August special edition), (1964), pp. 3–38; Willis Hoover, Historia del avivamientopentecostal en Chile, (Concepción: CEEP Ediciones, 2008).40 Chile Pentecostal 139 (1927), pp. 2–3; Fuego de Pentecostés 7 (1928), pp. 2–5.41 Chile Pentecostal 587 (1967), pp. 14–15.42 Pierre Bourdieu, La dominación masculine (Barcelona: Anagrama, 2000), p. 117.43 Example: Between 1924 and 1928 Manuel Umaña increased the number of preaching facilities ("small temples") from 4 to 18 which later became churches.44 'Crónica'. Chile Pentecostal 12 (1911), p. 14.; 'Correspondencia', Chile Pentecostal 20 (1912), pp. 4–6.45 José Quiroga, Chile Pentecostal 24 (1912), p. 2.46 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 107.47 Andres Droogers, Algo mas que opio (San José: DEI, 1991), pp. 20–22.48 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 119.49 Rasmussen and Helland, op. cit., p. 41.50 Kessler, op. cit., pp. 209–217.51 Carmen Galilea, El predicador pentecostal. (Santiago: CISOC-Bellarmino 1991).52 Rasmussen and Helland, op. cit., p. 41.53 Berger, op. cit., p. 92.54 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 119.55 Droogers, op. cit., pp. 20-22.56 To learn about the biography of Willis Hoover you can see in the book written by his grandson Marío Hoover, (2002), about the biography of Manuel Umaña in Chile Pentecostal (July-August special edition), 1964, pp. 2–38.57 Miguel Mansilla, La cruz y la esperanza. La cultura del pentecostalismo chileno en la primera mitad del siglo XX (Ciudad de México: MANDA-UNAM-UNAP, 2014).58 Orellana, op. cit.59 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 15.60 Hoover, 'Los errores … op. cit., p. 2.61 Berger, op. cit., p. 92.62 Since 1933, new groups started to emerge, for instance: The Church of Vitacura, the Evangelical Army of Chile, the Apostolic Pentecostal Church, which were the first communities created in the 1930s. Luis Orellana, 'La matriz religiosa del pentecostalismo en Chile: la Iglesia Metodista Pentecostal y la Iglesia Evangelica Pentecostal', Memoria y Sociedad 20:40 (2016), pp. 266–285.63 M. Hoover, op. cit.64 J. Dominguez, 'Homenajes al Rev. Willis C. Hoover', Fuego de Pentecostés, 115 (1938), pp. 9–11.65 The only document available on this issue is the court's minutes, reduced to public deed on November 24, 1932 before Notary Luis Azocar Álvarez from Santiago. This document was also published in Chile Pentecostal: 'El acta del Tribunal es la siguiente', Chile Pentecostal 26 (1935), pp. 3–4.; see also: Kessler, op. cit., pp. 209–217.66 Fuego de Pentecostés 228 (1948), pp. 7–8.67 J. Dominguez, op. cit., pp. 10–11.68 El Superintendente General, 'Transacción', Chile Pentecostal, 115 (1944), pp. 1–6.69 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 22.70 Iglesia Evangélica Pentecostal, op. cit., p. 114.71 Daniel Venegas and José Mateluna respectively. Interesantes noticias de la Conferencia Annual … , Chile Pentecostal 1 (1933), pp. 2–4.72 We refer to the enhancement of the idoneous nature, transmuted into the ideology of idoneousness, where being a wife and a mother are divine mandates and sacred principles that rule female visibility. Thus, the biblical account is transformed into a mythical historization that excludes women from power, based on the organicist symbology: man-head and woman-hand.73 Iglesia Evangélica Pentecostal, op. cit.; Droogers, op. cit.; Salazar, op. cit.74 Luis Orellana, Nicolas Panotto y Zicri Orellana, 'El pentecostalismo chileno en Argentina: El trabajo misionero de Elías López en Mendoza', Intus—Legere Historia, 12:2 (2018), pp. 312–340.75 Willis Hoover, 'Nuestros misioneros', Fuego de Pentecostés, 26 (1930), pp. 2–3.76 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 39.77 Rodrigo Moulian y Miguel Mansilla, 'Adventismo, activismo social profético y demandas indígenas en Puno 1911-1925', Revista Cultura y Religión, 17 (2023), pp. 1–33.78 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 39.79 Sergio González, 'La presencia indígena en el enclave salitrero de Tarapacá: Una reflexión en torno a la fiesta de La Tirana', Chungará, Revista de Antropología Chilena, 38:1 (2006), pp. 35–49.80 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 56.81 D'Epinay, op. cit., p.241.82 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 53.83 Guillermo Castillo, 'Un llamado', Fuego de Pentecostés, 101 (1937), p. 5.84 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 13.85 Ibid., p. 58.86 P. Bourdieu, La dominación masculina (Barcelona: Anagrama, 2000).87 El Secretario, 'La Conferencia', Fuego de Pentecostés, 114 (1938), p. 8.88 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 59.89 'Aviso Misión en Bolivia', Fuego de Pentecostés, 123 (1939), p. 8.90 'Datos sobre la Conferencia de Enero', (Chile Pentecostal 2 (1933), p. 6.91 'Interesantes noticias de la Conferencia Anual de las más alta dignidades de la Iglesia Metodista Pentecostal de Chile sus acuerdos', (Chile Pentecostal 1 (1933), pp. 2–4.92 'La Conferencia Anual de 1938', op. cit., p. 1.93 Chile Pentecostal 575 (1964).94 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 70.95 Ibid, p. 68.96 This refers to the biblical promise that the elect will have a crown in heaven: An Incorruptible Crown- (Corinthians 9:24-25); A Crown of Rejoicing- (1 Thessalonians 2:19); A Crown of Justice-(2 Timothy 4:8); An incorruptible Crown of Glory-1 Peter 5:4; A Crown of Life- (Revelation 2:10).97 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 70.98 'Direcciones de la Iglesias Pentecostales' Chile Pentecostal 3 (1933), p. 8.99 'Los acuerdos de la Conferencia', Chile Cristiano 56 (1938), p. 3.100 On this issue, go to: https://www.elmostrador.cl/noticias/opinion/2016/08/17/ruido-de-sables/.101 Miguel Mansilla, La cultura del morir: La muerte en el pentecostalismo (Santiago: RIL Editores, 2016).102 Vergara, op. cit., p. 167.103 'La Conferencia Anual', Fuego de Pentecostés 168 (1943), p. 3; El Presidente, 'Aviso', Chile Pentecostal 107 (1943), p.11.104 Primera Iglesia Evangélica Nacional. Opúsculo. (Talca, 1985).105 Vergara, op. cit., pp.163–164.106 Manuel Poblete, Conferencia Annual (Curicó: Mim. 1984), pp. 16–20.107 Minutes of the amendment of the statutes of the Methodist Pentecostal Church of Chile reduced to public deed. Felix Monteros Urzua, Notary and Real Estate Officer in Curicó, N° 174. 25 February 1946.108 Vergara, op. cit., p. 163.109 In order to stenghten their power and to give legitimacy to pastorcentrism and in this way neutralize the critics to the concentration of pastoral power, pastors constantly recited the biblical text: "Do not touch my anointed ones; do not harm my prophets (Salmo, 105:15).110 'La Iglesia Metodista Pentecostal de Chile: Síntesis de su historia oficial', La Voz Pentecostal, 34 (1999), p. 11.111 Bourdieu, op. cit., p. 77.112 Decree N°4789 del 30/08/1946 of the Ministry of Home Affairs appointing Mr. Mamerto Mansilla Tapia, Governor of the Department of Pitrufquén, received and acknowledged by the Comptroller on 25/09/1946 and incorporated into volume 11.904 of the aforementioned fund.Additional informationFundingThis article has been prepared within the framework of the Fondecyt Regular project n° 1211321 financed by the National Agency for Research and Development (ANID) whose lead researcher is Professor Dr. Miguel Mansilla Agüero and the Fondecyt Initiation project n° 11181150 of Professor Dr. Luis Orellana Urtubia; Fondo de Fomento al Desarrollo Científico y Tecnológico.Notes on contributorsMiguel MansillaMiguel Ángel Mansilla, PhD in Anthropology. Academic and researcher at the Arturo Prat University, an entity of the State of Chile. Email: mansilla.miguel@gmail.comLuis OrellanaLuis Orellana Urtubia, PhD. in American Studies. Academic and researcher at the Arturo Prat University, an entity of the State of Chile. E-mail: luis_ubl@yahoo.com.