Soul of Development: Biblical Christianity and Economic Transformation in Guatemala, The

Sherman, Amy L. The Soul of Development: Biblical Christianity and Economic Transformation in Guatemala. NY: Oxford University Press, 1997. 221 PP

Amy L. Sherman's The Soul of Development: Biblical Christianity and Economic Transformation in Guatemala gives the reader an interesting glimpse of rural Guatemala as conditions evolved from civil war to relative peace during the last few years. As Ms. Sherman and other scholars have demonstrated, the long guerilla war produced many changes in rural Guatemala, in some cases profoundly transforming "traditional" society and culture. Ms. Sherman concentrates on the impact of one of these changes: the rising popularity of evangelical Protestantism. Building on the arguments of Max Weber and other scholars from the "cultural and development school," Ms. Sherman makes the provocative argument that the success of Evangelical Protestantism should bring more peace, prosperity, and democracy to rural Guatemala.

Ms. Sherman does not argue that Protestantism is superior to Catholic faith. Rather, she finds that accepting either a Protestant faith or what she call "orthodox" Catholicism and rejecting the syncretic religion that has prevailed for many years in Guatemalan villages, which she calls "Christo-paganism," instills values in the converts that are conducive to upward social mobility, economic improvement, and participatory democracy. Ms. Sherman rightfully points to many positive changes that conversion produces, such as the elimination of the drinking binges associated with the "cargo" system, an overall decline in the consumption of alcohol, increased disposable household income because money is not spent on alcohol or traditional religious ceremonies, and an improvement in the quality of life for women whose husbands no longer drink.

I agree with Ms. Sherman's argument that cultural values and personal attitudes have an impact on an individual's economic success or failure. Her writing style is at times entertaining, particularly when she describes her travels and the people she met. However, I do have a few philosophical and methodological disagreements or discomforts with this book. Although Ms. Sherman provides concrete examples of families whose economic situation improved after conversion, the road to prosperity in Guatemala remains a long one. Orthodox Christianity may indeed provide an alternative to rural rebellion or social revolution, but how will it address the larger problems of underdevelopment? The spread of Orthodox Christianity may produce converts who seek to use the ballot rather than the bullet to promote social change, but will Guatemala's norotiously conservative elite allow reformist candidates to take office and implement policies like higher taxes for the rich, more public spending on education, and land reform? Will converts who move to urban areas be allowed to form unions that have the power to win wage increases, or will they become a passive low wage labor force who assemble goods they cannot afford to purchase? In short, will Protestantism produce a more prosperous and just Guatemala, or will it be a Marxian "opiate of the masses"

Ms. Sherman reaches her conclusions on the basis of interviews, questionnaires, and observations made during her fieldwork in Guatemala. Her evidence for positive social change is encouraging, but the long history of exploitation, violence, dictatorship, and underdevelopment in Guatemala force the historian to adopt a wait and see attitude. For the sake of rural Guatemalans, I hope that Ms. Sherman's predictions are accurate.

Joseph Cotter

Augusta State University

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