In the Name of the God Who Will Be: The Mobilization of Radical Christians in the Sandinista Revolution

Religion and Revolutionary We‐Ness: Religious Discourse, Speech Acts, and Collective Identity in Prerevolutionary Nicaragua

“…For our purposes, we take a movement identity to be a collective 1 We have also consulted other published materials associated with our primary data source. These sources include the remaining three volumes of The Gospel of Solentiname (Cardenal 1982a(Cardenal , 1982b(Cardenal , 1982c, retrospective and contemplative accounts about Solentiname (Cardenal 1972(Cardenal , 1978(Cardenal , 1979(Cardenal , 1987(Cardenal , 2003Jiménez 2006;Pring-Mill 1979;Randall 1983Randall , 1985Vivas 2000), and recent oral history projects on Solentiname participants (Dueñas García de Polavieja 2012;Pérez 2014) as well as other available testimonial and secondary sources that explore the role of religion in the prerevolutionary period (Baltodano 2010;Belli 2003;Bradstock 1987;Cabestrero 1985Cabestrero , 1986Clos 2012;Dodson and O'Shauhnessy 1990;Foroohar 1989;Girardi 1989;Girardi, Forcano, and Vigil 1987;Instituto Historico Centroamericano 1979;Kirk 1992;Montoya 1995;Mulligan 1991;Rodríguez García 1981;Rosales 1987;Sabia 1997;Williams 1989). It should be noted that all Spanish to English translations have been done by the author.…”

“…Bible study discussions facilitated the emergence of oppositional understandings, helped translate and give meaning to evolving revolutionary sentiment, and ultimately figured significantly in the revolutionary mobilization of Christians (Baltodano ; Dodson and O'Shauhnessy ; Foroohar ; Lancaster ; Sabia ; Randall , ). Religious discussions in Christian base communities and similar oppositional contexts employed hermeneutic practices that facilitated the development of ideological suspicion, the critical interpretation of sociopolitical realities, and the assumption of revolutionary identities (Berryman ; Clos ; Reed ). Bible study discussions made it possible for participating interlocutors to transform the conventional uses of religious language into radical ones, converting religious idioms into “fighting words” (Steinberg ).…”

The Bible, religious storytelling, and revolution: The case of Solentiname, Nicaragua

“…These discussions took place in Christian base communities (CBCs), cursillos de cristiandad settings (short Christian courses), popular churches, and seminaries operating as consciousness-raising havens (Hirsch, 1989) in both rural and urban areas. Inspired by liberation theology (defined below) they facilitated the critical evaluation of sociopolitical realities and ultimately produced a change in religious consciousness, one that was conducive to revolutionary involvement (Berryman, 1984; Clos, 2012). In short, Bible study discussions made it possible for many Christians in Nicaragua—in and outside Solentiname—to mobilize as revolutionaries.…”

“…While discussions in Solentiname have been amply studied, not much attention has been paid to the kind of religious stories discussants used to establish and maintain revolutionary convictions. Berryman (1984) and Clos (2012), for example, have studied the "problem-solving," dialogue based, features in these religious discussions and their impact on revolutionary commitment/mobilization. De Polavieja (2011, 2012), Farhi (1990), Foroohar (1989), and Margaret Randall (1983) have similarly explored the consciousness-raising dimensions and commitment effects of Bible study discussions.…”