The presence and power of gangs in Central America and other countries make transformational development strategies increasingly difficult as well as dangerous. For more than thirty years, development practitioner David Bueno has witnessed the growth and spread of gangs in communities where legitimate and constructive social institutions have gradually disappeared or been marginalized, leaving affected communities increasingly isolated.
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Like David Bueno, I conduct research in El Salvador. I began a decade long research initiative in 2013 called the Religion, Poverty & Development (RPD) project. The first wave of results showed that the most acutely experienced aspect of poverty in lower class Salvadoran communities is violence, and that evangelical churches have a close and complicated relationship with gangs.
Check out the full story here: https://meroscenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Offutt-Blog-Post-for-Meros-Center-3.10.23.pdf
The complex relationship between gangs and the evangelical church is not limited to Latin America. One particular gang leader and politician, whom we will call “Barrabas,” exemplifies this complex relationship between Christian gangs and evangelicals in India.
Despite the disapproval of many evangelicals, Barrabas was called upon by evangelical leaders on at least two occasions to assist in times of persecution and police injustice. One such occasion involved a local pastor, whom we will call “David,” who sought Barrabas’ help when a village pastor was threatened by a Hindu mob. The police were deemed unreliable, and so David felt that he had no other option but to call upon Barrabas, who arrived in the village with his gang in a procession of SUVs and motorcycles wielding swords and revolvers. The Hindu mob scattered at the sight of the gang, and Barrabas proceeded to drive around the village streets warning the villagers and threatening them with dire consequences if they ever again threatened the pastor. After this intervention, the pastor was never threatened again. Although David was not proud of his actions, he felt that it was justified in this instance.
In another instance, my organization’s outreach team was invited by a village family to celebrate Christmas in their village. While there, they were attacked by a group of people from outside the neighborhood who accused the team of forced conversion. They were taken to the police station and falsely accused of wrongdoing. In the meantime, Barrabas was contacted and immediately came to the station with his gang, demanding the team’s release. A heated exchange between Barrabas and the Hindu mob leader eventually resulted in a deal that allowed the team’s release on the condition that they never returned to the village.
These examples demonstrate that the complex relationship between gangs and the evangelical church is not unique to Latin America and can take on different forms in other regions, such as India. The complexities between gangs and evangelicals can vary depending on cultural and social contexts. I find that very interesting.