There was a time when Anglican resources in Spanish were practically non-existent in Latin America. As recently as ten years ago, theological training in the Anglican tradition still required English proficiency to access most readings.
While English-speaking evangelicals enjoy an abundance of such educational materials, Latin Americans lack the same in their own language.
Without these resources, it is difficult for both clergy and laity to be grounded in the Anglican tradition and identity. Cultural Christianity is prevalent in many parts of Latin America. However, in practice, it often does not extend beyond baptisms, wedding ceremonies, and major Christian holidays.
Non-profit publishing house Proyecto Nehemías helps to fill this gap by partnering with the Anglican Church in Chile (IACH) and Anglican publishers in the UK. They translate key resources that inform theological training and whole-life discipleship in an increasingly post-Christendom secular context. Founder Dr. Jeff Stevenson believes the church grows when informed Christians demonstrate winsome witness in life beyond church doors. To equip clergy and laity for whole-life discipleship, Stevenson founded Proyecto Nehemías in 2014. The organization produces quality materials with professional Spanish-language translation. Its vision is to fill the gap in educational resources and to cross the “sacred-secular divide,” encouraging Spanish-speaking Christians to demonstrate biblically-informed faith in every area of life.
But first, Proyecto Nehemías needed publishing rights for quality content that the Anglican church in Chile wanted translated. Given their own commitment to provide resources grounded in "biblical Truth for today's Anglican Church," Stevenson approached Latimer Trust in 2016. This formed a partnership between the two non-profit publishing houses that is serving the Spanish-speaking church. Proyecto Nehemías now has a designated translator for Latimer Trust content: retired Anglican Bishop, Samuel Morrison.
Morrison has already translated five full-length books and many shorter titles. He likes his current translation project, Reformation Anglicanism: Essays on Edwardian Evangelicalism, for its historicity. The depiction of the Church of England’s seminal years is valuable because, “I think it’s important for Spanish-speaking Anglicans to have books in Spanish about our identity and history.” Looking ahead, Morrison plans to translate Latimer Trust’s entire “Anglican Foundations” series. He’s already completed some, and aims to continue at a rapid pace. “In three years,” he says, “all those books are going to be in Spanish.”
Before Latimer Trust partnered with Proyecto Nehemías, the few Spanish-language Anglican books that did exist were usually out of print. Spanish-language translations of Latimer Trust materials now sell as inexpensive eBooks but not everyone has electronic devices and therefore print editions are still vital.
The books that have been translated have been chosen for their adaptability. They are theologically rich enough for seminary students, but accessible to any readers. The Latimer Trust translations can both ground Anglicans or inform others about Anglicanism. In Chile, these translations may soon join the curriculum at Centre of Pastoral Studies (CEP for their initials in Spanish), the training centre for future Anglican leadership.
The church grows, not solely through regular attendance, but through Christians who carry their witness beyond church doors to invite newcomers. Educational resources on whole-life discipleship are vital to this mission. By providing these materials in Spanish, Latimer’s partnership with Proyecto Nehemías is making evangelical Anglican theological education available where it wasn’t available before.
If you wish to know more about Proyecto Nehemias click here.
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Anne Shearer is a Communications intern at Proyecto Nehemias.