The descriptive tools of symbolic or interpretive anthropology provide an understanding of what may be called a local Mayan Protestant theology. Three key sacred symbols, Tyol Dios/God's Word, Kajaw Crist/Lord Christ, and hermano (a)/brother (sister), express the social and theological content of salvation within the worldview (beliefs) and ethos (behavior) of Mayan Protestants. This interpretation attempts to (1) increase the use of cultural and social analysis for understanding the meaning of a local theology, (2) enhance a knowledge of how the gospel remains universal while becoming contextual, and (3) enrich the process of theologizing locally, globally, and cross-culturally.
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