The Deconstruction of Peru: Social Chaos as Ecclesial Kairos

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, the people of Peru have experienced severe social, economic, and political turmoil. Extreme poverty and political violence have claimed thousands of lives in the last decade. This article tries to analyze the origins of Peru's social problems. It then attempts to examine the implications of the current crisis for the Christian community which is confronted with dehumanizing poverty and is a target of political extremists. An assumption of this article is that such a situation will become increasingly common in many developing countries, with profound ecclesiological and missiological implications.