Fellow Citizens of God's Kingdom
by Brian Kaylor, Churchnet Generational Engagement Team Leader
A few months ago, a presidential
candidate attacked the faith of one of
his opponents by claiming “not a lot
of evangelicals come out of Cuba.”
This kind of religious-based political
attack hurts both democracy and
religion (as I argued in my book on
religious rhetoric in presidential
campaigns). The attack, which the
candidate repeated numerous times,
also remains simply false. It turns
out, Cuba is a land with many
evangelicals.
Having traveled to western and
central Cuba in 2014 with a
Churchnet delegation, I knew there
were Baptists and other
evangelicals on the island nation.
However, the recent trip to eastern
Cuba brought an abundance of more
evidence. The Baptist community
remained faithful despite multiple
governments, various social and
economic shifts, natural disasters,
and even persecution. We met pastors who showed us church buildings the government had seized. But those same pastors also showed us their current facilities that are packed to overflowing for worship services. Over the last twenty years, Baptists in the Convención Bautista de Cuba Oriental (Baptist Convention of Eastern Cuba, CBCO) have planted about 400 new churches and thousands of smaller home groups! It seems Baptists of Cuba could teach U.S. evangelicals about church planting. Many people remain unreached, but God is clearly alive and at work in Cuba.
During the trip, I had the privilege of preaching at Cuarta Iglesia Bautista (Fourth Baptist Church) of Santiago de Cuba for the midweek service. Focusing on Romans 12, one of my main two points was about how we are together the Body of Christ. I noted how Baptists in the U.S. and Cuba need to know each
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Brian Kaylor preaching at
Cuarta Iglesia Bautista
(Fourth Baptist Church) in
Santiago de Cuba
(photo by John Jackson).