Ortega's Marriage of Inconvenience with Christian Evangelism in Nicaragua
Self-Proclaimed Christian Zionists are at odds with the country's public-facing Israel policy
This week’s feature is by Mark Alexander, a Nicaraguan activist and writer.
In 2019, I was on a bus headed from the Caribbean coast of Nicaragua to the capital. The trip from Bluefields to Managua takes about 6 hours, so I chose the last seat on the bus to avoid the discomfort of having people bump into me as they moved on and off during stops. Tourists refer to these vehicles as “chicken buses” and they are not the most comfortable option for someone over six feet tall like myself, as they were designed to transport students.
As I was taking in the beautiful scenery out of the window of the bus, a person seated next to me asked, “Do you believe in God?”
I replied with a smile “Well, I was raised in a church, I do believe in God. I don’t believe in organized religion, even though my father was a minister”. The person gave me that disappointed expression, which I’ve grown used to and even enjoy. I then went on to express my displeasure with the evangelical church’s lack of response to governmental violence in the country and settler violence in the Caribbean.
A few hours later, the bus arrived at a restaurant where passengers could buy meals, stretch, or use the bathrooms. When the bus was nearly empty, a young person approached me and said in a whisper, “They are big supporters of the FSLN [the ruling party of Nicaragua], so be careful what you say to them.”
It turned out that they were traveling to Managua for a convention with other evangelical pastors.
The Nicaraguan government vets Nicaraguan NGOs, churches, and missionaries for approval, so I did not find it surprising that this particular evangelical church — the Christian Zionist church — has either remained silent about or taken part in the continuous brutality and genocide committed by settler-colonialists against the Indigenous people of Nicaragua’s Caribbean coast.
“People forget that Zionism was an evangelical Christian project before it was a Jewish one. We have to focus on it. We have to confront it.” — Ilan Pappé
Christian Zionism dates back at least 400 years, and is tied to a biblical belief that when the Jewish people return to their homeland it will usher in the end-times and the return of Christ.
Evangelical Christianity has largely embraced this belief, which has led many to unconditionally support Israel in modern times, particularly in the U.S. where modern evangelism was born.
Over the past few decades, evangelical churches in Nicaragua have expanded rapidly. In an interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) in 2016, Evangelical leaders asserted that more than half of the country identifies as evangelical, rather than Catholic.
Christian Zionist Ralph Drollinger, the founder of Capitol Ministries, was invited by the Nicaraguan government to speak in 2019 about their intention to establish a new Christian school in Managua with the goal of “teaching the word of God to national leaders inside the halls of government”. Daniel Ortega invited Drollinger to address the assembly at the commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the Sandinista revolution. Capitol Ministries runs “Bible study ministries” in at least 24 nations. Drollinger also led a Bible study group within the Trump administration.
Another influential Christian Zionist organization, the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association, reported in August 2023 that 24,000 people attended a two-day “family festival” that they hosted in Matagalpa, a town of only 163,700.
One of the primary effects of the evangelical church's growth has been that, in general, most Nicaraguans either support Israel or believe the media's portrayal of this conflict as one between Israel and Hamas. All around Nicaragua, Israeli flags and the Star of David can be seen on everything from jewelry to random billboards and shop kiosks.
As Israel continues to attempt to exterminate the Palestinian people, it is crucial to keep in mind that one of Israel’s biggest allies in Latin America is the evangelical church.
In a piece published by Jewish Policy Center, a Zionist publication, Mark Klugmann penned:
“The most important megatrend in Latin America’s tilt toward Jerusalem is the rise of evangelical Protestant churches. For example, both Honduras and Guatemala are majority evangelical, and for President Jair Bolsonaro in Brazil, evangelical support was essential to his victory. The interest of the Dominican Republic in Jerusalem cannot be explained by the handful of Jews in that country, but rather by support from an active Christian constituency. Evangelicals, just 3 percent of Latin America in 1990, are by some estimates now 20 percent, and it may be even higher than that.”
Nicaragua Uses Palestine to Conceal Its Atrocities
When Nicaragua’s government re-established diplomatic ties with Israel in 2017, evangelical pastors celebrated. However, there was a national uprising in April of the following year, during which protestors called for the removal of the Ortega dictatorship.
As the government of Nicaragua, with the help of the “Sandinista Youth” [people with ties to the evangelical church] carried out widespread atrocities amidst a brutal police crackdown, the FSLN launched a global propaganda campaign dubbed “Nicaragua Quiere Paz” (Nicaragua wants peace).
Twitter accounts supporting the Nicaraguan government frequently shared a picture of Palestinian activist Ahed Tamimi with a sign that said, “I want peace for Nicaragua.” Ironically, while using Palestinian figures as props for their PR campaign, the Sandinista government was spying on activists using Israeli technology.
In February 2024, the Ortega administration announced that it established Palestine Park and renamed a street “Gaza” in solidarity with the Palestinian people. Many Palestinian activists cheered when the government later said that it would request participation in the action against Israel at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The Ortega government seems pleased to partner with South Africa to unleash the toothless tiger of international law on Israel while it devours its victims in Nicaragua.
Though the FSLN claims to be in support of Palestine, the party depends on the evangelical church's silence and collaboration. As Catholic priests who unexpectedly backed protests during the 2018 uprising have been persecuted and exiled by the Ortega dictatorship, Ortega provides financial support to evangelical groups, and in exchange, evangelical pastors depict Daniel Ortega as a victim of American "imperial power."
FSLN's pro-Palestinian stance encourages tension among evangelical supporters and opposition alike. For those willing to risk criticizing the government, Ortega's public stance in favor of Palestine undermines public support for Israel— a reactionary "The friend of my enemy is my enemy" sentiment. Similar to the widespread dislike of Hugo Chávez among the people of Nicaragua, who due to the late Venezuelan president's political and financial support for Daniel Ortega, is seen as complicit in the oppression of the people of Nicaragua.
As propagandists and those who would oppress attempt to blur the line between colonizers and colonized, it is our collective duty to move with clarity and call out brutality anywhere, and everywhere it occurs.
The Big Headlines in LATAM
Venezuela ordered the local office of the United Nations human rights body to suspend operations and leave the country after accusing it of promoting opposition to the Maduro government.
Also this week, security forces announced a new round of arrests of activists and opposition politicians, including a well-known military analyst and human rights activist Rocio San Miguel.
The arrests continue a chain of events seemingly set to undermine political opposition ahead of elections later this year.
Ship’s Business
Joshua leaves on Tuesday for the Amazon rainforest, and will be completely out of touch with the electronic world. But we have good news! Daniela will be taking over the helm while he is away! Her full-time contract for El Pais has come to an end, so she’s back in the freelancing world, and back at PWS!
Spanish Word of the Week
Perico- boy does this word mean a lot of things in Colombia.
It means “fried eggs”, but it can also refer to the coffee that is sold in the streets. But its principal meaning, barely, is cocaine. This can get real confusing real fast while out and about in Colombia.
We recommend you go with two out of three “pericos” for breakfast and leave out the cocaine. Not just for your own health, but also for Colombia’s, which has suffered heavily due to the drug trade and accompanying violence.
Hasta pronto piratas!
Your lefts and rights seem to have ended up a bit chaotically (we mean the picture subtitles, but actually come to think about it, politically as well with propaganda and uneasy alliances and confusing connections and all that, whoopsie ^^)
It's worth hearing how the president of Israel addressed these concerns:
https://twitter.com/HonnoldSamuel/status/1737214493539877301?s=19 Also, since November, Ortega has been locking up evangelical pastors. He has chosen his side!