Teaching through sermons: An ethnographic study of theological pedagogy and the influence of culture in the religious understanding of adults in two evangelical congregations in Puerto Rico

This study seeks to clarify how the socio-political context of the Evangelical Churches in Puerto Rico influence their religious education. It intends to discover how much and in what ways culture affects the social teachings of sermons in two selected congregations. Culture in this dissertation is seen in a broad sense as the social, economic, and political reality in which the churches exist. The content of sermons with their emphases, ideologies, problems, and concerns is closely examined. The pedagogical process is also studied seeking the ideological dimension of the methodology of learning religious beliefs.;Two case studies were conducted in a Pentecostal and a Baptist congregation. Using the ethnographic method the cultural influence in sermons was evaluated through participatory observation techniques, questionnaires, and interviews of key persons and members of focus groups. The data collected were analyzed using Eisner's categories of curriculum and Freire's generative themes.;Although the cases studied were different, both showed a series of social teachings supporting society's (status quo) ideological positions in Puerto Rico. Results supported a great influence of culture with its social, political, and economic ideas in the religious understanding of these Evangelicals. This study also demonstrated how other educational institutions in society like the media, affected churches' education and how the hermeneutic approach to the Bible was greatly related to believers' personal and cultural context. Sermons promoted attitudes of submission and acceptance which diminished believers' critical reflection about their social reality. An additional finding was the absence of concrete responses to social, political, and economic problems in Puerto Rico.;The implications for teaching religious education through sermons suggest the need for new models of preaching for social justice and social change in Puerto Rico. These models should seek better preparations for the preacher, they should promote critical reflection in believers, and present clear responses to social problems in Puerto Rico.