CHRISTIANNEWS.COM. – For the first time in 44 years Tedeum Evangélico will not be held in the Evangelical Cathedral of Chile and Bishop Eduardo Durán will not be present either.
This September 15, the authorities and the evangelical churches of the country will meet in the International Christian Centerin San Joaquin. Since mid-July, the organizers have been preparing what they hope will mark a before and after in the history of this celebration.
In the Evangelical Tedeum Bishop Eduardo Durán will not enter the doors of the Evangelical Cathedral of Estación Central this coming September. To Jotabeche street 40, the president of Chile Sebastián Piñera will not arrive either.
The celebration, which dates back to 1975, when it was instituted under the Augusto Pinochet regime, will be held this time at the San Joaquín International Christian Center. The negotiations began in mid-July with different representatives of the evangelical churches, including the National Council of Evangelical Churches and the Council of Bishops and Pastors of Chile.
On behalf of the government, the talks took place at the Ministry of the General Secretariat of the Presidency (Segpres), with Máximo Pávez, head of the Political and Institutional Relations Division, and members of the National Office of Religious Affairs.
Those who have been part of the preparations for the ceremony, scheduled for next September 15, point out that these have been carried out in a climate of “unity” and highlight that this year the celebration will have a different stamp from what it has been in recent years. 44 years.
First of all, warns one of the organizers, there will be no political allusion. Nor to the noisy situation of the Church of Jotabeche.
Another change will be the times of the ceremony, which will be more limited: if before it lasted more than two hours, this time it will be a maximum of an hour and a half. They also affirm that it will be “a modern act”, and that it will have a led screen, its own television cameras, live transmission by Radio Corporación and attendees will register upon entry with a QR code.
The music will also be different, with a gospel and polyphonic choir.
That day your host will be the pastor and Christian music singer Billy Bunster. Modesto, says that they are only “facilitating dependencies”, and that he will not sing.
In relation to the internal security of the compound, this will be in charge, says one of the organizers, of the evangelical chaplaincy of Carabineros.
Why will the Evangelical Tedeum no longer be held in the Jotabeche Church?
For the evangelical bishop Emiliano Soto, the answer is clear. “The situation that was experienced some time ago with Bishop Durán affects the image of the Evangelical Church. With this change it is also intended to deliver a message to the rest of society, that the evangelical churches are almost 20 thousand congregations nationwide and there are many other churches and denominations that have every legitimate right to have their celebration of thanks in their temples. . It is recognizing the diversity of the evangelical world.”
The situation to which Soto alludes refers to the questions surrounding the figure of Bishop Eduardo Durán, former pastor of the Pentecostal Methodist Church. The evangelical authority is being investigated for the eventual crime of money laundering, in addition to making it known that he received around $45,000 in tithes (monthly payment from the faithful to his church) and publicly ventilating his affective situation.
As if that was not controversial enough, an unusual event took place that same year between the press and the bodyguards of the questioned Bishop Durán.
When the journalists tried to collect statements from the religious, the men in charge of protecting his security pushed and beat the communicators, who were not allowed to approach the religious authority.
Published in: NOTCIACRISTIANA.COM – Find out daily about all the evangelical Christian news.
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