Protestantism

Protestantism

Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...

in Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

 is roughly half of the Christian population of the country, the Christian population counting 150,000 people. Most of the Protestants in Laos are part of the Lao Evangelical Church. With around 300 congregations, Protestantism has grown rapidly in the last decade.

History

The first Protestants in Laos arrived at the start of the twentieth century. However, none became firmly established until after independence and then British and American denominations arrived.

Denominations

The Lao Evangelical Church

Lao Evangelical Church

The Lao Evangelical Church is the largest registered Christian church in Laos. It is believed that the church has around 120,000 members and 200 ordained Pastors. The LEC is headquartered in Nakham Village, in Vientiane Capital. There are three main churches in Vientiane capital, Nakham, Naxai...

 is one of the Holiness

Holiness movement

The holiness movement refers to a set of beliefs and practices emerging from the Methodist Christian church in the mid 19th century. The movement is distinguished by its emphasis on John Wesley's doctrine of "Christian perfection" - the belief that it is possible to live free of voluntary sin - and...

 churches of Laos

Laos

Laos Lao: ສາທາລະນະລັດ ປະຊາທິປະໄຕ ປະຊາຊົນລາວ Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao, officially the Lao People's Democratic Republic, is a landlocked country in Southeast Asia, bordered by Burma and China to the northwest, Vietnam to the east, Cambodia to the south and Thailand to the west...

 and has branches is the majority of provinces. Another denomination is Seventh-day Adventist

Seventh-day Adventist Church

The Seventh-day Adventist Church is a Protestant Christian denomination distinguished by its observance of Saturday, the original seventh day of the Judeo-Christian week, as the Sabbath, and by its emphasis on the imminent second coming of Jesus Christ...

 church of Laos which was founded in 1973. There are many neo-protestant groups in Laos with missionary actions are strongest towards minority groups, many of which refuse to take part in everyday society.

US Accusations

According to the US government, there have been instances of the Laotian government attempting to make Christians renounce their faith, and have several times closed down Christian churches. They also say that there are two religious prisoners in Laos, both members of the Lao Evangelical Church and that, in 2005, a church in Savannakhet Province was closed down by the government. Lao officials consider this slander, denying that they have closed any churches and saying that those Christians imprisoned are not imprisoned because of their religion but for other reasons. No religious groups within the country have mentioned their churches being closed or their clergy being imprisoned, even the Evangelicals (and only them) who did mention other complaints, such as hindering attempts to build new churches.