Christianity Since 1565

[hippo...@gmail.com]

Miguel Lopez de Legazpi came to the Philippines in 1565 accompanied by
five friars of the Augustinian Order. It was during this year when the
Philippines was formally Christianized by the Catholic Church. Since
1898, however, Catholicism has been losing its ground in the
Philippines. The Aglipayan Church -- a nationalistic Church spawned by
Gregorio Aglipay, a former Catholic priest, soon established itself.
After the Spanish Revolution, the Americans came to the Philippines
with the Thomasites who introduced a different form of Christianity,
American Protestantism. This was followed by other denominations all
competing with one another in establishing this or that "Christian"
Church in the Philippines.

There are currently homegrown Churches in the Philippines that derive
directly or indirectly from the American missionary churches that have
established themselves in these islands. The Iglesya ni Kristo was
founded by Felix Manalo because he knew he could not be promoted within
the Presbyterian church where he was a preacher. Eliseo Soriano of the
church called "Iglesya ng Diyos" is himself once a member of a group
that broke away from the Iglesya ni Kristo.

Looking at how the Philippines is with all its economic, social and
political problems, what are the Churces doing to be "leaven", "salt"
and "light" in the Philippines?