Xesús Manuel Suárez, secretary general of the Spanish Evangelical Alliance (AEE), announced the launch this September of the School of Political Training, a pioneering and innovative project in Spain and Latin America.

Suárez is also the coordinator of this new initiative, which aims to prepare believers who are already participating or want to participate actively and thoughtfully in public life.

The school is a response to the growing interest of many evangelicals to become involved in politics, a sphere that in some ecclesiastical circles had been considered ‘off limits’ to them.

In an interview with Spanish news website, Protestante Digital, Suárez explained the need for this training.

According to Suárez, many Christians enter politics without adequate preparation, which can lead to “major failures” and “significant frustrations”.

That is why the school seeks to equip them with the tools they need to face the challenges of the political arena.

Biblical and practical training

The school's programme will focus on two areas: biblical reflection and practical political knowledge.

“The Bible comes first, not politics. We start from the Bible”, said Suárez. The aim is for students to “be able to create their own political thinking based on biblical principles”, rather than limit themselves to slogans.

In addition to academic rigour, the school will address practical issues such as political strategy, negotiation, and public management, with specific sessions on local politics and taxation.

“The budget is where real politics is decided. Evangelicals cannot enter politics without knowing how to read a budget”, stressed Suárez.

The academic team includes experts such as Eva Contador, the Deputy Mayor of the Spanish city of Córdoba; Gerardo Amarilla, the former President of the Parliament of Uruguay; Jaume Llenas, a lawyer and cultural analyst; and José Moreno Berrocal, a theologian and historian, who will teach about the contribution of Protestantism to the democratic system.

Suárez lamented the lack of knowledge about the history of evangelicalism, which has been “at the forefront of change and defended freedoms when no one else did”.

Scope and methodology of the school

The school is entirely online to overcome geographical barriers and reach a diverse audience across two continents.

The thirteen-week initiative is aimed at people in both Spain and Latin America, eliminating the need for face-to-face attendance.

In addition to weekly classes, the programme aims to be highly interactive. There will be tutoring sessions and smaller working groups to encourage student participation.

The goal, according to Suárez, is to create a space where evangelicals can engage in “calm, biblically grounded reflection”, without the “viscerality” that often comes with political debate.

In the face of polarisation, build bridges

Suárez called on Christians to engage differently from those who do not have faith, because “Christians are people who build bridges”, he underlined.

He also criticised the polarisation often seen on social media, lamenting that many believers “talk about politics in the same way as non-believers”.

The School of Political Training is not only aimed at those already in public office, but also at anyone who wants to learn how to “read the newspaper with a biblical mindset and understand current affairs from a faith-based perspective”.

Registration for the school, which begins on 30 September, is now open via the Salvemos a la Familia (Let's Save Family) website, one of the organisations that has offered this initiative its support.

You can learn more about the School of Political Training here (in Spanish).