A Call to Authentic Faith

Samuel Escobar passed away on 29 April 2025 at the age of 90. Since then, the outpouring of love and sharing of warm testimonies underline how this “founding father” and pioneer of “integral mission” was also a man of simplicity, generosity, and deep love for Jesus.  

At Samuel’s memorial service, his daughter Lily shared how he’d taught her to be open to different viewpoints and seek the truth, to be aware of one’s own faults and weaknesses yet open to receiving God’s direction – to live a life of authentic faith. 

Samuel was born in Arequipa, Peru, to parents who had only recently become Christians. They attended the Peruvian Evangelical Church and enrolled Samuel in a Christian elementary school. He noted that it was here that he first understood “what faith was as a foundation for living”.  

For example, in 1957, Samuel and the CBU decided to show the film Martin Luther on campus. Their provocative ads promised, “Martin Lutero – come and see why it’s banned!”. When hundreds of curious students turned up, they needed to organise more showings. At the second screening, Communist students arrived in force, and the Apristas (a political group known for their strong-arm tactics) demanded the hall. But Samuel coolly proposed putting the matter to a vote. The audience’s overwhelming response was ‘continue with the film’, forcing the Apristas to back down. 

The event was a resounding success. An estimated 1,700 students watched the film, which was followed by open discussions and the distribution of 500 copies of Faith and Reason by René Pache. For the first time since the university’s foundation in 1551, evangelicals had visibly impacted the campus. 

Samuel was committed to seeking God’s direction on how to express biblical truth on contemporary issues and sought a meaningful response to the challenge of Marxist ideology and activism. His studies shaped what would become known as integral mission – the connection between personal faith, deep theological reflection, and committed social action. It led him into a life of theology, teaching, and writing that has influenced university ministry and the global church. 

Current IFES Regional Secretary for Latin America, Carmen Castillo, shares how his writings impacted her ministry: “His insights helped me reflect more deeply on what the gospel means and how to share it with others. I recognised the gospel as God’s gift, as a call to participate with the Holy Spirit in making Christ known and transforming human beings into his image.”  

During university mission weeks, Samuel’s ability to engage in personal dialogue drew students into meaningful conversations about faith. It was an unprecedented approach for academic settings and resulted in many professing faith in Christ.  

In this way, Samuel’s ministry contributed to the growth of student movements and the establishment of a strong Christian presence on campus – not only across Latin America but also around the world. 

During a year’s sabbatical at Madrid University (1966-67), Samuel started a weekly Bible study that laid the groundwork for a permanent student group in Madrid. When he left, a team of graduates from Operation Mobilisation continued meeting with the small group, helping to retain Samuel’s evangelistic focus. This was pivotal in the early development of the Spanish evangelical student movement. 

While in Canada, Samuel became involved in the organisation of the 1974 Lausanne Congress on World Evangelisation – a gathering called by a committee headed by Billy Graham that drew more than 2,300 evangelical leaders from 150 countries. Samuel brought to the preparations his years of theological grappling with ideologies and socio-political realities. At the Congress, Samuel and Rene Padilla’s insistence that the gospel calls us to public and social engagement was clearly heard. Despite some negative responses, their papers were two of the most widely quoted at Lausanne. “The Escobars and Padillas” became a recognized shorthand for the emerging evangelical voice in the majority world and inspired many previously disillusioned young evangelicals to re-engage.  

Samuel was well aware that his vision for ministry would not be automatically passed on to the next generation. In the IFES Newsletter of May 1978, he noted: 

In God’s goodness, the IFES movements he nurtured have persevered and continued to grow. In an interview 30 years after Samuel offered that heartfelt prayer, he looked back on the contribution of IFES to his region:  

“In Latin America, a leader is the caudillo – a strong man with charisma. People are ready to be dominated by him. But when we thought of leadership mentoring, we wanted our ideal of leadership to be the biblical character of Nehemiah. Long term, that has been one of the most important contributions from IFES to the evangelical world in Latin America. We have helped form leaders who provide good leadership, who are effective as leaders without wanting to be the chief. 

“And we’ve tried to evangelise in a contextual way – to convey something meaningful to the student population in Latin America, with cultural sensitivity and without using terminology that’s hard to understand for those outside Christian circles.” 

In more recent years, Samuel shared his hopes for the future of IFES – “that the Lord will keep the vision and help us earnestly address today’s challenges”. Samuel lived that life of faithful, genuine faith. He was sure of his calling and captivated by the gospel’s power to bring change. May his biblical insights and life’s example guide and inspire a new generation of authentic witnesses.   

Material taken from Day of His Power, notes of interviews with Samuel, and personal correspondence.