Born Again in Brazil: The Pentecostal Boom and the Pathogens of Poverty

By R. Andrew Chesnut and Professor R. Andrew Chesnut

Book Overview

A spiritual revolution is transforming the religious landscape of Latin America. Evangelical Protestantism, particularly Pentecostalism, has replaced Catholicism as the leading religion in thousands of barrios on the urban periphery. But in few Latin American nations have Protestants multiplied as rapidly as in Brazil. What accounts for this rise? Combining historical, political, and ethnographic research, R. Andrew Chestnut shows that the relationship between faith healing and illness in the conversion process is integral to the popularity of Pentecostalism among Brazil's poor. He augments his analysis of the economic and political factors with extensive interview material to capture his informants' conversion experience. In doing so, he presents both a historical framework for a broad understanding of Pentecostalism in Latin America and insight into the personal motivations and beliefs of the crentes themselves.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0813524067
• ISBN13: 9780813524061
• Release Date: August 1997
• Publisher: Rutgers University Press
• Length: 218 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

A SOLID READ

I found this book quite interesting. I do not have a backgroung in religion or Latin American studies and found the book very enjoyable. I found myself reading until my eyes were done. I recommend it without reservation.