Born Again in Brazil: The Pentecostal Boom and the Pathogens of PovertyA 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. |
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accept Jesus affiliation afflicted African-Brazilian alcohol Amazonian Antonio Teixeira Assembléia de Deus Assembleiano Assembly Assembly of God bairro baixadas baptism Belenense believers Brazil Brazilian Pentecostalism cachaça Catholic church Catholicism Central Temple charismatic church in Belém Claudia congregation conversion costal crente culto cure decade demons denominations Deputy dirigentes divine domestic economic elected Estandarte Evangélico evangelical evangelists faith healing female festa Freston glossolalia Gomes gospel head pastor Holy Spirit household husband illness informants IURD José Latin America Lord Macedo majority male prestige complex Mariz ministerio organization Pará Paraense Pastor Paulo pastor-president Paulo Machado Pente Pentecostal churches Pentecostal women Pentecostalism's percent personal interview political poor popular poverty pray prayer circle preach preconversion Protestant Protestantism religion religion in Brazil religious client Rio de Janeiro Rodrigues role São Paulo secular shantytowns social street Teixeira Templo Central terreiro tion Umbanda Umbandistas urban Vingren visitadoras vote