Pentecostals and Christian Base Communities in Brazil
Cecília Loreto MarizOnly by understanding the enduring poverty of Brazil can one hope to understand the recent growth of Protestant evangelical churches there, Cecília Loreto Mariz contends. Her study investigates how religious groups support individualism and encourage the poor to organize. Groups with shared values are then able to develop strategies to cope with poverty and, ultimately, to transform the social structure.
Interviews with members and leaders of religious groups, accounts of meetings, and close readings of religious literature contribute to a realistic account of Christian base communities and Assembly of God churches, folk Catholic tradition, and Afro Brazilian Spiritism.
"Few studies exist to satisfy the growing demand for solid scholarship on Latin American Protestants. Not only does this author's work fill a void, but it will help set the standards for future studies. This timely book makes an important contribution to our knowledge of the concrete ways in which faith and religious affiliation affect the daily lives of the Latin American poor." —Hannah Stewart-Gambino, Lehigh University
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