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

by R. Andrew Chesnut

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 Brazil. What accounts for this rise? Combining historical, political, and ethnographic research, R. Andrew Chesnut 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. R. Andrew Chesnut is an assitant professor in the department of history at the Universit of Houston.

218 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1997

Reviews

[Garret Shields · Rating 4 out of 5]

While some parts go too far into the “pathogens” metaphor, the premise that Pentecostalism responds to the specific challenges faced by Brazil’s poor, is very convincing. The best part of the book is the discussion on Pentecostal faith healings.

[Alex Strohschein · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5.

[Jeanette · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.8
Felt as though part 3 disrupted the flow and was not as connected to the theme of faith healing. However, an overall interesting read.

[Reeby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an interesting study on Pentecostalism in Brazil and the effects poverty has on the religious experience of Brazilians. Though the pace is sometimes somewhat slow, Chesnut does very well in meshing the history of Pentecostalism with his own ethnographic research.