Contributions and Challenges of Latinx Global Pentecostalism

A special issue of Religions (ISSN 2077-1444).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 March 2021) | Viewed by 6417

Special Issue Editor


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Guest Editor
Union Theological Seminary in NYC, 3041 Broadway, NYC, NY 10027, USA

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

From early in its inception, the Pentecostal religious movement has been an integral part of Latinx spirituality. Since the early 20th century, it has occupied a significant place in the religious landscape of South and Central America as well as the Spanish speaking Caribbean and its diasporas. In the Latin American/Caribbean experience, religion has played a vital role, beginning with its indigenous roots, the Spanish colonial legacy, African-based religions brought to the New World, the introduction of U.S. Protestantism in the nineteenth century, and the arrival of Pentecostalism. Historically, Latinx Pentecostalism developed as a global phenomenon. Despite its wide and enduring impact on religious life in the Americas and beyond, the literature on Pentecostalism still has significant research gaps especially in the following areas: ethnographic studies, comparative approaches, and methodological considerations. We wish to solicit for this Special Issue on the contributions and challenges of Latinx Global Pentecostalism research that addresses questions of race, gender, sexuality and ethnicity, as well as specialized papers on issues related to the struggle for integral liberation within a globalized and neo-capitalist world order. Diverse points of view are sought.

Dr. Samuel Cruz
Guest Editor

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Keywords

  • Latinx
  • sexuality
  • gender
  • race
  • Pentecostalism
  • Global
  • Capitalism
  • spirituality

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

21 pages, 1852 KiB  
Article
Nones, No Religious Preference, No Religion and the Misclassification of Latino Religious Identity
by Gastón Espinosa
Religions 2023, 14(3), 420; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel14030420 - 20 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 3078
Abstract
This article challenges the conventional wisdom about the reported decline of Christianity and Protestantism in the U.S. and the rise of the “nones” among Latinos. It does so by cross-examining the growth of the “nones” (those respondents reportedly having no religion and/or no [...] Read more.
This article challenges the conventional wisdom about the reported decline of Christianity and Protestantism in the U.S. and the rise of the “nones” among Latinos. It does so by cross-examining the growth of the “nones” (those respondents reportedly having no religion and/or no religious preference) in the U.S. Latino community, which is slated to make up almost 28 percent of the U.S. population by 2060. In 2000, we stumbled, quite by accident, upon a remarkable discovery in the Latino community: that many of the so-called “nones” were, in fact, under cross examination against other religious identity questions, religious, spiritual, and/or believed in God or a higher power. In some cases they were born-again Christians who rejected the label “religion” (and thus reported having “no religion”) as a descriptor of their faith. Many self-identified as and/or attended independent and non-denominational Evangelical and/or Pentecostal/Charismatic churches. To test these initial findings and to try to secure a more accurate reading of the “nones” respondents, our research team added a follow-up question for the “no religion” respondents to the screening questions section so they could explain what they actually meant in the Latino Religions and Politics (LRAP) national surveys in 2012 and 2020. We also cross-analyzed the “no religion” and “no religious preference” respondents against other religious identity questions, such as being born-again and church attendance, and was surprised to find that more than 60% of them reported believing in God or a higher power and/or being Christian, Catholic, or Protestant, religious, spiritual, or something other than having no religion. More surprising and counterintuitively, we found that more than 40% of those reporting “no religious preference” and 17% of those who reported having “no religion” also self-reported being born-again Christians. All of this problematizes the conventional wisdom about the identity and growth of the “nones” in the Latino community and could (though we do not claim or explore this here) problematize our understanding of the “nones” and the changing contours of religion and secularization in American society. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contributions and Challenges of Latinx Global Pentecostalism)
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28 pages, 374 KiB  
Article
Between Basilea and Utopia: Exploring the Impact of Kingdom Theology in US Latinx Pentecostalism
by Juan C. Morales
Religions 2021, 12(7), 470; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel12070470 - 25 Jun 2021
Viewed by 2864
Abstract
This article is a general exploration of US Latinx Pentecostalism’s explicit and implicit theology of the Kingdom of God and how it can contribute to US Latinx Pentecostalism’s socio-political engagement. An overview will be provided of traditional, US Pentecostal Kingdom theology and Kingdom [...] Read more.
This article is a general exploration of US Latinx Pentecostalism’s explicit and implicit theology of the Kingdom of God and how it can contribute to US Latinx Pentecostalism’s socio-political engagement. An overview will be provided of traditional, US Pentecostal Kingdom theology and Kingdom theology in Latin American Liberation Theology. These will be contrasted with US Latinx Pentecostal perspectives. To locate US Latinx Pentecostal theology of the Kingdom of God, this paper will first provide a wide-ranging description of a traditional evangelical hermeneutical process. Afterward, an understanding of the Kingdom that is generally taught and accepted in most evangelical contexts will be discussed. This will be followed by a survey of dominant US Pentecostal theology of the Kingdom of God through the lens of the Assemblies of God doctrinal statements and Pentecostal scholars. The life and work of various Pentecostal ministers and author Piri Thomas will provide a Kingdom perspective of US Latinx Pentecostal practitioners. I will provide an analysis based on their life experiences and some of their writings. The writings of Orlando Costas will set the stage in order to examine the works of other US Latinx Pentecostal scholars. Thereafter, the theologies of Latin American Liberation Theologians Clodivis and Leonardo Boff and others will be surveyed. Before concluding, the article will provide a historical overview of Latinx Pentecostal social engagement in the northeast US with the goal of identifying Kingdom values and priorities. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Contributions and Challenges of Latinx Global Pentecostalism)
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