Pentecostalism has become an integral part of Latin American society in recent decades. Daniel Ramírez uncovers the roots of that development, which unfolded on both sides of—and across—the Mexican-US border. In the 1920s and 1930s Pentecostals banded together in small communities, sometimes just a handful of extended families. Today Pentecostals account for 64 percent of US Latino Protestants. This engaging study shows how migration, north and south, was crucial in spreading new faith communities. Ramírez's multidisciplinary research is enhanced by a nuanced perspective that, in part, draws on his own family history: “I, too, scampered in and out of an aleluya carpa as a child” (p. xiv). The book conveys well Pentecostalism's allure, drawing in believers with its emotive worship and especially its songs.
Migrating Faith joins a handful of works on Latino Pentecostals by scholars including Arlene Sánchez Walsh, Gastón Espinosa, and Leah Sarat. Pentecostalism arose at the polyglot...
