Where Are the Poor?

by Wingeier-rayo, Philip D.; Gonzalez, Justo L.

• ISBN13: 9781606089019
• ISBN10: 1606089013
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-04-15
• Publisher: Pickwick Pubns

Summary

The Ecclesial Base Communities (CEBs) emerged in the wake of Latin American liberation theology and are often referred to as "the Church of the Poor." This book, however, addresses whether or not CEBs are indeed the Church of the Poor today. It is an open question now if Pentecostalism has in fact become the new church of the poor. To answer this question Philip Wingeier-Rayo conducted a one-year ethnographic study of both movements in a marginalized barrio in Cuernavaca, Mexico. Using the anthropological method of participant-observer, the author studied a Roman Catholic Church and a Pentecostal Church--just 100 yards apart--compiling surveys, life interviews, and field notes to relay his findings. For those interested in liberation theology, Pentecostalism, new religious movements, or the influence of religion on society, this in-depth ethnographic study will be of great interest.

Author Biography

Philip Wingeier-Rayo is Associate Professor of Religion at Pfeiffer University where he teaches in the areas of theology, missions, and cultural anthropology. He is the author of Cuban Methodism (Dolphins Orchids, 2006).

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. vii
Introduction and Hypothesis	p. 1
Review of Background Literature
The Background of Pentecostalism	p. 9
The Background of the Ecclesial Base Communities	p. 35
Comparison of Background Literature on Ecclesial Base Communities and Pentecostalism	p. 58
Ethnographic Findings
Introduction: Ethnographic Research	p. 82
Ethnographic Findings of Field Work in an Ecclesial Base Community in Cuernavaca	p. 91
Ethnographic Findings of the ôDiscípulos de Jesusö Pentecostal Congregation in Cuernavaca	p. 116
Observations from Ethnography	p. 140
Bibliography	p. 151
Index	p. 161
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