Conversion Of A Continent Contemporary Religious Change In Latin America

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Book Reviews / Pneuma 31 (2009) 105-160

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Timothy J. Steigenga and Edward L. Cleary, eds., Conversion of a Continent: Contemporary Religious Change in Latin America (New Brunswick: Rutgers University Press, 2007). vii + 290 pp.

This volume is a compilation of articles and an introduction. It provides some thought- provoking material on conversion in general, and on pentecostalization of Latin America in particular. It provides the reader with a solid theoretical approach to the matter as well as several case studies.

The selection of contributors aims to broaden the perspective, from a solely North Amer- ican perspective, or from a single disciplinary one. Nevertheless eight of the twelve authors are North Americans, only three are Latin Americans, and one is European. Judging from the presentation of contributors, ﬁ ve come from the discipline of Anthropology, two from History, two from Political Science, and one from T eology. (The twelfth author is some- what hard to pinpoint from the brief presentation). T us, there is a tendency to a behav- ioral bias at the cost of, e.g., theological reﬂ ection.

The introduction is very well written and aptly sums up the main points of the articles of the volume. Nevertheless, I urge the potential reader not to stop at that. Good as it may be, there is much interesting material in the articles that the editors do not account for. T is may be due to the fact that both the editors represent Political Science which may explain a slight bias in their summary of the material.

My own two favorite articles may very well reveal some of my own bias, as they happen to be written by two Argentineans. The ﬁrst one is an overview by Alejandro Frigerio, “Ana- lyzing Conversion in Latin America,” in which he presents the theoretical discussions on conversion in Brazil, and in Argentina, respectively. In a most elegant way, he manages to show that even such a theoretical approach may be ethnocentric. While the Brazilian schol- ars tend to disregard the concept of conversion and substitute it with concepts like “pas- sages” and “mediations” (p. 35), their Argentinian colleagues struggle with the term and how to deﬁ ne it more in detail.

The reason for this diﬀ erence in approach is attributed to the conception of society. Brazilians live and maintain a view of their own society as notably “syncretic.” T us, a believer is supposed to maintain “dual” or even “multiple memberships” as well as “porous religious identities.” (p. 37). In Argentina, however, where the inhabitants consider them- selves “modern, rational, homogeneous” and somehow “exclusive,” a believer is supposed to make his own decision and be more ﬁ rm about it. T us the rapid expansion of new reli- gious movements in Argentina is explained as “the result of individual decisions made by thousands of Argentines” (p. 39). In this context we also ﬁ nd the deﬁ nition of conversion that appeals most to me in this volume: it is “a change in the conception that individuals have of themselves, of the world, and of God, that ultimately becomes interpreted in the terms provided by the new religion.”

The other contribution that stands out, in my view, is “Conversion to Afro-Brazilian Religions in Buenos Aires” by María Julia Carozzi. The title and research focus apparently has little to oﬀ er for a scholar on Pentecostalism, but this is deceptive. T rough Carozzi’s academic lens and skillful ethnographic ﬁ eldwork, this provides comparative material on afiliation and conversion that goes beyond many a theoretical exposition. We learn the

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Book Reviews / Pneuma 31 (2009) 105-160

value of personal commitment and involvement in the recruiting of new members, the importance of kinship and friendship and practical actions (rituals). We also see that the process of afiliation and conversion is a long and winding road.

Apart from these two excellent contributions, there are articles on, e.g., “conversion careers,” networks, and political commitment. The ethnographic object ranges from tradi- tional Pentecostal denominations, Neo-pentecostal churches, and Catholic Charismatic Renewal to Afro-Brazilian religions. Field studies have been conducted in Mexico, Guate- mala, Ecuador, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, and the United States. The quality varies, but is generally surprisingly high. The lack of theologians and church historians in the editing group is seen variously, as in the mixing up of Seventh-Day Adventists with Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses (p. 9), an obvious lack of knowledge of Pentecostal spirituality and his- tory (p. 115), and the presentation of the 1906 Azusa Street Apostolic Mission as a “Baptist Church” (p. 160).

The theoretical contributions are many. Even though I do not subscribe to the almost general conception of conversion only as a process (I want room also for Pauline experi- ences, as in Acts 9), I do appreciate the broadening of the deﬁ nition that this volume pro- vides. The concept of “Pneumacentric religions” (p. 72) as a common denominator for Christian charismatic churches and Afro-Brazilian religions, may be hard to digest for some theologians. Nevertheless, it is an interesting approach that may help us distinguish what the post-modern person prefers, as well as the common cultural heritage in this ﬁ eld. Apart from occasional passages, this is not a church history of Latin America. Neither is it an overview of the ecclesiastical status of the continent. It is a handy tool to be used when analyzing processes of afiliation, conversion, and identiﬁ cation. For scholars of Pentecos- talism, almost all the material is highly relevant in one way or another.

Reviewed by Jan-Åke Alvarsson

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