Religious Politics in Latin America, Pentecostal Vs. Catholic

Brian H. Smith is professor of religion and Charles and Joan Van Zoeren Chair in Religion, Ethics, and Values at Ripon College in Ripon, Wisconsin. He is the co-author of The Catholic Church and Democracy in Chile and Peru, also published by the University of Notre Dame Press.

"A compact yet very competent summary and critical evaluation of recent literature on religion, society, and politics in Latin America, highlighting competing explanations of Protestant growth and Catholic retrenchment. This book is highly recommended for undergraduate and graduate students seeking a solid introduction to the subject." —Religious Studies Review"Smith's deft and judicious study covers a remarkable breadth of recent research on this topic." —Christian Century"An excellent introduction to one of the most important but understudied aspects of contemporary Latin American life." —Foreign Affairs"In this volume Brian Smith attempts an overview of a tremendous amount of reflection on the two largest Christian communities in the vast continent of Latin America. Recognizing the complexity of these two communities, the author sees that sharply defined scenarios for them are inadequate. He does see both as having important contributions to make in strengthening democratic values without achieving a broad alliance." —Missiology: An International Review"...a compact yet very competent summary and critical evaluation of recent literature on religion, society, and politics in the region, highlighting competing explanations of Protestant growth and Catholic retrenchment. The book is highly recommended for undergraduate and graduate students seeking a solid introduction to the subject." —Religious Studies Review"Brian Smith's Religious Politics in Latin America: Pentecostal vs. Catholic exemplifies best the legacy of preoccupation with religion's impact on larger political (particularly democratic possibilities in the region)." —Latin American Research Review"Smith's book ... consists of four insightful essays.... His broad-brushed treatment serves as much as anything as a useful bibliographical review of research on Latin American Pentecostalism and Catholicism since Vatican II." —PNEUMA"...a slim and focused volume that draws together an enormous body of data from across the entire region under three general headings: the dynamic of Pentecostal growth and Catholic 'retrenchment', explanations and implications of Protestant growth; and an assessment of contemporary Catholicism." —Latin American Studies