Pentecostalism in Brazil: Emotion of the Poor and Theological Romanticism

226 Pages·1999·24.12 MB·English

by  André Corten (auth.)

PENTECOSTALISM IN BRAZIL
Also by Andre Corten
PENTECOSTALISM AND TRANSNATIONALISM {co-editor with
R. Marshall-Fratani)
L'ALCHIMIE POLITIQUE DU MIRACLE: Discours de la guerison
divine et langue politique en Amerique latine {with V Fridman and A.
Deret)
LE DISCOURS DU ROMANTISME THEOLOGIQUE LATINO-
AMERICAIN (with V Fridman and A. Deret)
OS POBRES E O ESPIRITO SANTO: O pentecostalismo no Brasil
LES PEUPLES DE DIEU ET DE LA FORET: a propos de la "nouvelle
gauche" bresilienne
L'ETAT FAIBLE: Haiti/Republique Dominicaine
ESTADO DEBIL: Haiti/Republica Dominicana
L'ETAT NOURRICIER: Mexique/Algerie (with M. BL Tahon)
LA RADICALITE DU QUOTIDIEN: Communaute et informatique
(co-editor with M. BL Tahon)
PORT AU SUCRE: Haiti/Republique Dominicaine
L'lTALIE: le philosophe et le gendarme (co-editor with M. Bl Tahon)
LES AUTRES MARXISMES REELS (co-editor with M. Sadria and
M. Bl. Tahon)
PROLETARIADO Y PROLETARIZACION: Trabajadores azucareros y
cafetaleros y trabajadoras de zonas francas
AZUCAR Y POLITICA (with C. M. Vilas, M. Acosta and I. Duarte)
CAMBIO SOCIAL EN SANTO DOMINGO (with A. Vanderhaeghe)
VALEURS SOCIALES ET ECONOMIES AU SEUIL DE LA
CROISSANCE
Pentecostalism in Brazil
Emotion of the Poor and Theological
Romanticism
Andre Corten
Professor of Political Science
Universite du Quebec a Montreal
Canada
Translated by Arianne Dorval
&
This edition published in Great Britain 1999 by
flfl MACMILLAN PRESS LTD
Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire RG21 6XS and London
Companies and representatives throughout the world
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN 0-333-74473-X
This edition published in the United States of America 1999 by
fifi ST. MARTIN'S PRESS, INC.,
Scholarly and Reference Division,
175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010
ISBN 0-312-22506-7
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Corten, Andre.
[Pentecotisme au Bresil. English]
Pentecostalism in Brazil : emotion of the poor and theological
romanticism / Andre Corten ; translated from the French by Arianne
Dorval.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-312-22506-7
1. Pentecostalism—Brazil. 2. Poor—Religious life—Brazil.
I. Title.
BR1644.5.B6C6713 1999
280'.4'0981—dc21 99-21770
CIP
© Andre Corten 1995, 1999
French edition published by Karthala 1995
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Printed and bound in Great Britain by
Antony Rowe Ltd, Chippenham, Wiltshire
Originally published in 1995 under the title Le Pentecotisme
au Bresil: Emotion du pauvre et romantisme theologique by
Editions Karthala.
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To E.S.
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Contents
Preface xi
Introduction xv
1 Participation and the Poor: Liberation Theology 1
Liberation theology: narrated histories and
narrative critique 2
The term 'liberation theology' 4
A triple topography: pedagogical, theological,
Marxist 6
'Popular heresy' 11
'Scholarly heresy' 14
Submitting to arbitration 16
The poor in theological Romanticism 18
The Holy Spirit: praise and silence 22
2 Emotion and the Poor: Pentecostalism (I) 25
An ethnologist's description preceded by a
few doctrinal points 26
Methodist or African origin? A transnational
topography 28
Topography (continued): popular war of
religions and multiplication of Churches 34
'Speaking in tongues': a free emotional experience 37
Singing: a method of emotion 41
Free speech 42
3 Emotion and the Poor: Pentecostalism (II) 45
The birth of Pentecostalism in Brazil 46
Some statistics (1900-2000) 47
The second wave: 'divine healing' or compassion 49
The third wave: televangelism. Consolation 53
Collection or extortion? 59
The Devil and 'liberation' 61
Pentecostalism among the poor 63
IX