Evangelism and apostasy
Book Description
In this penetrating sociological examination, Kurt Derek Bowen unveils the complex dynamics of Mexico's rapidly expanding Evangelical movement during the transformative decades of the 1980s and 1990s. Through careful analysis of demographic patterns, social structures, and political influences, Bowen illuminates how this religious phenomenon captured the hearts and minds of countless Mexican believers.
The author delves deep into the psychology of spiritual transformation, exploring the intricate processes that draw individuals toward Evangelical faith and the mechanisms that sustain their commitment. He examines the internal fractures and divisions that shape these communities, while investigating the distinctive theological perspectives that set them apart from traditional Mexican Catholicism.
Bowen addresses contentious questions surrounding religious freedom and the role of American missionary activity in shaping Mexico's spiritual landscape. His research reveals a striking paradox: while Evangelical Christianity demonstrates such powerful appeal that it could theoretically become Mexico's predominant faith, the movement simultaneously struggles with significant retention challenges.
Perhaps most intriguingly, Bowen argues that the very foundations of Evangelical belief and practice contain the seeds of departure from the faith. This counterintuitive insight offers profound implications for understanding not just Mexican spirituality, but the broader dynamics of religious conversion, commitment, and abandonment that affect spiritual seekers everywhere.
Through rigorous scholarship, this work provides essential insights into the forces that shape contemporary religious experience.
Who Is This For?
📖 Reading Level: Medium (200-400 pages) (~8 hours)
🕉️ Tradition: Christianity
📄 Length: 270 pages
What You'll Discover
- ✓ Explore Pfingstbewegung
- ✓ Explore Church history
- ✓ Explore Histoire religieuse
- ✓ Explore Évangélisme
- ✓ Explore Evangelicalism
- ✓ Explore Evangelischen
- ✓ Explore Protestant churches
- ✓ Explore Pentecostalism
