Latino Protestants in America

What did you think of the book? Briefly describe what you liked and disliked about it. Would you recommend I use the book the next time I teach the course?

This forum is open for credit until W 3/21.

I think I enjoyed the book. This book, written by three sociologists explores the growing presence of Latino Protestants in America. Also, this book is based on ethnographic studies of twenty congregations located in different parts of the country. I believe that this book explains various types of things, such as the act of moving past stereotypes and I feel as though this is important to know and understand. For example, not only is it wrong to assume that all Latinos are Catholic, but it is also wrong to believe that all forms of Latino worship are the same. I also think that the purpose of the book is to overcome the presuppositions so that non-Latinos don't force particular forms and expressions on them. In this book, I learn that the Latinos make up the fastest growing demographic in the country. I recommend you use this book the next time you teach the course

As you mentioned, this book provides a lot of information that may be new to readers. I think the reason that this book is enjoyable is the ability for readers to connect to it. Also, the act of moving past stereotypes is discussed throughout the book and is applicable in society. Our society is full of stereotypes regarding certain types of individuals or certain ways of behaving, therefore the way this book aims to dismantle stereotypes about Latinos is essential.

I agree with you, Richard. I really did enjoy this book, and for me, the ethnographic studies were really intriguing. It is also true that, "For example, not only is it wrong to assume that all Latinos are Catholic, but it is also wrong to believe that all forms of Latino worship are the same." This statement is true because the religious group of "Latino" has several subgroups and subdivisions, which are discussed in detail in Chapters 4 and 5 of this book.

I agree with you. I always assumed that all Latinos are Catholics. However, after reading this book, I think it is wrong to assume that all forms of Hispanic pilgrims are the same. This book provides a lot of details, part of the purpose of the book is to overcome our assumptions so that non-Latin Americans will not force them to use specific forms and expressions.

I would recommend this book for upcoming semesters due to its use of ethnographies, which capture the readers' attention. The language of the book was easy to understand as well. I liked how the authors discuss their observations and provide excerpts from the interviews they conducted. Further the discussion about the various churches, in chapter 4, shows different aspects of Latino Protestantism was particularly interesting. The theme of this book is compelling, and further research can be done to study how culture and identity are tied to religion. I think we could have delved in deeper in the book because it would be interesting to connect it to other cultures as well.

I felt the ethnographical part of the surgery research was a great addition to the book.However ,I didn't find the language of the book to be easy to understand.There were many point of the book where I had to research the meaning of terms and other concepts.I do think other cultures connecting to Latino Protestants is a very interesting topic that I want to learn more about (influences).

Survery**

I think the book was intriguing to say the least it displayed the thoughts and visibility in the churches and throughout practices of religion. I think it is a culture shock for everyone to witness that language places you in a category that you may not want to be apart of. I also think worship should be for all to enjoy and comprehend without exclusion. I definitely would recommend using this book for future courses. It will also create a dialogue that will continue until the end of time.

I really like this book because it captures the surface of the nuances that Latinos have. It doesn't try to sugarcoat the complexities of this very broad demographic and how the people in this demographic, categorize and define their labels differently. For example how some people didn't like labels like "Hispanic" or "Latino" because it put into question their Latinidad (because they couldn't speak Spanish), or because they saw these labels as political and limiting. I liked that the book provided ethnographic examples and I also really liked how, though this book was about Latinos and Protestants, it still highlighted political ideas and agendas these people had (and included data from the most recent presidential election). So, this book was talking about modern day realities, as opposed to things from the past that tends to be boring. I would recommend this book for the next time you teach the course for all these reasons.

The book is professional, I'll give it that. And it is also thorough (it covers so many more nuances of Latino culture and Protestantism than I would have ever thought of). The studies and numbers it cited looked well researched, so, as a textbook, it fulfills its duty to inform and teach. However, the readability of this book isn't the greatest. It can be dry and redundant. My eyes glazed over as I read what felt like the same thing over and over with nuances added that I often missed because of the dryness of the work. I did not really feel engaged with the text. I wish I could have been, because this is a subject area I know so little about. Perhaps it is just the nature of academia to be so blandly technical, but I have read other texts on religion that manage to add some color and personality to the text.

I agree that sometimes the book became dry and that caused me to miss certain things that were important, but I also think that this is in part due to the fact that it is academic research. Although I don't have much frame of reference for religious books or research of this kind, I think that some of the redundancy stems from the fact it was so thoroughly researched. That said, I completely agree with the fact that it was dry and hard to truly get into. I probably wouldn't have been able to finish the book if it wasn't required of me.

I agree, this book required a lot of research information that I was too bored with it. I did learn many structures of the Latino culture, but I would not read this book if it wasn't required to do so. Research books holds information and facts that I occasionally fell into space. To much research may distract the reader into another world.

I appreciated the fact that book was very thorough and provided a lot of specific and general insight for people who have not yet been introduced to this particular topic (like myself). Although the language was not necessarily technical, sometimes the book became a little repetitive and difficult to get through because of that. However, I do think it should be used in the future if you teach this course again because it so detailed and provides a good perspective. Sometimes you have to force yourself to get through some of the chapters (or parts of the chapter), but in general it's a great book to assign because it touches upon so many things. It's well analyzed and delivered in a way that makes it very easy to understand. Most importantly, it talks extensively about the heterogeneity that exists within Latino Protestantism and really provides the reader with so many examples to truly see the diversity.

I really enjoyed the fact that the book provided recent survey research on Latinos in the United States with ethnographic finding from Latino Protestant Congregations.Furthermore,I really enjoyed chapter one which dove into the growth and dispersion of Latinos in America.This book helps the reader understand the changing image of Latino Protestants in America.However at times the language of the book was very difficult for me to understand,but once I got through that I really got to learn and enjoy it!

I completely agree, there are times with almost any book where the language made it difficult to read, but luckily with this book there weren't many of those instances so once you got through a few it was an easy read. Not easy in terms of language though, but easy in the way it is presented with actual ethnographic examples and facts.

I actually enjoyed this book it was an easier read than the book you used to introduce the course. I love that it provided actual dialogue and ethnographic fieldwork. I love how it gave definitions to common stereotypes for different congregations and Latino groups as a whole. I think it was more interesting, full of introspective on different latino religious groups following their political stance. The language, analysis, and examples provided made it more relatable for me because I can relate it back to what I have witnessed in America by my peers who attend different congregations. I feel this book did a good job at combing its research and story in one, without being too factual and dense. I recommend this book to be used for your next semester, it helps provide descriptions/background of the different congregations and their stance. It did a great job at pinpointing how complex the Latino and the Hispanic category is, especially when comparing its history context with modern religious beliefs and transformations. Great book.

I really enjoyed this book. I really enjoyed exploring the various divisions within the religious group on the whole, and learning about the stereotypical issues that Latinos face on the collective spectrum. For me, the ethnographic studies were really intriguing. It is was interesting to learn that all Latinos are Catholic, and not all forms of Latino worship are the same, and also the context of the several subgroups and subdivisions of the types of Latino worshipers.

I somewhat enjoyed this book. The readings were much easier to understand and divest than the previous books. Learning about how the Latino Protestants contributed to the religious landscape in the United States. Historically, the majority of Latinos in America were Roman Catholic, however, this book estimated that in the next decade more Latinos will be apart of the Protestant religion. This book also explored ethnic identity in the churches. I really enjoyed chapter 5 the most, which went into further detail on church life and the Latino Protestant experience. The need for spiritual and social support contributed to many Latino Protestants commitment to congregational life. It gave them a sense of faith and belonging when their the minority. I would recommend this book to those who would like to understand the transitions and the role of religion in the lives of American Latinos.

I found this book to be very interesting and enjoyed reading every chapter. I found that the text was easy to understand especially with examples that were also given. This book really caught my attention especially about the political and social impact of the Latino growing community. Another topic that really caught my attention was the social issues and the different views that Catholics, Latino Protestants and Latino Pentecostals. I feel that such example of the social and political gave me a understanding of the decrease of Catholicism and a increase of Latino Protestant. Moreover, I also find the details that the authors used to describe the congregation worship style interesting and the fact that they also stated that not every congregation is "fiesta" like. Therefore, I will definitely recommend that this book is used again. I didn't find it boring at all.

This book was very intresting. For starters, the way how the authors opens then book and discusses a prehistory of the indengenous and Latino clutlures set the stage for the entire book. The way how the authors put Latino Protestant under a umbrella term they where still able to find the silver lining,explaining the difference that exist in the Latin American congregations. It never seemed to sterotype and dissmessed sterotypes already held. Interested read that I would reccomend.

Personally, I like reading this book. In this book, I learned that Hispanics are the fastest growing population in the country. It is based on the immigration and high birth rates. The book is divided into different parts. First, it defines what it means to be a Latin Protestant, which means that it is not just a Catholic. They also explore the church's national identity and Mexicans are the largest source group. A large group of Protestants from South American and Puerto Rico. Interesting. I strongly recommend this book.

This topic is a very underestimated topic. i learned that theres a huge difference in not only language,location and forms of worship but there identity as well. I'm sure I'm not the only one who is forced to fall in to the wrong assumption presented in our culture as americans. i learned more than i knew before and am glad for the enlightenment of another faith.

I really like this book and the reason is that it is so refreshing and enjoyable to read. It depict how latinos Protestants view themselves in America and the constant struggles that they face. For instance: languages, financial problems and many different things. I highly recommended it for the future.

I enjoyed this book it was very interesting book, I love that it provided relevant research methods and ethnographic work that can be analyzed today. like how it explains the different congregations and Latino groups as a whole, allowing us to think back at the history of Latino immigration in the United States. I think it was more interesting, full of introspective on different Latino religious groups following their political stance. I believe that this book did a good job at combining its research into the story, and explaining relevant methods that can be used today. I will highly recommend this book for your next semester, it helps provide information about the history of latino religious groups in the united states