If I Give My Soul

Faith Behind Bars in Rio de Janeiro

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Social Science, Sociology, Marriage & Family, Religion & Spirituality, Christianity, Denominations, Pentecostalism
Cover of the book If I Give My Soul by Andrew Johnson, Oxford University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Andrew Johnson ISBN: 9780190677534
Publisher: Oxford University Press Publication: June 1, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press Language: English
Author: Andrew Johnson
ISBN: 9780190677534
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Publication: June 1, 2017
Imprint: Oxford University Press
Language: English

Pentecostal Christianity is flourishing inside the prisons of Rio de Janeiro. To find out why, Andrew Johnson dug deep into the prisons themselves. He began by spending two weeks living in a Brazilian prison as if he were an inmate: sleeping in the same cells as the inmates, eating the same food, and participating in the men's daily routines as if he were incarcerated. And he returned many times afterward to observe prison churches' worship services, which were led by inmates who had been voted into positions of leadership by their fellow prisoners. He accompanied Pentecostal volunteers when they visited cells that were controlled by Rio's most dominant criminal gang to lead worship services, provide health care, and deliver other social services to the inmates. Why does this faith resonate so profoundly with the incarcerated? Pentecostalism, argues Johnson, is the "faith of the killable people" and offers ex-criminals and gang members the opportunity to positively reinvent their public personas. If I Give My Soul is a deeply personal look at the relationship between the margins of Brazilian society and the Pentecostal faith, both behind bars and in the favelas, Rio de Janeiro's peripheral neighborhoods. Based on his intimate relationships with the figures in this book, Johnson makes a passionate case that Pentecostal practice behind bars is an act of political radicalism as much as a spiritual experience.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Pentecostal Christianity is flourishing inside the prisons of Rio de Janeiro. To find out why, Andrew Johnson dug deep into the prisons themselves. He began by spending two weeks living in a Brazilian prison as if he were an inmate: sleeping in the same cells as the inmates, eating the same food, and participating in the men's daily routines as if he were incarcerated. And he returned many times afterward to observe prison churches' worship services, which were led by inmates who had been voted into positions of leadership by their fellow prisoners. He accompanied Pentecostal volunteers when they visited cells that were controlled by Rio's most dominant criminal gang to lead worship services, provide health care, and deliver other social services to the inmates. Why does this faith resonate so profoundly with the incarcerated? Pentecostalism, argues Johnson, is the "faith of the killable people" and offers ex-criminals and gang members the opportunity to positively reinvent their public personas. If I Give My Soul is a deeply personal look at the relationship between the margins of Brazilian society and the Pentecostal faith, both behind bars and in the favelas, Rio de Janeiro's peripheral neighborhoods. Based on his intimate relationships with the figures in this book, Johnson makes a passionate case that Pentecostal practice behind bars is an act of political radicalism as much as a spiritual experience.

More books from Oxford University Press

Cover of the book The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th-Century America by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Spanish Colonization to 1650: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Climate Change and Society by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Buddy System by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Molecular Energetics by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book The Year of Sharing - With Audio Level 2 Oxford Bookworms Library by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book The Hizbullah Phenomenon by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Africa and the Atlantic World: Oxford Bibliographies Online Research Guide by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Stalin's Citizens by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Isaac Newton by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Insecure Gulf by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Choice Matters by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Closing the Opportunity Gap by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Prolonged Exposure Therapy for PTSD: Emotional Processing of Traumatic Experiences Therapist Guide by Andrew Johnson
Cover of the book Intellectual Privacy by Andrew Johnson
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy