{"id":17730,"date":"2016-12-19T15:30:48","date_gmt":"2016-12-19T20:30:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/college.unc.edu\/?p=17730"},"modified":"2024-07-02T16:30:09","modified_gmt":"2024-07-02T16:30:09","slug":"d-r","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/?p=17730","title":{"rendered":"Pentecostalism and prestige in the Dominican Republic"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Upon
Upon conducting research in the Dominican Republic, UNC religious studies assistant professor Brendan Thornton found that gang members could leave their lives behind by becoming a part of the Pentecostal Church. (Illustration by Corina Cudebec)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n

Structure. Loyalty. Faith. Leadership. The characteristics exhibited by churchgoers share many similarities to the values of gang members. Both groups believe in the power of the collective and something greater than themselves. At least, that\u2019s what UNC religious studies professor Brendan Thornton <\/a>discovered after conducting research in the Dominican Republic.<\/p>\n

The analysis Thornton provides is not always welcomed with positivity. To compare a Christian church to youth gangs is sure to ruffle some feathers. But the point that he wants to highlight is that these two groups provide transformative identities for people. \u201cThey both require members to follow rigorous rules, which include specific consequences for not following those rules,\u201d he says. \u201cMorally they\u2019re very different, but structurally they are similar.\u201d<\/p>\n

Getting to the Dominican Republic<\/strong>
\nThornton has dedicated years of research to exploring Pentecostalism \u2014 a movement within Protestant Christianity that places special emphasis on baptism of the Holy Spirit \u2014 as well as the cultural shift associated with conversion. His work culminates in his most recent book \u201cNegotiating Respect: Pentecostalism, Masculinity, and the Politics of Spiritual Authority in the Dominican Republic<\/a>\u201d (2016).<\/p>\n

In 2005, Thornton initially chose Haiti as the location for his doctoral research on religion. He did not yet have a specific focus of study, but was attracted to the country\u2019s vibrant culture. \u201cInitially, I was very interested in a broad, comparative project that looked at African-derived religions, as well as Pentecostalism,\u201d Thornton says. But multiple professors steered him away from Haiti because \u201cit was really difficult to do ethnographic research that wasn\u2019t under the oversight of the government.\u201d<\/p>\n

Instead, Thornton traveled to its neighboring country, the Dominican Republic (DR). While his knowledge about the DR was limited, he did know that a wave of Pentecostal Christianity was sweeping across the country and Latin America, in general. Historically, the DR is Catholic-dominated and, until 1965, only 1 to 2 percent of the population practiced Protestant faiths, according to Thornton. Today, it\u2019s closer to 15 to 20 percent.<\/p>\n

Despite his frustration with the immense heat and constantly being mistaken as a professional baseball player, Thornton began to settle into life in the Dominican Republic and take note of his surroundings. Eventually, a friend invited him to attend a Pentecostal church service in Villa Altagracia, which became his study site. At first, people were puzzled why Thornton had come to observe them. But after visiting the church multiple times a week, and explaining his research and project to them, he soon became a familiar face and people began to open up to him.<\/p>\n

\"A
A Christian blessing adorns the entrance to a home in Villa Altagracia, the study site of Thornton\u2019s research. (photo courtesy of Brendan Thornton)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nine months later, he pressed the record button. His deep relationships with community members, especially those outside church walls, impacted his research immensely. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re here, or in the Caribbean, with rich people or poor people \u2014 people want other people to take an interest in their lives,\u201d Thornton remarks. \u201cI never found people unwilling to talk about their lives. And in some ways, because I was not a total outsider, they were able to share things with me that they probably wouldn\u2019t have with others.\u201d<\/p>\n

As Thornton became more acquainted with the people and their culture, he noticed a trend that would eventually shape his research. \u201cI was interested in talking with current gang members who were not converts. Everyone I met said that the only way to get out of a gang was to convert to one of these churches,\u201d he explains. But he didn\u2019t believe it at first.<\/p>\n

A way out<\/strong>
\nOne of Thornton\u2019s Pentecostal informants introduced him to a gang leader. He wasn\u2019t sure what to expect, since gang members were known to hold secrets about their involvement. \u201cI met this guy, and right off the bat he\u2019s like, \u2018Hey. Here are the rules of the gang. I\u2019m not supposed show anybody these, but you can have them.\u2019 So he totally opened the door for me,\u201d Thornton explains, adding that his status as a foreigner gave the gang leader the freedom to discuss the inner workings of the gang. \u201cFrom his perspective, I\u2019m eventually going to move back to the United States,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

Thornton began to understand that converting to Pentecostal Christianity provided opportunities to people in an area where opportunities for personal transformation were slim. \u201cWhen they join the gang it\u2019s for life, but in this context, life or until you convert,\u201d Thornton explains. The Pentecostal church almost acts as a \u201cBible shield\u201d for young men who want to move away from the dangerous lifestyle associated with street gangs. \u201cOne thing that gets them out of this reciprocal relationship with violence and gangs is to convert to these churches,\u201d Thornton says. \u201cFormer gang enemies leave them alone and so does their own gang.\u201d<\/p>\n

Conversion has to be an all-or-nothing move, though. \u201cYou have to maintain a relatively religious and serious pious life in the church because the gangs are watching,\u201d Thornton says. \u201cFor them, it means you\u2019re not going to be caught up in their business. They don\u2019t want to see you at parties or at the bar.\u201d Not only do converts have to avoid former stomping grounds, but they must also refrain from using profanity, gang-specific attire, and drugs and alcohol. Breaking these rules could prove to be even more dangerous than actually remaining in a gang. Converts have been threatened by their former brothers for not following through with their conversions.<\/p>\n

Beyond offering protection from gang life, the church provides leadership opportunities to community members, according to Thornton. \u201cThese young men use the church to earn prestige in ways that are otherwise closed to them in contexts of poverty and political marginalization,\u201d he explains. Instead of leading neighborhood raids with machetes and a posse, they lead church services with Bibles and a congregation. So when Thornton asked the 19-year-old gang leader what his plans for the future were, he responded: \u201cOh, I\u2019ll just convert when I\u2019m ready.\u201d<\/p>\n

The how<\/em>, not the why<\/em><\/strong>
\nDuring his time in the Dominican Republic, Thornton worked with people who had few employment opportunities, brittle homes, and little chance to move elsewhere. He witnessed first-hand how Pentecostal conversion not only changes individual lives, but also creates broader cultural change. It became apparent to Thornton that his research would not serve to explain why people are converting to Pentecostal Christianity \u2014 avoiding the deeply personal, spiritual aspects \u2014 but rather how conversion is changing Dominican society at the individual and cultural level.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was very interested in how it was that people were using their religious identities outside of the church, particularly in relation to others,\u201d Thornton explains. \u201cThe research is relevant for understanding the diverse ways in which people in locations of poverty and distress mobilize the religious resources available to them to better their lives and their situations.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brendan Thornton is an assistant professor in the department of religious studies in UNC’s College of Arts and Sciences.<\/em><\/p>\n

Story by Holly Roberts, Endeavors magazine<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

  Structure. Loyalty. Faith. Leadership. The characteristics exhibited by churchgoers share many similarities to the values of gang members. Both groups believe in the power of the collective and something greater than themselves. At least, that\u2019s what UNC religious studies professor Brendan Thornton discovered after conducting research in the Dominican Republic. The analysis Thornton provides […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":17734,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[15,16,21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-17730","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fine-arts-humanities","category-global-programs","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17730","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=17730"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17730\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":47964,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17730\/revisions\/47964"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/17734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=17730"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=17730"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collegearchive.unc.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=17730"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}