Prosperity Gospel and Latinos/as

Abstract

This chapter is an overview of the ways Prosperity Gospel, in its many manifestations, shapes Latino immigrant communities. The chapter offers an overview of Prosperity Gospel as a religious movement and a description of its core beliefs. The focus of the chapter is on first-generation immigrant Prosperity Gospel Latinos and their social and cultural ramifications. While only one-third of all Latinos are foreign born, they are overrepresented in this faith tradition. Prosperity Gospel is a totalizing religion that redefines private lives, daily behavior, concepts of the good, and ultimately the individuals themselves. It is an American creation at its core. Inadvertently, the pursuit of spiritual enlightenment in Prosperity Gospel results in the adoption of middle-class, white, American norms.