Guerrero, “The Street is Free”

Guerrero, Bernardo. 2012. The Street is Free: Identity and Politics among Evangelicals in Chile. Religion, State, and Society 40(1):11-23.

Abstract: Chilean Evangelicals, like their peers elsewhere in Latin America, have striven for over a century to be recognised by state and society. They have achieved a number of advances, but feel that this is not yet enough. This article examines the practice most used by Evangelicals to affirm their identity: street preaching. In the drama of street preaching they mobilise and express their identity, including their political identity. Their preaching involves traditional themes of Pentecostal discourse: the saved versus the lost, and the offer of a better life that can be obtained by joining the ranks of this religious movement.