The Contexts of Conversion among U.S. Latinos

Abstract

The growth of Protestantism among U.S. Latinos has been the focus of considerable discussion among researchers. Yet few studies investigate how Latino Protestants and Latino Catholics differ, or which types of Latinos convert from Catholicism to Protestantism. Our study tests various theories about why some Latinos convert including a modified version of the semi-involuntary thesis, the national origin hypothesis, and assimilation theory. We use data from a large national sample of U.S. Latinos and find some support for assimilation theory and less for the semi-involuntary thesis. However, context matters. If we divide Latinos into national origin groups, these groups strongly predict who converts and who are lifelong Protestants. We discuss how war may influence the religious composition of early migrants and thus shape both the religious composition and conversion of later migrants.

The growth and diversity of Latino Protestants in America

“…Fifty‐five percent of Catholic Latinos indicate Spanish as their dominant language, while 63% of evangelicals and 73% of mainline Latino Protestants indicate either that English is their primarily language or that they are bilingual. Moreover, Latino Protestants are more likely to say they are English dominant compared to their Latino Catholics counterparts (Ramos et al, ). Latino Catholics are also more likely than Latino Protestants to use Spanish at home (Calvillo & Bailey, ).…”

“…The growth of Latino Protestants in the United States is, in part, due to conversion. The proportion of ex‐Catholic Latinos is increasing, with some becoming non‐religious and most switching to Protestantism (Ramos et al, ). Previous research has speculated that people convert in order to assimilate and gain upward mobility in American society (Ramos et al, ).…”

“…The proportion of ex‐Catholic Latinos is increasing, with some becoming non‐religious and most switching to Protestantism (Ramos et al, ). Previous research has speculated that people convert in order to assimilate and gain upward mobility in American society (Ramos et al, ). Others argue that Protestantism provides a way for people to spiritualize their problems and blinds them from challenging social and political structures that contributed to their suffering (Brusco, ; De León, ; Martin, ).…”

“…Compared to most Latin American countries (with the exceptions of Honduras and Uruguay), El Salvador and Guatemala have some of the highest levels of Protestant adherence in Latin America at 36% and 41%, respectively (Pew Research Center, ; Ramos et al, ).…”

The Strategic Practice of “Fiesta” in a Latino Protestant Church: Religious Racialization and the Performance of Ethnic Identity

“…The entwined performative aspects of religious and ethnoracial identity emerged as central in the analysis of a Latino evangelical megachurch in El Paso, Texas. We were drawn initially to this church due to recent scholarly attention examining the growth of Latino Protestants and their churches in the United States, a neglected phenomenon in contemporary scholarship (Martí 2015b; Mulder, Ramos, and Martí 2017; Ramos, Woodberry, and Ellison 2017). The rise of Latino Protestantism has been a global phenomenon such that the proportion of Latino Catholics has decreased significantly while the number of Latino Protestants is rising steadily (Hartch 2014; Matovina 2012).…”