Arlene Sanchez Walsh dismisses Hispanics' 'unique ethnic resilience'
I just received an email from Arlene Sanchez Walsh, associate professor of Latino church studies at Haggard School of Theology (Azusa Pacific University). Like me, she doubts Pew's conclusion that otherwise acculturated Latinos may resist worshiping with non-Latinos. As she writes:
The study claims that Latinos are staying in ethnic churches and contributing to a unique ethnic resilience in American religious life. They don't account for generational differences, though. They do mention that even English-speaking Latinos prefer to be in ethnic churches, but when you see the nationality breakdown, Latinos with very deep roots in the U.S. -- such as Puerto Ricans and Mexicans -- rank pretty low compared to newer immigrants (Dominicans, Central Americans, etc.) among whom generational changes have not been as long lasting. Though Pew states that ethnic churches are not merely products of immigration or residental housing patterns, the numbers I mentioned above would give rise to the common-sense reality that Latino immigrants, especially of the first and second generation, prefer Spanish Mass and tend to live in areas that are Latino. You have to look at third and fourth generations to get at a larger picture of acculturation.
Arlene's point is significant, especially during the current national debate on immigration reform, in which some claim that Hispanics represent a cultural threat because they refuse to learn English and integrate into American society. While a surface look at Pew's findings on Hispanic churches could support such a view, as Arlene points out, a deeper look seems to reveal a pattern of gradual acculturation much like that of previous immigrant groups. Time will tell, but we should be careful about reading nativist fears into the Pew study.
Posted by Madison Trammel on April 25, 2007 12:32PM
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As director of the Pew Hispanic Center and one of the authors of the study on Hispanic religion released today, I would make note of some of the published findings relevant to the question of acculturation and ethnically-oriented worship.
The study found that among Latino Catholics who always attend Mass in Spanish 76% are foreign born and 24% are native born. And, 30% of Latino Catholics who always attend mass in Spanish are either bilingual or English dominant. Immigration is the driving factor, but worship in Spanish is not exclusively a product of immigration or of linguistic necessity.
The study focuses on three characteristics of an ethnic church: some clergy are Latino, services are available in Spanish and most members of the congregation are Hispanics. The study tabulates responses according to several demographic variables, including generations. For church-goers across all religious traditions, 77% of the first generation report that their house of worship has all three characteristics. In the second generation it is 53% and in the third generation and higher (all that are native born of native-born parents) it is 42%. Reasonable minds can differ as to whether a shift from 77% to 42% represents substantial acculturation or not; it is not our intent to enter the debate. The study merely presents empirical findings, and one of the many is that a significant share of Hispanics with long family tenure in the U.S. attends a house of worship with a Hispanic orientation.
Posted by: Roberto Suro at April 25, 2007
Thank you, Roberto Suro, for responding. I appreciate your point. As you say, reasonable minds can differ about whether a drop from 77% worshiping in Hispanic churches (first generation) to 42% worshiping in Hispanic churches (third generation) is a sign of substantial acculturation. It seems to me that it is, and I expect that percentage to continue to drop with fourth and fifth generations of Latino immigrants.
A related thought: Pew's criteria for Hispanic churches -- 1) some clergy are Latino, 2) at least one service is offered in Spanish, and 3) most members are Latino -- seem fairly broad. Would some multiethnic churches in mainly Hispanic areas (like the part of Los Angeles that I grew up in, for instance) fit the bill? Might some of the "Hispanic" churches that third-generation Hispanics attend actually be more multicultural than Hispanic in orientation?
I don't doubt the study's results on this topic, just the sweeping conclusion that, as a San Jose Mercury News article put it, "Latinos prefer worshiping together in an ethnic-style congregation." In my opinion, characterizations like that do little to help Americans understand the country's growing Latino population.
Posted by: Madison Trammel at April 26, 2007
In these holidays in the epoch of existence of the Jerusalem temple of ton of the Jewish people rose to Jerusalem.Khag of maza - sainted matzah - in memory about that jewries fed on matzo in the years of slavery, and also that during an exit from Egypt dough did not have time.Such "sale" is considered obligatory accordant Galakhe, thus every owner must make all of "chametz", what of him sells, in a box or box and to provide for, that at any moment holidays the UnJewish buyer can come to take away or take advantage of the fate.The head of family declares any "chametz", which was not found, "invalid" "as ashes are earthly". Lamb must was be trying and eaten together with mazah. In orthodox Jewish communities of man traditionally going to the groups for the general hand baking of the special letters of matza, urgent matza of shmura (matza" which is "guarded is, that a wheat is guarded from a contact with water from the day of that which cuts away a summer to baking of maza for subsequent Pesakh). It is said in Tore: "On a seventh day sainted it will be for you, do not a single work".
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Posted by: Lihaim& at April 9, 2008
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