One Sunday morning in Georgia, a family walks into their Pentecostal church ready for worship. They’re unaware that outside something life changing is about to unfold. During the service, ICE arrests a man just outside the church doors while his family sits inside. A moment of worship and community suddenly turns into a moment of fear and uncertainty. This is the reality for many facing immigration enforcement in unexpected places today.
This week on Spirit and Power: Apocalypse Now – how Pentecostal and charismatic Christians are making sense of the Trump administration’s long promised mass deportations. For some families torn asunder, it feels like the end of the world. For others, it’s just the beginning. Dr. Leah Payne does a deep dive into stories of immigration and deportation with Dr. Jonathan Calvillo and Dr. Lois Olena. This episode features contrasting interpretations of the Pentecostal faith, and who is on the side of good and evil when it comes to deportations, family, and public policy.
Resources & Links:
“Fear grips immigrant communities as ICE ramps up arrests; community journalist responds,” 11 Alive News
“Tenía un proceso de asilo: detienen a inmigrante hondureño al salir de una iglesia en Georgia,” Univision
“When ICE Comes to Church,” Christianity Today, by Andy Olsen
Migrating Faith: Pentecostalism in the United States and Mexico in the Twentieth Century, by Daniel Ramírez
When the Spirit is Your Inheritance: Reflections on Borderlands Pentecostalism, by Jonathan E. Calvillo
The Saints of Santa Ana: Faith and Ethnicity in a Mexican Majority City, by Jonathan E. Calvillo“Fear grips immigrant communities as ICE ramps up arrests; community journalist responds,” 11 Alive News
Join Leah & many other scholars, activists, and artists considering music the rise of Pentecostal and charismatic Christianity at the 2025 Summer Institute for Global Charismatic & Pentecostal Studies at Candler School of Theology at Emory University, May 21-23 in Decatur, GA. Registration is free!
Spirit and Power is produced by the Institute for Religion, Media, and Civic Engagement.
Created by Dr. Leah Payne
Producer: Andrew Gill
Executive Producer: Dr. Bradley Onishi
Audio Engineer and Music: R. Scott Okamoto
Production Assistance: Kari Onishi
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