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Soul Mates: Religion, Sex, Love, and Marriage among African Americans and Latinos
Soul Mates Religion Sex Love and Marriage among African Americans and Latinos Author:W. Bradford Wilcox, Nicholas H. Wolfinger In 1994, David Hernandez, a small-time drug-dealer in Spanish Harlem, got out of the drug game and turned his life over to the church. After he joined Victory Chapel--a vibrant Bronx-based Pentecostal church--he saw his life change again: today he is a member of the NYPD, married, the father of three, and still an active member of his church. Da... more »vid Hernandez is only one of many of the interviewees whose stories inform Soul Mates, a book which draws on both broad national surveys and detailed interviews to paint a detailed portrait of the largely positive influence churches have on relationships and marriage among African Americans and Latinos.
In Soul Mates, authors W. Bradford Wilcox and Nicholas H. Wolfinger examine the role of religion in American life and shine a much-needed spotlight on strong and happy minority couples. According to Wilcox and Wolfinger, a confluence of economic policy and cultural currents came together with sufficient force in the 1960s and 1970s to generate a tidal wave of family change. They reveal that both married and unmarried minority couples who attend church together are much more likely to enjoy happy and long-lasting relationships, in comparison to similar couples who do not regularly attend church. In particular, the authors argue that churches serving these communities promote a code of decency, encompassing hard work, temperance, and personal responsibility.
Relying on a diverse assortment of sources, Wilcox and Wolfinger provide a provocative look at American lived religion today. The book offers a wealth of critical insight into the effect of religion on African American and Latino relationships, as well as the unique economic and cultural challenges facing American Americans and Latinos in twenty-first century America.« less