Evangelical and Catholic groups are transforming Brazilian politics. This book asks why, and what the consequences are for democracy.

Amy Erica Smith is associate professor of political science at Iowa State University. Smith's research has attracted funding from the National Science Foundation, Fulbright, Mellon, and Templeton, and the Award for Early Achievement in Research at Iowa State University. Her work on democracy in developing countries has appeared in top political science journals and in the Portuguese-language book, Legitimidade e qualidade da democracia no Brasil: Uma visão da cidadania (2011; with Lucio Rennó, Matthew Layton, and Frederico Batista Pereira).

Part I. Introduction: 1. Introduction; 2. Clergy, congregants, and religious politicians; 3. Methods and case studies; Part II. What Clergy Think, Say, and Do: 4. What clergy think and say: religious teachings and political views; 5. What clergy do: encouraging partisan and electoral politics; Part III. How Congregants Respond: 6. Church influence on citizens' policy views and partisanship; 7. Church influence on voting behavior; 8. Church influence on citizen support for democracy; Part IV. Representation: 9. The representational triangle; 10. Conclusion: mobilizing the people of God.