There have been several surveys of the global role of the Roman Catholic Church including its very varied contributions to politics. In respect of Catholicism nobody could possibly suppose that its contribution in Spain in the 1930s is on a par with its contribution in Korea in the 1990s. Time and place are crucial, and the fact that Catholicism itself is centralised and hierarchical and based on mediation cannot be read as implying an analogous approach in politics.

The same considerations apply to evangelicalism, and to its most potent variant in the developing world, pentecostalism. Time and context are crucial, and the fact that pentecostalism in particular encourages the poor to raise their voice does not mean this can be translated into the promotion of populist democracy. Unfortunately we have lacked a comprehensive survey of the global role of evangelical and pentecostal movements, partly no doubt because of their internal variation and fissiparousness. They belong to a pluralistic world and to bring their many political contributions together is not only intellectually demanding but requires burrowing in obscure places and acquaintance with extremely varied contexts. It seems to me that Paul Freston's book triumphantly meets the intellectual demands and shows a detailed understanding of the diversity. What he offers is the guide to evangelical politics worldwide.

My own concerns with pentecostalism in Latin America (and more recently globally) have focused on the changes it initiates and manifests as a form of cultural revolution.