Review
I've now finished
Main Street Mystics and I think it's just great. No one writes this kind of on-the-ground ethnography with the verve of Margaret Poloma. She has leaped into a fascinating and significant current religious movement armed with an impressive grasp of religious history, and she tells a story well. A really fine and timely book. (Cox, Harvey )
This is a fascinating work, especially given Poloma's unique perspective, which combines the intimacy of first-hand and sustained involvement in the movement she is describing with the studied distance of a social-scientific investigator. The generous inclusion of quoted experiential material, much of it from sources not readily available, and her overall narrative approach greatly add to the books accessibility, interest, and value. This well-written and highly readable book will undoubtedly attract a wide readership... (David M. Wulff )
Margaret Poloma has a wonderful and insightful understanding of the various dynamics of revival and the way in which the Holy Spirit moves. I shall never forget her lesson to me about the tension that exists between the free flowing charisma of the Spirit vs. the forces of institutionalisation. I highly recommend this book to you. (John Arnott )
Illuminating case studies of the influence of the Toronto Blessing for churches. (J.H. Rubin
Choice Reviews Online May 2004 )
Poloma's honesty and critical awareness make the text very appealing....I do heartily recommend this book for those with an interest in a new wave of mystical spirituality, and the new organizational forms it is producing. (Karen A. Bradley
Journal For The Scientific Study Of Religion )
This is a fascinating work, especially given Poloma's unique perspective, which combines the intimacy of first-hand and sustained involvement in the movement she is describing with the studied distance of a social-scientific investigator. The generous inclusion of quoted experiential material, much of it from sources not readily available, and her overall narrative approach greatly add to the books accessibility, interest, and value. This well-written and highly readable book will undoubtedly attract a wide readership. (David M. Wulff )
About the Author
Margaret M. Poloma is professor emerita of sociology at the University Akron, is also the author of
Assemblies of God at the Crossroad and
The Charismatic Movement.