On January 20, 1994 the worshippers at the Toronto Airport Vineyard Church began to feel the Holy Spirit move them. They began to laugh uncontrollably, collapse to the floor, stagger as if drunk. But what was truly startling in this occurrence-now commonly known as the Toronto Blessing-is that these manifestations keep appearing at the Toronto church and have sparked a worldwide charismatic revival. Visitors from around the world have come and started revivals in their home churches upon return. In Main Street Mystics, Margaret Poloma explains what is happening with this contemporary charismatic revival without explaining it away. From her unique position as both a scholar and a pilgrim, Poloma offers an intimate account of the movement while always attempting to understand it through the lenses of social science. She looks at Pentecostalism as a form of mysticism, but a mysticism that engages Pentecostals and charismatics in the everyday world. With its broad overview and up-close portraits, Main Street Mystics is essential for anyone wanting to understand the ever renewing movement of Pentecostalism.

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.

Reviews
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. -- Harvey Cox, (Harvard University) Author of Fire From Heaven
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, (Wheaton College, Massachusetts)
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, pastor, Toronto Area Christian Fellowship
Illuminating case studies of the influence of the Toronto Blessing for churches. -- J.H. Rubin, St. Joseph College * CHOICE, 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, Central Missouri State University * 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, (Wheaton College, Massachusetts)



Book Information
ISBN 9780759103542
Author Margaret Poloma
Format Paperback
Page Count 296
Imprint AltaMira Press,U.S.
Publisher AltaMira Press,U.S.
Weight(grams) 467g
Dimensions(mm) 223mm * 151mm * 19mm