Page 222 - tesis
P. 222

Among Pentecostals \u2018the economic category of \u201Cgoods\u201D is part of the moral category of the good\u2019 (Martin 1992: 12). The idea of improving economic performance is mixed with the experience of conversion and the salvation they receive. The starting off point then is \u2018conversion\u2019 which results in a dramatic reorganization of the key elements in the person\u2019s symbolic universe altering they way they perceive what is \u2018good\u2019. This reorganization in the Neo-Pentecostal context does not stay within the sphere of survival, but becomes a possible way to reach a materially prosperous life.\u000AThe NPS add that prosperity comes not only as a result of God\u2019s blessing but also through hard work which every Christian must engage in. Caballeros & Winger\u2019s study about the so called \u2018miracle town\u2019 in Guatemala, shows that their socio-economic development came after conversion through the spiritual warfare and work ethic that this community assumed (1998: 237).\u000ASo for the NPS conversion brings with it not only the spiritual benefits of salvation but also material benefits. The believer has the possibility to better his economic condition through conversion and eventually could experience upward social mobility. The country\u2019s social reality shows that they do not always achieve the longed for prosperity even though they practice positive confession. The structural problems make it difficult for every Guatemalan to have access to the privileges of progress. It means that the economical improvement is possible mostly for the people from the middle and upper classes. Melendez states that of the Pentecostals that, \u2018the converts continue to live in the same conditions as before, the difference is that their limited daily life full of deficiencies , becomes full of new meaning which produces peace and satisfaction for them\u2019 (1993: 39).\u000AE. POLITICS AND RELATIONSHIP WITH THE STATE 1. With relation to politics\u000AThe NPS do not usually discuss politics because they concentrate their attention on their church business and issues related to their projects for expansion. However when asked 209\u000A


































































































   220   221   222   223   224