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they were available to express their opinions. They consider that politics is part of what Christians should do and so they ought to be interested. According to these pastors\u2019 criteria this participation is on an essentially personal level. The church as an institution should stay out of all political participation. The theme of politics in this section is covered more intentionally by the pastors of the \u2018El Shaddai\u2019 and \u2018Verbo\u2019 churches. Both former presidents were members of those churches. The rest of the churches studied show more reserve with respect to politics and only mentioned it as a part of the Christian responsibility in the world. Previously Evangelicals, for different reasons, kept themselves away from politics. But in the last two decades the Neo-Pentecostals have been active in politics as part of their day to day work. How do the NPS guide their membership about politics? Do they encourage their members to get involved in politics?\u000AThe ICV senior pastor affirms that the kingdom of God includes the political domain. He commented, \u2018we do not teach that our participation in politics has to do with parties, but rather it is a civic affair. We have an obligation in the church to teach the people the principles, and the biblical directives so that a citizen can represent the kingdom of God in politics\u2019 (P1ICV). The vision for politics of some NPS starts from a post- millennial eschatological standpoint which affirms the idea that the kingdom of God is a present reality. Of course some of the NPCs maintain in their declaration of faith dispensational beliefs about the rapture of the church as assumed by classic Pentecostalism and other churches such as the Central American Mission.106 In spite of this pre-tribulation position some Evangelical pastors and their churches have had some social projects, and have made a concrete contribution to the country before Neo-Pentecostal politicians did.\u000AOn other hand, ICV pastors say that Evangelicals have to participate in politics to\u000Aget the power to change the bad things in the country. An associate pastor said that the\u000ALord left principles in his word to govern in a different way to the humanist system, and so\u000AChristians are those who should be in government (A6ICV). From this affirmation the idea\u000A106 For example the Declaration of Faith of the Familia de Dios church In \u2018Prospecto, Reglamento y Calendario de Actividades 1996 Seminario B\u00EDblico Teol\u00F3gico Neo pentecostal Panamericano\u2019.\u000A210\u000A  


































































































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