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unleashes prosperity is in \u2018learning to give in order to sow\u2019. The logic is here \u2018give in order to receive\u2019.113\u000AAccording to sociologist Mariz in her study of the Pentecostalism and poverty in Brazil, she affirms that to give from the perspective of the poor is an act of dignity. She emphasizes that \u2018In the act of paying tithes and giving the poor discover that they are able to give. Who gives has power, who receives does not have any; weakness, and submission are reinforced symbolically for the poor when they receive\u2019. She adds that in spite of criticism that can be levelled at prosperity theology, \u2018it is important to recognize its instrumental role for the survival of the poor as a rejection of the theodicy of redemption through poverty and suffering\u2019 (1995a: 215).\u000ATo sum up, the NPS interpret poverty essentially as a problem of a spiritual order. They are aware about the spiritual dimension of the problem, but they fail to give the necessary attention to the structures that generate poverty. It is essential to face the problem of poverty in a context where the breach between rich and poor is a reality that cannot be ignored. The level of poverty in Guatemala and the rest of the Central American region according to the World Bank affects 56 per cent of the population and more that 16 per cent live in misery (\u2018Parte I: Magnitud y causas de la pobreza\u2019 2003: 8). In the same way, to turn spiritual powers into the main cause of poverty is to avoid the truth of human responsibility in the face of injustice and other similar evils. On the other hand, to state that one\u2019s prosperity depends on the confession one makes with one\u2019s lips is to place the believer\u2019s prosperity in his own mouth and hands and therefore not necessarily in the providence of God.\u000AThe NPS also stress the place of tithes and offerings. In order to prosper the believers need to make a covenant with God through giving their tithes and offerings. The discipline of tithes and offerings is a key element in these churches. According to them,\u000Afor blessings that they offer. This criticism has been directed especially against the ENLACE television channel 23 for asking for money from the viewers.\u000A113Benitez explains his ideas about prosperity in \u2018Conceptos Financieros: Las ideas de Dios\u2019 in a series of two audio cassettes on the issue (El Shaddai church no date).\u000A222\u000A