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found it difficult to respond in political and social terms to the question of how to change the form in which power is exercised in Guatemala (1994: 110). Their answer came through testimonies illustrating the power of the gospel to affect personal transformation through which they await the change of society. Martin affirms that it is crucial to understand religious phenomena within its language and religious categories. Specifically he notes that it is necessary to understand Pentecostalism starting from their narratives (2006: 3).\u000AHis point of view emphasizes that Pentecostalism has its own language to express their ideas about social change. According to Martin, \u2018to speak of moving from the old life to a new life in the Spirit, from degradation to renewal, incapacity to empowerment, dirt to cleanliness does indeed constitute a walk-out\u2019 (2006:12). For the Pentecostals and Evangelicals in general, to leave the world does not necessarily mean to leave society to one side, but to be separate from the things of the world (vices, ideas contrary to the Christian faith or worldly styles of life).\u000ABastian says that Pentecostalism, or any other present form of Protestantism, does not represent a new form of social organization, in other words a Protestant ferment as Stoll and Martin affirm. He believes that their analysis \u2018amplify and refine but do not modify or transcend the analyses of Lalive D\u2019Epinay, which had already identified Pentecostal movements as vehicles for reform in Latin American popular religion\u2019 (1993: 43).\u000ATo sum up, it could be said that the opening up of the NPL to social problems reflects a different attitude from the stereotyped image cast against them. Although this way of thinking is incipient and in a gestation process it may show that the NPL are not blocking out social issues as D\u2019 Epinay described in the case of Chilean Pentecostalism in the 1970s (1968: 180).\u000A254\u000A


































































































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