Page 297 - tesis

is in the hands of 2 per cent of the population, whereas 80 per cent only have 2 per cent of the land.\u000AThe fact that they do not mention the structural problems does not necessarily come from ignorance as many of the interviewees have either secondary or graduate education. It is possible that they say this because of their social class. Freston says that possibly their status or position in the middle and high classes prevents them from seeing these causes. However, the working and lower middle class NPL did not mention the geopolitical dimension either. Perhaps in their case the low economic condition influences them to have less interest or access to education.135 Both possibilities are feasible. They probably do not consider poverty from a sociological perspective because they interpret their context in the light of their religious beliefs. Gooren\u2019s thesis allows this possibility. He shows this perspective in his doctoral thesis on members of a Neo-Pentecostal church in a marginal zone of Guatemala. Their understanding of poverty arises from the religious perspective,\u000AThe Lluvias de Gracia Church has a discourse on poverty that is very implicit. Only one page in the church\u2019s Constitutive Charter and Study Guide directly addresses the theme \u2018most common financial problems\u2019, after a section of four pages detailing the virtue, obligation, execution, and biblical foundation of the practice of tithing. Which financial problems can cause members to deny God his rightful part? First, pride, can give them an aversion to work. Second, they spend more than they earn. Third, they try to acquire \u2018easy money\u2019 by gambling, participating in lotteries, or even stealing. Fourth, they borrow too much. Fifth, they want to have what other people have. Sixth, they do not pay their debts. Seventh, they take on responsibility for others people\u2019s debts. Eighth, they are afraid to give. What stands out here is how poverty is traced back to individual moral lapses such as pride, theft, jealousy, or lack of discipline [...] Rather than talking about poverty, it is the themes of wealth and excessive dedication to material goods that are addressed, and usually inexplicit terms (1999: 94).\u000AGooren\u2019s analysis throws light on how these churches use religious language to express these ideas about the economy. The result of the GSNPL affirms that the majority of NPL from the Neo-Pentecostal perspective are in agreement with the idea that the church can contribute to eradicate the poverty, violence and corruption [Table 5.14].\u000ATo sum up, it is possible to affirm that the NPL are aware of certain problems of poverty and articulate their thinking from their Neo-Pentecostal viewpoint. Nevertheless, they do not talk much about Guatemala\u2019s social, economic and political contradictions or\u000A135 Interview, Paul Freston, Grand Rapids, 16.01.06. 284\u000A