Page 352 - tesis
P. 352

person, professional or citizen which can lead them to establish changes in their social status. In general, the Protestant churches tend to give their followers a series of beliefs, values and guidelines of conduct that facilitate ascending mobility (Lenski 1967: 303).\u000AOn the other hand, the NPL emphasize that God blesses, but they need to work hard. The calling to work is part of the teachings they receive from their pastors. The survey shows that 79.2 per cent of the entrepreneurs and professionals affirmed that the teachings of their church helped them to promote their economic improvement. Prosperity does not arrive in a magical way. Faith in the promises of God and obedience to His Word goes hand in hand with the exercise of the values of Neo-Pentecostal theology. These positive visions of the world, punctuality, honesty or the habit of the saving are keys to opening the door to their prosperity.\u000AIn the process of interviews the existence of several companies that generate resources for themselves and for others was observed. Half of entrepreneurs affirmed that they had initiated their company after starting to go the church, whereas the other half already had the company on conversion. The economic advances include the religious element and the culture of work.156 The researcher learned about a travel agency, a construction firm, a paint distributorship, a dental clinic, and an accounting firm. The examples of entrepreneurs and Neo-Pentecostal professionals are also observed in circles of the Evangelical world including within indigenous families. These contribute in favour of promotion of the informal sector of the economy and the middle sized company in a context of restrictions and economic uncertainty.\u000AEducational level is another indicator that shows social mobility, achieved over a longer period of time. The GSNPL shows that all the NPL have a high degree of education.\u000A156 Freston does not believe that Pentecostalism will image this model in Latin-America. He affirms that any improvement of the economy is usually restricted to a modest advance for absolute poverty to the dignification of poverty with maybe significant change of social mobility in the next generation. See his article \u2018Religious Change and Economy Development in Latin America\u2019. Available at www.religionanddevolopment.nl Accessed 27.8. 07: 9-11).\u000A 339\u000A


































































































   350   351   352   353   354