Some effects of the secularization of the State, of pluralism, and of religious market on Pentecostal churches

Abstract

This article examines some effects of the secularization of the Brazilian state and of the consolidation of religious markets and pluralism on the field of Pentecostalism. Prominent among these effects are administrative centralization and the concentration of power, professionalization of clerical orders, deployment of business management models, marketing strategies and goals for productivity, and magico-religious services that accommodate the ideal and material interests of church members and potential adherents. Keywords: Secularization; Religious pluralism; Religious market; Pentecostalism; Church