Evangelizing Neoliberalism through Megachurches in Latin America and the United States

<p>The most prominent and influential feature of worldwide Evangelicalism, is the megachurch. In Latin America megachurches have proliferated and grown in political influence when they first came into contact with neoliberalism during Pinochet's dictatorship in Chile. As Latin America's poor first migrated out of rural areas into Latin American cities, then north, to the United States, they have brought with them their religion. Increasingly, this religion is Protestant, evangelical, and for many, it is Pentecostalism. Misunderstood by the early literature on Pentecostalism, is the strain of neoliberalism that has become infused in the religion's most powerful institution - the megachurch. My thesis begins by re-examine the early literature of Latin American Pentecostals in Chile, and trace the changes in the religion that were missed. Then a case study of Puerto Rico is presented, in order to lay bare how megachurches changed in the 1990s. Lastly, as Latino migration increases into the United States, the current political climate will provide the backdrop for how American megachurches have themselves changed, and are being influenced by Latinos. The lessons that Latin America can teach us about the connection between neoliberalism and religion, we, in the United States, are only now just beginning to appreciate.</p>

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Arts (M.A.)

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Year dc:date.available

2018

Author dc:creator

• Collazo, William O

Contributors dc:contributor

• Martin Woessner
• Marlene Clark

• Pentecostalism
• neoliberalism
• megachurch
• Puerto Rico
• Chile and Pinochet
• American-Latinos
• American Politics
• History of Religion
• Latin American History
• Latin American Studies
• Latina/o Studies
• Other American Studies
• Other Political Science
• Political History
• Race and Ethnicity

Repository record dc:identifier

https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/732

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:academicworks.cuny.edu:cc_etds_theses-1779