| In their operating on the religious market, what are the culture politics followed by the Assemblies of God and the Catholic church and how are these connected with the conversion careers of their members in a poor neighborhood of Managua? Subquestions: How do the Assemblies of God and the Catholic church position themselves strategically in the general cultural environment? How do neuw converts experience abandoning their old world-view, their transition to a Pentecostal of Catholic praxis, and their socialization in it? In what way are the churches' culture politics connected with their recruitment methods and thereby their expansion? How are demand ans dupply sides of the religious market related with each other and with the cultural environment? In which way are change and continuity combined in Pentecostal culture poliitcs and in conversion careers? How is gender situation connected with both the conversion career and culture politics in both churches? How does gender influence conversion careers and the adoption of Pentecostal or Catholic views regarding culture politics? One Assemblies of God congregation will be studied in -depth in a low-income neighborhood of Managua. Bu comparison, I shall also study how a particular Catholic group (e.g. Charismatic Renewal) deals with the local cultural environment and competes with the Assemblies of God. |
