From the valley of tears to the valley of Jauja: the redemptionist promisses of neopentecostalism in this world

Abstract

In Chile, sociology of the protestant religion is always talking about the protestant and pentecostalism; it has not yet been written about the “neopentecostal” phenomenon in this country, as the neighbor countries -Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, Argentina, etc- have done. The “neopentecostalism” has meant a redefinition of the religious discourse: in its contents, rites and the use of mass media; in relation to the political, social, economics and cultural phenomenon that our country has lived since the last part of the XXth century. Among the most visible changes we find an emphasis on a theodicy of happiness, and the use of technology. This has meant to transform the worship spaces into “electronic worship or cyberworship” with a theatrical focus, dramaturgic sceneries and social movement, transforming itself into a religion of techniques and images, inserting the contents of their religious offer within the cultural industry, and merchandizing the sacred music in a wide internal market. Thus, with a strong impact on religious locations, and in the meaning of the body, the social movement and the emotions.