Resumo

Religion as an inducer of consumption habits has been the interest of several studies in the academic field. When analyzing the Brazilian religious context, the emergence of the neo-Pentecostal movement can be noted, which already exceeds 25 million believers in the country according to IBGE (2010). Neo-Pentecostalism distinguishes itself from the original due to its sui generis characteristics, like the massive adoption of the means of communication in the propagation of evangelistic message, the unrestricted acceptance of the principles of Prosperity Theology.

The study aims to understand how consumption driven by tithes, offerings, and challenges occurs in neo-Pentecostal celebrations to clarify this type of association present in the interconnection of faith and consumption in the neo-Pentecostal segment.

The literature review conducted in the article sought to address four main themes: (1) The Brazilian neo-Pentecostalism; (2) Prosperity theology – The theological ideology that sacralizes mercantile practices in the neo-Pentecostal context; (3) Tithes, offerings, and challenges – Brief contextualization of these elements in the neo-Pentecostal Scenario and (4) The financialization process of neo-Pentecostal faith.

This work followed the interpretivism research paradigm (Burrel & Morgan, 1979) and has a qualitative research approach (Denzin & Lincoln, 2006). Undertaken in two stages and carried out by one of the authors of this article, the present research involved data collection, which focused initially on observation and contained ethnographic characteristics. In the next phase, in-depth interviews were carried out. The French Discourse Analysis (FDA) was used to analyze and interpret the results.

In our analysis, ethos, pathos, and logos are intertwined. So, these elements appear arranged as follows: a) ethos encompasses the manifestation of traits, modes of behavior, character, body, and vocal dimension, b) logos constitutes the domain that carries and explains the essence of the pastor’s speech in the services; c) pathos encompasses the reactions and emotions of these speeches with the target audience to verify how these instances merge, contribute, and collaborate for the spectator’s experience and empathy.

Firstly, the Brazilian neo-Pentecostal successfully associates faith and money, grouping elements derived from the market and the capitalist system to the religious message and the liturgical artifacts of the services. Secondly, it is noted that the discourses propagated in these celebrations not only reinforce the neoliberal ideology of individual progress, entrepreneurial behavior, and the idea of prosperity. Finally, we understand that the service Nação dos 318 provides not only a moment for them to think about how to better plan strategies for their lives and businesses.

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