Sociología del pentecostalismo en Uruguay

This article will provide a review of the sociological and theological approaches to Pentecostalism and neo-Pentecostalism in Uruguay. First, a historical approach to Protestantism in Uruguay and the rise of Pentecostalism. Then we will reflect on “popular Protestantism” (Porzekanski, 2014), also known as neo-Pentecostalism. In a following section, a brief mention will be made of the theological approaches to Pentecostalism of renowned Uruguayan priests and pastors (such as the Catholic priest Julio César Elizaga and the pastor Emilio Castro), due to the relevance they have had at the Latin American level. The novel, original aspects and, why not, the shortcomings that some quantitative and qualitative approaches have had will be detailed in this way. Finally, we will discuss some elements of the discourse of the two main neo-Pentecostal churches in Uruguay, namely: the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and the Mission Life for the Nations Church. Starting from the thesis that Pentecostalisms are religions that emerged from the culture of poverty, we will try to unravel, based on religious beliefs and practices, the elements that determine that this religious option is attractive to the lower classes.