Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian Network

The phenomenon conceptualized in this paper as political pentecostalism is described as a post-confessional Christian network of religious leaders and megachurches that has transformed the political scene on a global scale in the last decades. This new development represents a point of inflection in...

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Main Author: Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Religions
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/63
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author Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana
author_facet Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana
author_sort Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana
collection DOAJ
description The phenomenon conceptualized in this paper as political pentecostalism is described as a post-confessional Christian network of religious leaders and megachurches that has transformed the political scene on a global scale in the last decades. This new development represents a point of inflection in many respects within the trajectory of modern societies, particularly in the Global South, and adds new challenges to the already vexed relation between religion and civil society. Methodologically, this paper sets out to systematize the results of extensive ethnological studies about this phenomenon with the aim of reconstructing its genealogy, capturing its distinctive phenomenological traits, and distilling its central theological tenets. Defining the latter along the lines of spiritual warfare, dominion theology, and over-realized eschatology constitutes the condition for establishing as well as engaging its underlying political theology, which will be appraised in the last section. The criticism leveled there with the aid of the concepts of katechon, sovereignty, and common good is indicative of the necessity of a broader theological debate, given the multiple inconsistencies contained in its political theology, while being aware of the challenges that they pose to Christian theology as a whole.
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spelling doaj-art-ba0e7f3e2157415594aa97994f1de77a2025-01-24T13:47:29ZengMDPI AGReligions2077-14442025-01-011616310.3390/rel16010063Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian NetworkLeandro Luis Bedin Fontana0Institut für Weltkirche und Mission, Philosophisch-Theologische Hochschule Sankt Georgen, 60599 Frankfurt, GermanyThe phenomenon conceptualized in this paper as political pentecostalism is described as a post-confessional Christian network of religious leaders and megachurches that has transformed the political scene on a global scale in the last decades. This new development represents a point of inflection in many respects within the trajectory of modern societies, particularly in the Global South, and adds new challenges to the already vexed relation between religion and civil society. Methodologically, this paper sets out to systematize the results of extensive ethnological studies about this phenomenon with the aim of reconstructing its genealogy, capturing its distinctive phenomenological traits, and distilling its central theological tenets. Defining the latter along the lines of spiritual warfare, dominion theology, and over-realized eschatology constitutes the condition for establishing as well as engaging its underlying political theology, which will be appraised in the last section. The criticism leveled there with the aid of the concepts of katechon, sovereignty, and common good is indicative of the necessity of a broader theological debate, given the multiple inconsistencies contained in its political theology, while being aware of the challenges that they pose to Christian theology as a whole.https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/63pentecostalismpolitical pentecostalismpolitical theologydominion theologythe politicalsovereignty
spellingShingle Leandro Luis Bedin Fontana
Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian Network
Religions
pentecostalism
political pentecostalism
political theology
dominion theology
the political
sovereignty
title Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian Network
title_full Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian Network
title_fullStr Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian Network
title_full_unstemmed Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian Network
title_short Engaging Political Pentecostalism: A Probe into the Political Theology of a Post-Confessional Christian Network
title_sort engaging political pentecostalism a probe into the political theology of a post confessional christian network
topic pentecostalism
political pentecostalism
political theology
dominion theology
the political
sovereignty
url https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/1/63
work_keys_str_mv AT leandroluisbedinfontana engagingpoliticalpentecostalismaprobeintothepoliticaltheologyofapostconfessionalchristiannetwork