Portal de Periódicos da CAPES

From Inception to Present

2015; Brill; Volume: 37; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1163/15700747-03701026

1570-0747

Rubia R. Valente,

Religion and Society in Latin America

This article provides the first historical analysis of the role of women in the Congregação Cristã no Brasil , the oldest pentecostal church in Brazil and the largest in the state of São Paulo. Drawing on qualitative data, this study also explores the diverse views of church members and their attitudes in regard to the current status of women in the church. Although not long ago women were allowed to preach in the church and to hold ministerial positions such as cooperators, youth cooperators, deaconesses, musicians, music directors, and Bible school directors, in recent decades the role of women has quickly diminished. In addition to providing empirical data on this denominational group, the article engages the wider debate about the role of women in the pentecostal religious context.