Many African Independent Churches emerged during the colonial era in central Kenya and western Nigeria. At times they were opposed by government officials and missionaries. Most scholars have limited the field of enquiry to the flash-points of this encounter, thereby emphasizing the relationship at its most severe. This study questions current assumptions about the encounter which have derived from these studies, arguing that both government and missionary officials in Kenya and Nigeria exhibited a broader range of perspectives and responses to African Independent Churches. To characterize them as mainly hostile to African Independent Churches is inaccurate. This study also explores the various encounters between African Independent Churches and African politicians, clergymen, and local citizens. While some scholars have discussed the positive role of Africans in encouraging the growth of independent Christianity, this study will discuss the history in greater depth and complexity. The investigation will show the importance of understanding the encounter on both a local and national level, and the relationships between the two. It is taken for granted that European officials had authority over African leaders, but in regard to this topic many Africans possessed a largely unrecognized ability to influence and shape European perceptions of new religious movements. Finally, this thesis will discuss how African Independent Churches sometimes provoked negative responses from others through confrontational missionary methods, caustic rhetoric, intimidation and even violence. These three themes resurface throughout the history of the encounter and illustrate how current assumptions can be reinterpreted. This thesis suggests the necessity of expanding the primary scholarly focuses, as well as altering the language and basic assumptions of the previous histories of the encounter.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-03T12:19:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Marcelo Janikian.pdf: 422012 bytes, checksum: c0fc69b4ed7d54164ed653dd2a4c9df2 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2006-02-22 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The present work aims at analyzing the use of marketing techniques by neopentecostal churches, which appeared in the brazilian religious scene between the decades of 1970 and 1980. By using marketing techniques, these churches try to expand their area of influence in the religious field, causing a great competition among the various christian and non-christian churches. Among the neopentecostal churches that appeared in Brazil in that period, we discuss the case of the Renascer em Cristo Apostolic Church, founded in 1986, which head office is located in the City of São Paulo. This particular church was chosen as the object of this project because it contains several elements in its religious practice that allow us to affirm that marketing and religion can perfectly coexist, without prejudice. Studying this religious institution, we found out that marketing has played and important role in the expansion and consolidation of this church in brazilian s religious scene. Estevam Hernandes Filho founder and leader of the Renascer em Cristo Apostolic Church has a great e xperience with marketing techniques, acquired in years of work, in several national and international companies, as a marketing professional. This experience has allowed him to use the same techniques in his current enterprise. As a result, the Renascer em Cristo Apostolic Church posses, until the present, an empire that includes approximately 1,300 temples all around Brazil, radio stations, a TV station, a publishing house, a record studio and the Renascer Foudation, which centralizes all administrative activities of the Church. / Este trabalho tem por objetivo analisar o uso do marketing pelas igrejas neopentecostais, que surgiram no cenário religioso brasileiro entre as décadas de 70 e 80. A utilização do marketing por tais igrejas tem em vista conquistar espaços cada vez maiores dentro do campo religioso, ocasionando uma acirrada concorrência entre as várias denominações cristãs e outros credos religiosos. Entre as igrejas neopentecostais, que surgiram neste período, destacamos a Igreja Apostólica Renascer em Cristo, fundada no ano de 1986, cuja sede se encontra na cidade de São Paulo. A Igreja Renascer foi escolhida para este trabalho por possuir vários elementos em suas práticas religiosas, que nos dão base para afirmarmos que marketing e religião podem interagir perfeitamente, sem qualquer tipo de preconceito. No estudo desta instituição religiosa constatamos que o marketing desempenha um papel importante em sua própria expansão e consolidação no campo religioso brasileiro. Estevam Hernandes Filho fundador e líder da Igreja Apostólica Renascer em Cristo - traz em seu currículo de executivo uma boa experiência em marketing, adquirida por meio de sua atuação em várias empresas, nacionais e multinacionais, como profissional de marketing, habilitando-o a utilizar esta mesma ferramenta em seu novo empreendimento. Dentro desse contexto, a Igreja Renascer em Cristo construiu, até o presente momento, um império que engloba aproximadamente 1.300 templos espalhados pelo Brasil, emissoras de rádio, TV, editora, gravadora e a Fundação Renascer, que centraliza todas as atividades administrativas da Igreja.