Leadership, proselytism and identity in the Jewish and Pentecostal fields in Argentina. Comparative analysis in Habad Lubavitch and Rey de Reyes.

ALGRANTI JOAQUIN; SETTON DAMIAN

Alternative Spirituality & Religion Review

Academic Publishing

Lugar: Wisconsin; Año: 2011 vol. 2 p. 185 - 214

1946-0538

In the social space of religions, minority groups frequently offer the possibility to study subjective conducts and institutional strategies that become more visible due to the subordinate position of those who execute them. This is the case for the proselytizing expansion carried out by some sectors of Judaism and of the Evangelical world in the predominantly Catholic cultural environment of Argentina. This paper analyzes the similarities and differences between the organization of Habad Lubavitch and the Neo-Pentecostal megachurch Rey de Reyes (King of Kings). It argues that the different modes of constructing authority in both institutions, which revolve around ?personal? and ?office? charisma, enable different ways to manage the proselytizing activity. Thus, the religious message is spread differently according to the degree of institutionalization of each organization. This article provides a comparative analysis and contributes to the field of Sociology of Religion with research grounded in qualitative techniques. The methodology used in this paper is an ethnographic case study of both communities, including in-depth interviews of lay and specialist members, field work at worship services and proselytizing activities, and the analysis of documents from the religious institutions.