"¿Por qué hay tantos teleapóstoles en Guatemala? Me conformo con presentar siete líneas de investigación que nos ayudarán a responder esta pregunta. Para responder adecuadamente, también habría que contrastar la experiencia guatemalteca con otras experiencias latinoamericanas, especialmente ... la brasileira. more

"This article will describe the impact of North American religious television in two very different Latin American contexts: Guatemala in Central America and Brazil in South America. From these common North American roots, Guatemala and Brazil provide contrasting case studies of how religious entrep ... reneurs struggle to place their messages in the media marketplace. Guatemala provides a study in marginality: despite having built impressive religious institutions, Guatemala’s Pentecostal television preachers have had little success in getting their message before the general populace on commercial television. Guatemala’s highly fragmented social and ecclesial climate has led to fierce competition for the loyalty of the faithful between religious entrepreneurs who have only limited impact in the larger society. Brazil, on the other hand, provides examples of Pentecostal preachers who have built successful religious franchises that have accumulated sufficient resources to finance major incursions into the commercial media. The concluding section will explore how symbolic goods are marketed in today’s global religious supermarket." (Introduction, page 49) more