The Ethics of Wealth and Religious Pluralism in Burkina Faso: How the Prosperity Gospel is Influencing the Current Religious Field in Africa
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- Book Section
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Title
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The Ethics of Wealth and Religious Pluralism in Burkina Faso: How the Prosperity Gospel is Influencing the Current Religious Field in Africa
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Abstract
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en
This chapter analyses the ethics of wealth and concepts of consumption within the pluralistic religious landscape of Burkina Faso. It demonstrates how Prosperity Gospel regulates religious differences or supports similarities across religious lines. After a brief look at the religious composition of contemporary Burkina Faso, particular attention is given to a comparative approach to three exemplary representations of Burkinabe Catholicism, Elam, and the Pentecostal movement. The empirical examples refer to Catholic convents, the Ahmadiyya movement and offshoots of the Assemblies of God in Burkina Faso. All three religious bodies have minority status, but they have an explicitly transnational character. The chapter outlines different dimensions of the ethics of wealth involved. Specific mention E made of the tension between asceticism and ostentation, the source and use of wealth, and its links to the use of mass media. The argument presented here E that the analysE of economic practices related to Prosperity Gospel provides an explanation for the recent Pentecostal dynamics. Yet, this perspective also promises a new theoretical approach regarding the link between religious pluralism, transnational religious movements and economic action in contemporary' African societies.
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Book Title
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"Pastures of Plenty": Tracing Religio-Scapes of Prosperity Gospel in Africa and Beyond
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Place of Publication
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Frankfurt
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Publisher
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Peter Lang Edition
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Date
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2015
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page start
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183
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page end
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202
Burkina Faso