ABSTRACT
Fundamentalist churches have become central to the lives of many millions of people because they successfully combine various parts of the evangelical/Pentecostal/charismatic Christian heritage. They offer community and a sense of order, psychically for the individual and socially on the grass-roots level of the congregation. Because their appeal is highly personalized, yet collectively powerful, their influence cannot be reduced to economic developments or political orientations favored by North American businessmen or missionaries. This religious tradition helps people exercise control in a seemingly uncontrollable world through strict standards of “right living.” Incomprehensible cycles of poverty and violence are made comprehensible through an all-encompassing theology and by the personal authority of the pastor. And, access to an everyday miracle religion empowers people; it gives them hope of negotiating the insurmountable obstacles of an unknown future.
