In the 1990s, when Brazil was experiencing "trade opening", terms that were already dear to "neo-liberal" ideals such as "competitiveness", "entrepreneurship", and "success" slowly seeped into Brazilian society’s imagination. Meanwhile, there was a sharp rise in membership in the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, which defends the "Theology of Prosperity". In this article I examine information gathered through an ethnographic survey of worshippers at a UCKG congregation in Rio de Janeiro in order to expand the understanding of the aspirations, dispositions, and experiences of these lower-income social actors who chose to embrace this religious faith in the 1990s.
autonomy; market; God; work