The Pentecostal oracle: the role of women in Pentecostalism

This work presents some of the disputes that exist in the Pentecostal field. Disputes lodged in the actions of men and women and their specific roles governed by the male/female binarism found in the ideology of gender within the Pentecostal Assemblies power structure have as a central point of analysis, the conflicting relationships between male pastoral leaders and women not ordained to the priesthood who use magical practices to offer services/solutions in the midst of the churches. These women become a threat to the hierarchical order of the congregation where they belong. It should be emphasised that a large proportion of the Assembly’s faithful are women, but few of them claim the right to the priesthood, opposing the patriarchal leadership. In order to describe the roles of these women, we have used the creation of ideal types. First of all, we can mention that male dominance over the privilege of leadership within the Assemblies of God is legitimised by the beliefs, not only of men, but also of women, in patriarchal biblical passages. Pentecostal habits are the main controllers of female behaviour in the Assemblies of God churches.