Heaven's Gates and Hell's Flames A Sociological Study of New Christian Movements in Contemporary Goa

The book is an ethnographic study of Christian groups in contemporary Goan society that come under the umbrella of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity. Most studies on Pentecostalism in India are from a theological perspective. This work is an attempt to fill this gap and provides a sociological understanding of religion in a modern globalised context. It is an attempt to understand the rapidly expanding and overtly evangelistic movement of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity in pluralist, non-Christian societies, both as a social process and as an embodied everyday practice. It is specifically an ethnographic exploration, into the religious journey of a neophyte from one's conversion and initiation into the new movement to his/her religious life, worship patterns, worldview, and life-cycle rituals till his/her death. This book is an important contribution to the growing field of 'new religious movements' in India, characterised by their distinct modes of interaction with mainstream religious establishments and their specific religious identities, beliefs, rites and rituals.