Religious socialization and benevolence: a study among American Pentecostals

This study explores benevolent action among Pentecostals in the USA using a congregational questionnaire survey of worshippers among the Church of God (Cleveland, TN) (N = 1522). The influence of religiosity and the socialization of a perceived relationship of love with God (Godly Love) are explored, while controlling for background variables. The findings suggest that Pentecostal spirituality expressed in terms of charismatic experience is a predictor of benevolence, alongside the socialization factor of Christian media, and to a limited extent the factors of reference group, significant other and personal agency.