I believe it was last Monday when we briefly got the chance to list some of the 15 functions Herbert J. Gans describes in “The Positive Functions of Poverty”.  He explains how the poor perform these 15 distinct functions for American society . He states the idea that poverty is good in it’s existence because it provides employment for a number of people and other things such as explaining that the poor are used intentionally for medical purposes, trials and tests with new medicines in particular. These were examples shared in class. In his third point he described how certain groups or things they poor do flourish because of the poor themselves. On this list are heroin, cheap liquor, prostitutes and  what i found interesting, Pentecostal Ministers.

I thought to myself what that could mean. I began to reflect on my personal views and conceptions of the Pentecostal church along with my past experiences and I came to several thoughts or inquiries. In my mind, the reason that Pentecostal ministers were intentionally placed on a list of groups that benefit and prosper from the poor would be because of the concept of repentance and forgiveness. Also if the Pentecostal mister conveys the concept that their God is one who will bless, it adds to what they can preach at whoever whenever. I believe ministers use this in their preaching and messages directed towards people who are not in the best of circumstances and Hod is seen as the only answer, as they preach, in getting ones life together.  They speak of a repentance and how one can be forgiven for the situation they are in, which they may interpret as the result of a ungodly life in sin.