Religiosity and Entrepreneurship Intentions among Pentecostal Christians

Abstract

Religion has been identified as an important determinant of economic behaviour because the event of enterprise creation is seen to be a consequence of the association between environmental conditions and the entrepreneurial behaviour of individuals determined by their socio-cultural background. Studies have examined how religious beliefs influence the entrepreneurial intention of the adherents, and to understand whether it is doctrine, practices, organisation or culture of religion that shapes this entrepreneurial propensity. This chapter examines the issue of religion-entrepreneurship link among the Pentecostal Christians in Nigeria and in Diaspora, by reviewing both theoretical and empirical literature. It looks at how Pentecostal theology has legitimised entrepreneurship and examines the mechanism through which is imparting entrepreneurial values and affecting patterns of thinking of the adherents. The chapter provides overview of what make them display psychological traits and attitudes consistent with entrepreneurship as a result of success-oriented theologies.