[2] Vingren and Berg avoided emphasizing social mobility or formal education because of their experiences of cultural marginalization in Sweden, which led to the development of national leadership within the Assemblies of God.
This remains the largest Pentecostal church in the state of São Paulo, partially because it spread rapidly among the Italian population and was then assimilated into the larger culture.
It differed from the first wave in its emphasis on healing as a gift of the Holy Spirit and its use of mass media to reach even greater parts of the Brazilian populace.
[2] A former actor named Harold Williams helped start a Brazilian extension of Aimee Semple McPherson's L.A.-based Foursquare Gospel church in 1954.
Manoel de Mello began as a preacher in the National Evangelization Crusade, but quickly left it to form his own church after accusations of charlatanism.
The BPC quickly became a staple in São Paulo religious life, even getting involved in politics (which most Pentecostal churches at that time left alone).
For many reasons, the church has faced heavy public criticism, but one incident involved a bishop kicking the likeness of a popular saint.
It emphasizes spiritual warfare, in direct opposition to popular folk religions in Brazil like umbanda and candomble, which have their roots in Afro-Brazilian traditions and involve communing with spirits.
Modern Pentecostal churches in Brazil also emphasize healing and driving out of demons versus the traditional mark of the gifts of the spirit, glossolalia.
This is not, however, because they do not care about society, but rather because the churches provide immediate answers to problems found in the everyday lives of poor people, which leads to greater citizenship even if it not explicitly stated.