The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God in Brazil, which was only created in 1977, has more than 2m members today.
Selling prosperity theology to the poor attracts criticism from those who believe that the Universal Church exploits the credulity of the desperate.
He is the nephew of Edir Macedo, who runs the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a large network of Pentecostal churches.
From its foundation in 1977, the Universal Church has stressed that the faithful would be rewarded for sacrifices, usually of a financial kind.
Though the Universal Church provides a captive audience for its religious programming, Record has grown mainly by showing popular American shows and investing in its own telenovelas (soaps).
The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God was founded in Brazil in 1977 and has since expanded to more than 100 countries around the globe, according to its website.
Its members include Fernando Collor, a former president who resigned in 1992 while facing impeachment for corruption, and Marcelo Crivella, a bishop in the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God, a Pentecostal outfit.
The deadly crush at the gates of the Cidadela Desportiva stadium, in Angola's capital, Luanda, came Monday evening as tens of thousands of people flocked to an event staged by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God.
Up popped The Universal Life Church.
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You see, the Catholic church simply must take a universal view, while still ministering quietly to people on a local level.
It means universal, and nationalists see it as an alleged attempt by the Orthodox Church to claim independent authority.
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