Evangelical Protestantism in France: An Example of Denominational Recomposition?

In describing Christianity in France, history and sociology have had lasting difficulties escaping from the "sect-church" dichotomy. The heavy dominance of Catholicism is one possible explanation. In contrast to the American situation, which may be characterized by a competitive religious market in which religions are structured in various "denominations ," the French religious economy seems to be defined as a religiously dry and very secularized context. Today, with the decline of churches, the dominant trend would be the disintegration of religion, instead of its revitalization. This process is said to take two forms: "religious bricolage" or narrow sectarian belonging. The experience of French evangelical Protestantism, however, invites us to question this interpretative scheme. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]