May 27, 2005

Protestants Rally in Brazil...A Good Sign?

This morning a USA Today headline caught my eye. 1.5 Million Protestants rally in Brazil. Doubtless many will see this as encouraging, and comment on how much progress the Gospel is making in Brazil. Some would even say (as has been suggested to me on previous occasions) that there is little need for further missionary work in Brazil.

While I will not argue that the Gospel is indeed making tremendous progress there, a close reading of the article will reveal that the progress is mixed with much spiritual confusion, and that there is still quite a bit of work left to be done.

The article, along with my comments, appears below.

USATODAY.com - 1.5 million Protestants rally in Brazil

At least 1.5 million evangelical Protestants rallied in the heart of this city's financial district Thursday, demonstrating their growing clout in the world's largest Roman Catholic country.

Notice that, with all the Protestants that were in attendance, Brazil is still the world's largest Roman Catholic country.

Brazil's 13th "March for Jesus" began Thursday morning as hundreds of thousands of faithful from several evangelical sects walked more than 1 mile from the University of Sao Paulo's School of Medicine to skyscraper-lined Avenida Paulista.

The number hymn-singing marchers swelled and by the time they reached Avenida Paulista the crowd had grown to 2 million, according to the Reborn in Christ Church that organized the event. Sao Paulo's police department placed the number at 1.5 million.

I am going to hazzard a guess here and say that this spontaneous swelling of the crowd was due--in a large part--to curiosity mixed with the Brazilian propensity to join any party that happens to come their way. Thus the crowd most likely included many Roman Catholics, spiritists, and representatives of any number of non-evangelical religions.

The financial district was packed with sound trucks blaring catchy religious tunes and wave after wave of people with colorful T-shirts, banners and headbands proclaiming their love for Jesus Christ.

Nothing wrong with proclaiming our love for Jesus Christ. However, a Roman Catholic can claim to do that, as well as Mormons and JWs. Would that someone had proclaimed salvation through repentance of sin and faith in Jesus Christ.

"The purpose of this march, and of all the other ones we have organized over the years, is to conquer Brazil for Jesus Christ," said Camila Nascimento, a spokeswoman for the Reborn in Christ Church.

"We came to praise the Lord Jesus," said Ruben Gouveia as he headed toward the huge elevated stage spanning the avenue where preachers preached and gospel singers sang. "The nation's soul is sick and can only be saved if all of Brazil discovers Jesus Christ."

I will agree with him there. I must strongly disagree, however, with the notion that the way to do it is have a party in Jesus' name, and hope all Brazil comes.

Evangelical churches like Reborn in Christ and the Universal Kingdom of God have grown rapidly in recent decades in this predominantly Roman Catholic country.

Millions of Brazilians have been attracted by the dynamic services of evangelical churches and the promises from some of them that divine intervention will improve lives.

And here, ladies and gentlemen, is the crux of the matter. The two denominations they mention are "Reborn in Christ" (Renascer em Cristo) and "Universal (Church of the) Kingdom of God (Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus). These two groups (especially the latter one) are the chief culprits in what has become a blatantly commercial evangelism in Brazil. They are in it for the money, and everybody knows it.

They are also the chief proponents of the Gospel of Prosperity. Their message is "come to Christ and He will improve your life", not "come to Christ for forgiveness of sins".

In Brazil we face many obstacles because of Roman Catholicism. Some of the greatest hindrances to the Gospel in Brazil, however, come from groups that call themselves evangelical.

Posted by Andrew on May 27, 2005 4:49 PM.