Posted on 06/17/2006 10:30:16 AM PDT by xzins
Protestant rally draws 3 million in Brazil
By ALAN CLENDENNING ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER
Thousands of Christians gather during the Jesus March in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Corpus Christi day, Thursday, June 15, 2006. (AP Photo/Andre Penner) SAO PAULO, Brazil -- About 3 million evangelical Protestants staged a huge rally Thursday in the heart of Brazil's biggest city, demonstrating their growing influence in the world's largest Roman Catholic country.
Crowding next to sound trucks blasting religious music, marchers wore T-shirts in the green and yellow colors of Brazil's flag advertising their annual "March for Jesus."
The hymn-singing evangelicals walked to skyscraper-lined Agenda Palest, Brazil's version of Wall Street, then gathered around a stage to hear bands play.
Sao Paulo police estimated the crowd swelled to 3 million, double last year's estimate.
The march is held each year on the same day the Catholic Church celebrates the Corpus Christi holiday, which is not observed by evangelical Protestants but is a national holiday in Brazil.
But the march may not be such a high-profile event next year. Sao Paulo Mayor Gilbert Cassaba announced it won't be held on Agenda Palest next year because of complaints from merchants and residents that it is too big, too loud and hurts commerce, according to the Web site of Flora de S. Paulo, Brazil's largest newspaper.
Evangelical churches like Reborn in Christ and the Universal Kingdom of God have seen their Brazilian flocks grow rapidly in recent decades, with millions in the country of more than 180 million attracted by their dynamic services and promises that divine intervention will improve their lives despite grinding poverty affecting tens of millions.
From 1991 to 2000, the number of Brazil evangelicals grew annually by 8 percent, while the number of Catholics grew by 0.3 percent.
Brazil was nearly 100 percent Roman Catholic a century ago, but the percentage dropped to 84 percent in 1995 and is 74 percent today.
... the weakness of Vatican II ...
Hmmmm.
That's a hit from the Chronicle. "Name It And Claim It" style televangelism is not big in South America. Most evangelical protestants in Brazil are the poorest of the poor, including major inroads in the street children.
My parents were part of a team that a regional Four Square Gospel organization invited for a visit about ten years ago. They wanted help in Church organization and ministry. Four Square was growing so rapidly in Central Brazil that there was a severe shortage of Spanish-Speaking Church people to help new pastors and church leaders.
My parents were hosted by a national congressman, so the protestant movement is not confined to the poor.
I have continuing contact with someone who is a senior lay-person in the Four Square international outreach, and she says that there is little or no conflict between churches, and that revival continues.
Perhaps. I wouldn't know, personally.
I see the Wiki article on the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God with 6 million members includes the Prosperity Doctrine at the end of the list of more common Christian doctrines they hold.
The strength of the Reformation!
And of those 74%, the overwhelming majority are not practicing, I'm sure the same numbers applied when they were close to 100%:
http://www.brazzil.com/content/view/8712/0
(2002 article)
There are 16 million Evangelicals in Brazil today, 10 percent of the population, meaning that the world's largest Catholic country has today the world's third largest Protestant contingent. In 1980 there were only 8 million members and they represented 6.7 percent of the population. And a recent study showed that while 75% of Brazilians still call themselves Catholic, a mere 13% go to mass and participate in the Church's life with assiduity. Among Protestants, two thirds are active in their religion.
"I am sure: from those who declare themselves Catholics, half of them accept only part of what Catholicism preaches," says priest Alberto Antoniazzi, director of the Theology Course at the Belo Horizonte (state of Minas Gerais) archdiocese.
uuhh yeah... the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God Edir Macedo... kind of "famous". here's a sample for you:
Purging of 'demons' nets millions
The Telegraph/January 14, 2001
By Jonathan Petre, Chris Hastings and Adam Lusher
The Christian fundamentalist church which offered to exorcise Anna Climbie days before she died has made tens of millions of pounds by offering to rid devotees of demons across the world.
The "deliverance" ceremonies are just one of a number of services provided by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God to adherents, who are expected to hand over 10 per cent of their income in cash or by credit card.
The movement promises panaceas for most afflictions, from curses, witchcraft and hauntings to anxiety, depression and alcohol addiction. On its website, it claims that Jacques Cousteau, the French underwater explorer, discovered the location of hell. Visitors are offered the opportunity to hear the "screams of hell" on a cassette tape, which is available for £1.99.
Such is its wealth that it was able to buy one of Britain's top rock venues, the Rainbow Theatre in Finsbury Park, north London, for £2.35 million in 1995, having failed to buy the Brixton Academy for £4 million. The church, a registered charity, yesterday issued a lengthy explanation of its role to its members, stressing that it had had little contact with Anna and her great- aunt Marie Therese Kouao, although the couple had made three visits.
In its newsletter, which will be issued at tonight's Evening of Miracles service, the head of the movement in Britain, Bishop Renato Cardoso, said that, on their third visit, one of the church's pastors had noticed that the child was very ill and in need of medical attention.
He said: "An assistant from Finsbury Park was sent to the hospital to continue to pray for her, but unfortunately, Anna died in hospital. An observer at the trial praised UCKG as one of the only organisations that took action to help the child."
Some of the evidence at the trial, however, sounded more like the film The Exorcist. One pastor from the church said that Anna was "possessed" and ran down the aisle during a service the week before her death, screaming "prayer doesn't help", apparently on the orders of her aunt.
The Protestant evangelical movement was founded in Brazil in 1977 by Edir Macedo, a shop assistant, and rapidly spread to 85 other countries including Britain, where it claims to have 4,500 regular members.
It has attracted worldwide controversy and its founder has been investigated for alleged tax fraud and links with the cocaine industry. According to reports, the movement has 200,000 members, more than 2,000 churches and a daily income of more than £1 million.
The Prosperity Doctrine is obviously working for him. Isn't he a millionaire now?
Maybe he saved his pennies.
It's certainly been triumphant in its European homeland. Why look at the deep Christian faith of the people in the Netherlands, and in Great Britain, and in Scandinavia.
(If you can find any.)
Protestant today, atheist tomorrow.
Catholic Today. Idolator Today.
(Two can play that game).
Given the unchurched state of much of Latin America, where there never were more than one priest in 20,000 congregants, I'd be glad to hear if Orthodox, (real) Anglicans, Lutherans, or Baptists were making converts. An active Protestant Christian is better than an unchurched "Catholic." But given a wacky name like "Universal Kingdom of Christ," is it any more than a cult? Are these "slash-and-burn" churches, preying on poverty and attacking incumbent faith, or are these real Christian churches? From what I hear of what goes on in some Latin American countries, I think even Protestants could mourn what is going on among so-called Christian churches.
Lastly: They're holding a procession called "Jesus Walk" through the heart of a giant city on a Catholic feast day, known for a procession, called "Body of Christ." Is the reporter so sure the crowd is all that Protestant?
>> Four Square was growing so rapidly in Central Brazil that there was a severe shortage of Spanish-Speaking Church people to help new pastors and church leaders. <<
I think I might have spotted the problem:
>> Spanish-Speaking Church people <<
THey don't speak Spanish in Brazil.
(It's Latin America, they speak Latin ;^D... no, Portuguese.)
Whatever, chief. They were short of people who knew how to run churches.
Divine intervention WILL improve their lives despite grinding poverty.
Also:
Despite imprisonment
Despite illness
Despite riches
Despite fame
Despite despair
Despite isolation
Despite etc.
Very nice, I would hope that the great majority of Protestants in Brazil hear that kind of message as opposed to Mr. Macedo's.
I know that the message of Jesus is a message where the blind receive sight, that prisoners are freed, and that good news is preached to the poor.
As far as Brazil is concerned, I actually know very little.
My sister-in-law (new), however, is a recently naturalized American, formerly Brazilian.
I will ask her.
She is not a very religious person, Catholic or Protestant. Perhaps she'll have no insight at all, not being a participant.
Perhaps that'll be a wonderful vantage point. I'll let you know.
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