How Evangelical Christianity Fuelled the Radical Right In Brazil | Interview with Petra Costa

Quick Overview

Evangelical Christianity significantly fueled the radical right in Brazil, proving crucial for Jair Bolsonaro's election, with 70% of evangelicals voting for him in 2022. This alliance stems from a premillennialist theology that seeks to accelerate chaos for Jesus's return, combined with the evangelical church's rapid growth due to its decentralized structure, prosperity theology, and role in providing social services and political formation in unequal urban areas.

Key Points: Evangelical support was crucial for Jair Bolsonaro's election, with 70% of evangelicals voting for him in 2022, the highest percentage among any socio-political segment. The alliance between evangelical Christianity and the radical right is partly driven by a premillennialist theology, where some fundamentalists believe accelerating chaos brings Jesus's return faster; one pastor explicitly stated he voted for Bolsonaro because "Bosanaru is bringing chaos... that's good because the faster things get into the apocalypse, the faster Jesus will return." The evangelical church's rapid growth in Brazil, from 5% to over 30% of the population in 40 years, is attributed to its less hierarchical structure allowing quick church openings, the appeal of prosperity theology, and its role in providing social services and community in rapidly urbanizing, unequal areas. Evangelical pastors actively engage in political formation and personal coaching, telling young people they will be "judges, the Supreme Court justices, the presidents of tomorrow," filling a void left by diminished progressive grassroots movements. Protecting democracy in Brazil and globally requires a clear understanding that the separation of church and state is under attack, necessitating urgent mechanisms to control religious leaders' influence in political campaigns. Despite the strong alignment, millions of evangelical followers are unhappy with their leaders' political sermons, and progressive evangelical pastors face persecution, such as one pastor expelled for not voting for Bolsonaro. The Brazilian courts, initially seen as malign in "The Edge of Democracy" due to the "Car Wash" operation and judicial coup, underwent self-criticism after leaks exposed Judge Moro's conspiracy to imprison Lula, leading them to play a more positive role in limiting Bolsonaro's power.