A collective prayer, a candle passed from hand to hand, a song to praise God and his work… The astounding description with which the article by The New York Times – and our cover story – is not of a mass, but of a conservative political rally in Phoenix, Arizona. A meeting like there are more and more of in the United States, which cheerfully mixes religion and political commitment. These very inspired gatherings are led by evangelical churches. Christian movements which now have 600 to 665 million faithful in the world. Mainly in North America, South America and sub-Saharan Africa. But it is in the United States and Brazil that they increasingly dominate the spiritual and political life of citizens, with 92 million and 51 million respectively. And it is in these two countries that the two reports that we have chosen to highlight in our file of the week take place.
Their common points? The first: they show the power of persuasion of these churches. In these two countries, evangelicals convert quickly and strongly. The second: they describe their political commitment. In the United States, they support the ultra-conservative right personified by Donald Trump, “one and only true president of the United States” ; in Brazil, the actions of the current president, Jair Bolsonaro. Displayed, claimed, sacred support! “At many political events taking place throughout the country, it is not uncommon for participants to say that they have met God and feel invested with a mission: to establish the kingdom of God on earth. For them, political activism is sacred,” reveal it New York Times, which further states: “Conservative Christians are increasingly convinced that the United States is going to experience a true renaissance, where spiritual and political changes will go hand in hand.”
In Brazil, it is a whole city that evangelicals have given themselves the mission of converting… to Bolsonaro. Guaribas, a town in the south of the state of Piauí, where Lula’s Workers’ Party had its best score in 2018, has been invaded by several hyperactive pastors who claim that “the president is a good person and he only wants the good”. A campaign that, it seems, is bearing fruit, indicates the site The Intercept Brasil, which devotes a long investigation to this phenomenon. And again, the values are on the far right: “The great Brazilian Evangelical Churches, influenced by neo-Pentecostal ethics, nurture convictions in affinity with neoliberalism, conservatism and authoritarianism”, indicates tointercept Brazil sociologist Matheus Alexandre.
These very right-wing positions are far from unanimous, including among the faithful. In the USA, “the evangelical Church is torn apart”, titled The Atlantic in October. Quoted by New York Times, sociologist Michael O. Emerson describes “an earthquake”. Evangelical churches are “dividing into two camps, summarizes the newspaper, those who adopt a line and a style close to Trump, giving in to conspiracy, and those who seek to take another path. In many churches, clashes erupt between the religious leaders in place and the faithful.” It prevents. These movements, which are recruiting more and more followers in the United States, Brazil and all over the world, are contributing to the radicalization of political life.
Obviously, these Churches are not the only ones to want to approach power and to want to influence it. In Europe, the various Orthodox Churches have nothing to envy them, they who play complex games of influence. In West Africa, Morocco is deploying its soft power religious, in direct competition with Iran. In the Middle East, it is also Turkey that advances its spiritual and political influence… This religious influence on politics, which is accelerating and intensifying on a global scale, as the foreign press shows us, was the starting point of this dossier. But in view of the richness and plurality of examples, we finally decided, after intense debates, to make a series. A series of which this dossier is the first part.
Good reading !