I think the media has misrepresented what it means to be evangelical in Brazil. There are many evangelicals in Brazil, and some say that we are almost 35% to 40% of the Brazilian population, but many of these evangelicals are neopentecoscal churches. which are churches that preach the theology of prosperity, so the media and the whole world believe that to be evangelical is to ask for money, to offer health and healing in exchange for offerings and other spiritual sacrifices, so they see us, even historic churches like the Presbyterian Church. It’s very complicated.
When you start preaching and say to a person, “Do you need to repent and become a Christian?” he immediately thinks you’re looking for his money, as some churches do. I think it’s a big obstacle we have to face. First, we have to do a basic job of telling this person, “You see, there’s a big difference between churches asking for money on television and historical biblical Christian churches. “So we have to start like this.
- Another obstacle would be in the church itself.
- The church in Brazil is still very recent.
- We are not even 200 years old.
- So we are still trying to find our way to be a church.
- We follow the pattern of the missionaries who brought the gospel to Brazil.
- But then it was long clear that we had to adapt and make changes.
- And it is not always easy.
- Some people don’t want to change and say.
- “We’ve been doing this for fifty.
- Sixty years.
- “culture is progressing.
- And in this context the Church must be relevant and speak in a way that our culture can understand.
It is difficult to change people and understand that by doing this we are not committing the gospel, because the central truths of the gospel are there, and they are untouchable, we will not touch them, but the way they are presented can be modified and adapted to the new times we currently live in Brazil.
I believe that these are the two great obstacles that we must face for the Gospel, and in particular the reformed faith, to move forward and progress in Brazil.