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Inside the evangelical scene, the fall of Caio Fábio, an alternative pastor with a no-non-sense message, also frustrated the hopes of many. Unfortunately the word “evangélico” is associated by many with problems of conduct. That is ironic, since the evangelization method emphasized the most by Brazilian evangelicals is witnessing through moral conduct. That is, not to dance, not to smoke, not going to parties, not having sex before marriage would be instruments of evangelization, showing a “life of holiness” and good conduct, a life separated from the world that would attract the non-believers. However, they shoot their own foot when the population watches the indulgences of the Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[7]<!--[endif]-->, the hidden dollars inside the Bible by Sônia and Estevam Hernandes<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[8]<!--[endif]-->, the “flatworm” scandal<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[9]<!--[endif]--> which involved many evangelical politicians, or the congressman/pastor Mário de Oliveira apparently planning to kill his fellow congressman/pastor Carlos Willian. Instead of seeing evangelicals as examples, the population more and more sees them as hypocrites or charlatans. Among evangelicals a nameless and organic discontent is widespread. For instance, many people I know suggest that because of the wearing out of the “evangelical” image they want to label themselves “Christians” henceforth. They do not necessarily say they will change their beliefs, but that they would like to have another label. The social networking site Orkut<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[10]<!--[endif]--> features communities with names such as “I’m a Christian despite the church”. The musician João Alexandre expresses an incompatibility and frustration shared by many others in his song “É Proibido Pensar”<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[11]<!--[endif]--> in the CD of the same name. As he says, “he can’t fit in this scheme“, referring to the evangelical system. Globalization and the Internet can be seen as catalytic agents of change. In a way they make the world smaller, facilitating the contact among people and new types of relationship. Internet, in turn, is seen by some as an element of abrupt social change, of similar proportions to the transition from oral to written traditions. People create new identities in a digital dimension, and the concept of “community”, therefore, changes along. Considering these factors, different groups, such as the Wikiklesia project<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[12]<!--[endif]-->, try to understand the consequences of the digital age for the concept of “church”. In Brazil, the Cristianismo wiki<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[13]<!--[endif]--> is an encyclopedia that, as a wiki, fosters the collective participation of all in its definitions. While ideas of virtual churches and “virtual reality” tend to be categorized as strange to many, the fact of the matter is that emails, SMSs, chats, blogs, social network sites and forums changed the way people communicate and relate.
By “more communal culture” I mean that in general, in comparison with countries of the northern hemisphere, Brazil has a less individualistic culture. I wouldn’t be able to tell if a collective survival instinct amidst hardship gave rise this cooperative spirit or if the thing just doesn’t have much explanation. While in Brazil a woman will still knock on her neighbour’s door to borrow some sugar, many people in the suburbs of the United States still prefer to isolate, often ignoring the name of their neighbours. While the Brazilian fellow will suddenly appear in his friend’s home with no notice and still share a meal, the (English) Canadian fellow will call his friend one week in advance to schedule a visit. However, the fact is that emerging churches in the northern hemisphere “lead as a body” by consciously seeking everyone’s participation and by rethinking leadership. The idea for the emerging conversation in Brazil is to leverage this inherent communal and cooperative spirit in the conception of communities that emphasize relationships. Under this topic two challenges arise. Existing forms of leadership tend to put the pastor figure on the spot. And violence tears the trust among people, slowly isolating them more and more.
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