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Emerging Church in the Brazilian Context |
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Por Gustavo K-fé Frederico
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27 de março de 2008 |
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Página 6 de 9
The Prosperity Theology arises in the historical context described above, mainly that of social problems which derive from bad income distribution. In it, the believer is predestined to earthly prosperity. It is emphasized by the Neopentecostals (and not the historical Pentecostals per say). I particularly think that the emerging churches should rather avoid the underlying assumptions of the Prosperity Gospel as a version of Gérson’s law<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[19]<!--[endif]-->. Behind the Prosperity Theology lies the idea that the individual must earn more money no matter what. In this idea the other is excluded. And because the person is predestined to luxury, frequently the ends justify the means. Here I see again the cultural context, in which the survival instinct says “when there’s a will there’s a way”. Digging deeper, trying to find the root of the problem we find the Brazilian jeitinho<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[20]<!--[endif]--> and misdemeanor. We begin to identify problems deeply rooted in the Brazilian culture. There would be many examples of the Brazilian jeitinho which are common practices: from the classical cut to the front of lines to reserving seats in theatres with purses to adding water to gas. My uncle explained to me one day one of his habits. In Brazil, parking permits for the handicapped are not regulated. He would often park in the handicapped slots in malls and limp his way out of the car to the entrance. Once inside the mall he would walk normally. One interesting thing is that even people that are not poor adopt Gérson’s law. The penetration of Neopentecostalism in the middle class is an example of that. Emerging communities are encouraged to promote justice and equality instead. They are called to discern necessity from greed. Instead of preaching the Prosperity Gospel, they should implement and demonstrate communitarian alternatives that provide better conditions for those who need it most. The division between the sacred and the secular is another key topic to be included in the emerging conversation. Frequently churches preach a “departure from the world”. This departure does not necessarily mean a process of sanctification, or the abstinence from sin, but the creation of an evangelical subculture that exists for itself in opposition to any other alternatives. The believer is taught to refuge himself/herself from the original culture, which is vilified. The believer then puts on the new clothes of the evangelical subculture. This way the matrix conceives believers alienated from culture, inside an artificial world speaking a meaningless language. In this point it is important for the emerging conversation to include the theme of the incarnation of Jesus, that is, the fact that God became man and embedded himself in a culture, entered our dimension, and related to people (it may come as a surprise to evangelicals, but John 3.16 says that God loved the world). Emergents remind us that “The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it;” (Psalms 24.1 NIV) Therefore, there is no division between sacred and secular, holy and profane. Our lives are not segmented, but a whole. Instead of monopolizing the concept and work of God, we are invited as church to identify the most varied places where God is already at work in furthering his Kingdom and we participate in this work. This is a key idea in the rescue of our own Brazilian identity and culture.
The search for the brazilianness follows from God’s mission (Missio Dei). This is a crucial point, since it speaks to the relevancy of the gospel in a certain culture<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[21]<!--[endif]-->. As the Son incarnated, so is the church also called to incarnate in the local culture. Thus, the emerging conversation has the opportunity to live the Gospel “in Portuguese”. In this topic I only have initial suggestions, with no presumption of being exhaustive. I suggest the inclusion of the subject in theological seminaries, denominational conventions, new books and national print media, so that there will be more healthy discussions. The Time Magazine of 1963 quotes theologian Karl Barth:
"[Barth] recalls that 40 years ago he advised young theologians 'to take your Bible and take your newspaper, and read both. But interpret newspapers from your Bible.'"
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Última Atualização ( 03 de novembro de 2008 )
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