When Jair Bolsonaro rose to power in 2018, one of his key support bases consisted of Evangelical churches. Most notably, the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God — which owns one of Brazil’s largest media empires, including Record, the country’s second-largest TV station. Fast forward almost three years, and the relationship between Mr. Bolsonaro and Record appears to be fractured. Not because of his government’s coronavirus pandemic response or its laissez-faire attitude toward the environment, but because of how his administration failed to react to a crisis involving the Universal Church — in Angola.
Mr. Bolsonaro could lose this important supporter just as his popularity dips and the 2022 election looms large on the horizon.
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Guest:
- Mathias Alencastro holds a Ph.D. in political science from the University of Oxford and is a researcher of the Brazilian Center for Analysis and Planning, Cebrap.
Background reading:
- As a demographic, Evangelical Christians are one of the fastest-growing groups in Brazil. Reporter Ciara Long writes about their growing influence in Brazilian politics.
- Listen to episode #65 of Explaining Brazil. We talk with Paul Freston, director of the Program for Studies of Religion in Latin America, about how the rise of Evangelicals is impacting Brazil. We also take a look into the multi-billion dollar Brazilian gospel market — which has become a true gold mine for companies.
- The growing influence of Evangelicals in Brazilian politics scares non-religious groups. But is it possible to separate religion and politics? Benjamin Fogel tries to answer this question.
- The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is tied up in allegations of corruption and abuse on both sides of the Atlantic, writes Renato Alves.
- A quick look over Brazil’s religious landscape.
Do you have a suggestion for our next Explaining Brazil podcast? Drop us a line at [email protected]
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