Between 1904 and 1905, German sociologist Max Weber wrote two long articles, which together in 1920 gave rise to what many considered “the book of the 20th century”: The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism.
In the book, Weber investigates the causes of the primordial development of capitalism in Protestant countries, notably England (Puritanism) and Germany (Lutheranism). Calvinism preached the sanctification of life, which means the sanctification of the believer's life in all spheres, including secular work; at the same time, he preached asceticism in relation to the “world”. Such doctrines, according to Weber, encouraged rational planning and selflessness in favor of profit, thus generating the necessary conditions for the development of capitalism.
Asceticism in relation to the world and sanctification of life: here we have two pillars of historic Protestantism that persist to this day, mainly in historic Protestant churches, such as the Baptist Church and the Presbyterian Church.
I was born into an evangelical home and from a young age these doctrines were taught to me: we must be separated from the world, even though we live in it. This means that so-called “worldly habits” such as gluttony, gambling, consumption of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs were strictly prohibited for Christians. An opulent life was also considered a sin. We thanked God for what we had and we should seek, at the same time, a qualitative education that would give us “a place in the sun”, but with the Kingdom of God coming first. If the choice was medicine, we would be doctors serving God and so on.
All of this was basically taught in historic churches until the 90s of the last century. With the rise of neo-Pentecostalism and its doctrine of prosperity, everything changed – for the worse, much worse – it must be said. In this type of “Christian faith”, it is preached that God – owner of gold and silver – also wants his sons and daughters to be prosperous financially speaking. To do this, the believer must honor “God” – read religious association – with their tithes and offerings. The more you offer, the more you receive.
The asceticism that Weber identified was in the past. Nowadays, successful pastors wear designer clothes, drive luxury cars and live in mansions full of opulence (Bishop Macedo's in Campos de Jordão has rooms that reproduce in detail some rooms of the Palace of Versailles).
The magazine "Isto é" a few weeks ago brought the news of the behind-the-scenes negotiations of the so-called gaming bench in the National Congress for the release of bingos and the establishment of casinos in Brazil. The names of the members of that bench were there and, to my surprise, one of the members is the federal deputy for the PSDB of the CE, João Campos, also president of the fundamentalist evangelical bench in that house of laws.
I was surprised to see the name of deputy João Campos on the game's bench because if, on the one hand, this asceticism collapsed with the advent of the doctrine of prosperity, on the other, the “sanctification of life” remained, that is, a believer who is A believer (in the fundamentalist sense) does not drink, smoke, use drugs, or engage in gambling. What was the name of the president of the fundamentalist evangelical group doing on the gambling bench?
The fact reveals the hypocrisy of evangelical fundamentalists who preach one thing but, in practice, do very different things from what they preach, but this is nothing new for a good observer of fundamentalist-type evangelical behavior, I just don't know if this fact is known to the evangelical public who fill the banks and coffers of churches of this religious persuasion, who generally comply, to the letter, with the list of “do's and don'ts” (and gambling is never allowed!) that such churches impose on them.
In any case, for me, aware of the fundamentalist evangelical hypocrisy since the age of reason was born in me, the name of João Campos – reinforcement: president of the fundamentalist evangelical bench in the National Congress – raises some very serious questions, in view of the investigations still ongoing in the country in relation to the rapid enrichment of leaders of such fundamentalist churches and the alleged involvement of such leaders in money laundering for drug trafficking.
We know that bingos/jogo do bicho – as well as casinos in other countries – go hand in hand with drug trafficking. It is laundering money acquired through illegal practices.
I have said from the rooftops that it is necessary and urgent, in fact, it is past time, for us to start demanding from the National Congress, a CPI on the finances, true black boxes, of evangelical churches. The nababesque life that fundamentalist pastors and pastors live in Brazil is a clear sign of the river of money that flows through the beds of these churches.
LGBT activists could well start a national campaign, collecting signatures to demand from the National Congress a thorough investigation into the black boxes of these churches. The presence of the president of the evangelical caucus of the National Congress on the gambling bench, I suppose, is just the tip of a huge iceberg. Depending on the evangelical vote to be elected, João Campos is there as the errand boy for the senior leadership of fundamentalist evangelical churches in Brazil.
The question that remains unanswered: what does a “saint” do in the circle of scoffers? Good thing it can't be!
Open your eyes, LGBT activists! Our enemy has feet of clay! Let's take it down!
* Márcio Retamero, 37 years old, is a theologian and historian, with a master's degree in Modern History from UFF/Niterói. He is pastor of the Bethel Community / ICM RJ and the Presbyterian Church of Praia de Botafogo. He is the author of "The Banquet of the Excluded" and "Can the Bible Include?", both published by Editora Metanoia. Email: marcio.retamero@gmail.com.
