According to the latest Datafolha poll, 48% of evangelicals consider the Lula administration. Last week, Deputy Otoni de Paula (MDB-RJ) to combat the bolsonarization of the churches. But —Spoiler Alert – the PT will probably not enjoy these tips.
After being criticized by Planalto, Otoni made an unprecedented attack by stating in an interview: “The antichrist will come from conservatism, as it will be someone pro-family and pro-Israel.” In the imaginary, the antichrist occupies a central place in the interpretation of political facts, especially among Pentecostals.
According to the biblical book of Revelation, behind the appearance of the antichrist and the false prophet at the end of time, the great dragon would act in chapter 13 as Satan himself. Otoni knows how negative it can be for the image of a political current comparison with an instrument in the hands of Satan.
In the evangelical churches, it is emphasized that Satan came to “steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). This passage is used, for example, to criticize the left for its support for the expansion of the legislation on OE to decriminalization of.
By stating that “the antichrist will come from conservatism,” Otoni offered to the left two theological arguments to deconstruct the toxic mixture between religion and politics in his pocket version.
The first is that, in Revelation, religion, represented by the false prophet, promotes the idolatry of the political leader incarnated by the antichrist. If it is true that the person should choose between “” as they repeat Bolsonarist pastors, then Antichrist cannot be leftist.
Otoni also criticizes the religious right for replacing the gospel with moral conservatism. According to the deputy, “the conservative finds himself such a pure person that he does not need Christ for his salvation.”
In evangelical doctrine, salvation is offered free of charge through the death of Christ. In evangelical theology, one of Satan’s main works, antichrist, and false prophet – the trinity of evil – is to deceive people to seek salvation outside the figure of Jesus Christ.
The deputy still accuses the scholarship conservatism of hypocrisy. According to him, many politicians in this field present themselves as advocates of expensive guidelines for evangelicals, such as the fight against abortion and drugs, but “have made their girlfriend abort three times and are cocaine smelling.”
Pragmatic politician, Otoni does not hide the reason for his discomfort: the approximation between conservatives and evangelicals in recent years has opened the doors of the temples so that conservative politicians such as not evangelicals would vote the votes of the faithful. Previously, these votes were intended exclusively for pastry politicians like him.
The PT even launched, in last year’s elections, one in dialogue with the evangelical churches. But this is insufficient to break the evangelical charm with the right -handed right.
Otoni’s criticism demonstrates that the PT could use arguments from evangelical theology itself to build bridges with evangelical voters. Adopting this theological approach to politics would be a return to the roots of the PT, which was based on the theology of Catholic liberation in its early days.
To connect with evangelical voters who reject it, the PT must learn to communicate their political ideas using the theological language of these voters. Otoni has shown that this is possible, but it is a process that takes time and cannot be hurriedly done on the eve of the elections.
