A Plea to American Pastors
Dear US Pastor,
The next time you are tempted to turn down a request for a meeting from some poor missionary appointee to Brazil with the comment that “Brazil is pretty much evangelized”, please check out this article.
Brazil is indeed becoming more “evangelical” as opposed to Roman Catholic, but, as you can see from the article, the evangelicalism in question is quite different from what we would define as biblical Christianity. I refer you to the following quote:
She said more Brazilians were attracted to evangelical churches, or Pentecostalism, for the “flexibility of the religious expression.” They see churches like Reborn as places where they can express themselves more freely, and “not only look for solutions to personal problems, but also find a place to meet and socialize.”
Not exactly a ringing exposition of the Gospel message. Jesus did not die so I could “socialize”.
Or check out this scene, from a church called Bola de Neve (Snowball):
In the church basement, their 16-year-old son, Nathan, led a teenage and younger crowd. The spiky-haired pastor-in-training delivered a sermon about Jesus Christ with talk-show-host skill. At one point, he held up a white plastic container and urged the young followers to donate, assuring them that God would “give back twice” whatever they offered.
This is a common thread in all of the “breakout” denominations here in Brazil. “Give us your money, so God will bless you.” I still marvel that people do not see through this transparent scam.
In conclusion, while much progress has been made for the Gospel, there is still much to be done. We no longer face overt persecution by the Roman Church. Instead, we face a more serious threat: dilution of the Gospel message by those who claim to be evangelicals.
Remember this: Brazil is in desperate need of those who will preach the true Gospel of Christ.
____________________
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Concordo plenamente com você, Pastor Andrew.
É lamentável ver que no meio evangélico o foco está na QUANTIDADE em detrimento da QUALIDADE.
Já vi muitos pastores se animarem e até se orgulharem porque os números das pesquisas estatísticas estão cada vez mais a favor dos evangélicos. Mas eles estão completamente enganados, pois isso não significa nenhum benefício concreto para o Reino de Deus.
Como diz a inerrante Palavra de Deus: “E porque ESTREITA é a porta, e APERTADO o caminho que leva à vida, e POUCOS HÁ QUE A ENCONTREM.” Mateus 7:14
De duas, uma: ou estas estatísticas e esses pastores estão errados, ou Jesus se enganou. É melhor acreditar em quem?
LEMBRE: As pesquisas registram o número dos EVANGÉLICOS, e não o número dos SALVOS.
“Nem todo o que me diz: Senhor, Senhor! entrará no reino dos céus…” Mateus 7:21a
I noticed that as well brother. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God is considered evangelical when it is more of a cult. The evangelical numbers are definitely skewed. Fight the good fight Andrew.
Thanks for the comments, guys. It is good to see people who “see through” the statistics.
A consumeristic worldview lends itself to counting the number of “sales.” That would be part of the reason for the worship of statistics. Even the children of the world occasionally question the idea that large followings equal authenticity. “Pinocchio” and his ride with the gang to donkey island is a case in point. Considering the number of “professions” which wash out, evangelicalism might consider adopting the commercial “three-day-think-it-over” policy to give people a chance to decide out if they change their mind.