Wednesday, October 18, 2023

It is the 18th of October, 2023. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org. I’m Dan van Voorhis.

As I looked at my list of people and topics for today’s date, a few things jumped out at me- one: a lot of Popes were either born or died on this date. But we’ll leave that alone. It is the Feast Day of St. Luke- but we covered him last year. Because it is Luke’s day, a few people who have died on this date have had their feast days (or days of remembrance if that sounds better to you) on the 19th, including Saint Pedro de Alcantara of Spain, who died on this day in 1562. He is the patron saint of Brazil despite having never gone to Brazil. But today is also a goocher- the birthday and death date of the Portuguese Manuel de Nobrega, born in 1517 and died in 1570. He is among the very first to bring the faith to Brazil and is one of the reasons the country is so catholic (and Portuguese), so I figured on today’s show, in honor of these men, we would take a glance at the history and nature of the faith in that behemoth of a South American country (fun fact- it is bigger than the 48 contiguous United States and 1/3 of Latin America’s population lives there).

Brazil contains the second most Christians in the United States, and in terms of Christian population, it is one of the largest percentage-wise in the world. So, how did it get that way? Christianity came, with sometimes cataclysmic effects, to South America with the Portuguese and Spanish explorers in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Portuguese sailors came to Brazil in 1500 and claimed the land in light of the Treaty of Tordesillas. The Portuguese didn’t plant a permanent colony until 1530, when French explorers began poking around.

Franciscan missionaries were the first to baptize indigenous Brazilians, and the colony exploded when it became a fertile place for sugar- a European craze that would turn Brazil and the Caribbean on its ear. By the 1550s, Portugal had formally declared patronage over Brazil and ruled through 10 parishes. The sugar trade would lead to the importation of African slaves- 40% of all slaves to the Americas ended up in Brazil. The Catholic Church in Brazil would thrive by tolerating indigenous and African traditions within the broad practices of Roman Catholicism. Mary could substitute for various goddesses for fertility, harvest, and spring. Carnivale (a word that signifies the removal of meat from one’s diet for the lenten season) is a prime example of a Christian ritual infused with regional revelry and tradition.

Protestantism had its first mission to Brazil with French refugees sent by John Calvin, but the colony was short-lived. It wasn’t until 1810, when Brazil signed a treaty with the British Empire, that the first Protestant missionaries arrived and eventually set up full-time missions. Methodists and Presbyterians followed the Anglicans, and as Brazil opened up to European exchange, the full cornucopia of Protestant traditions came to the country.

From the 1820s, freedom of religion was permitted amongst Brazilians, and in 1891, the First Republican Constitution established a separation of church and state. However, for the next few decades, the church would maintain its public lands and influence on the church.  

By the end of the 19th century, only about 1% of the Brazilian population was Protestant. There was considerable debate between Protestants as to whether or not Brazilian Catholics should be proselytized or if the indigenous populations should be the target of missionary work. This would be a contentious issue with the World Missionary Conferences of the 20th century.

It was the Pentecostal movement of the early 20th century that would most effect the Brazilian Christian population. Today, the majority of the Protestant population belongs to Charismatic churches of one stripe or another. Today, Protestants make up 31% of the population (according to a census in 2021), while the percentage of Catholics has fallen to an all-time low of 50% (the number was 95% in 1940). The third and fastest-growing group identifies as atheists or with no religion (this is on par with the rest of the Western world). 

Perhaps the most recognizable Christian landmark in Brazil is the towering Christ the Redeemer statue sitting atop the 2000-foot mount Corcovado in Rio De Janeiro. A happy feast day to two giants of Brazilian Christianity: Pedro Alcantara, its patron saint, and Manuel De Nobrega, one of the earliest missionaries.

The last word for today is from the daily lectionary and John 6, where we hear Jesus give a direct answer.

25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

26 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. 27 Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

28 Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

29 Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 18th of October 2023, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man whose favorite Brazilians include Pele, Antonio Carlos Jobim, and Fuleco, the cartoon Armadillo. He is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who wonders if they pronounce it Arma-Di-yo (like Quesadilla). I’m Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be OK.