Who’s Afraid of Evangelical Progressivism?
摘要
This chapter offers a sharp critique of the movement known as “evangelical progressivism,” which defines itself in opposition to the perceived “fundamentalism” of the Bolsonaro-aligned majority. The author argues that this progressivism, despite its claims, is an elite, middle-class phenomenon that fails to grasp the material reality of the believers it critiques. It frames the problem as one of incorrect doctrine (e.g., prosperity theology) and proposes a “correction” through “spiritual literacy” and a more enlightened, intellectual theology. The chapter deconstructs this approach as a form of “management” that seeks to import external theological content (such as North American Black theology) without understanding the contextual experience of Brazilian Pentecostalism. In the end, evangelical progressivism is depicted as a theology of conscience, offering concepts and identity politics, while the communities it scorns are engaged in a concrete, if contradictory, struggle for survival.