Embattled Majorities and Ascendant Minorities: The Shifting Landscape of Religion and Politics in Brazil

This paper examines the role of religion in the changing political environment of Brazil focusing on the 2022 presidential contest between Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of the Workers’ Party (PT) and Jair Bolsonaro of the Liberal Party. Looking at media produced by the evangelical Universal Church of the Kingdom of God and its assertion of the incompatibility of Christianity with progressive principles, I contrast this against the traditional Catholic perspective which has historically supported progressive politics and the PT in Brazil. I argue that the emergence of narratives denying the compatibility of progressive principles and Christianity indicates the growing influence of right-wing evangelicalism in Brazilian politics embodied in figures like Pablo Marçal. This article contextualizes this transformation within Brazil’s broader history, illustrating how religious engagement shapes political outcomes. It also calls into question the future of leftist politics in a nation increasingly influenced by right-wing evangelicalism.