The Construction of the Evangelical Protestant Ethos and the Insertion of the Theological Fundamentalism in Brazil (1930–1964)

This paper discusses the historical construction of the evangelical protestant ethos in Brazil between 1930 and 1964. The importance of this historical context lies in the many changes and reconfigurations experienced by this religious group in the set of events at national and international levels. The objective is to understand how the definitive insertion of theological fundamentalism occurred in the ecclesiastical context. Fundamentalism is understood as a historical and social phenomenon directly related to the diffusion of the United States’ religious culture throughout the world after World War II, expanding to other parts of the globe, including Brazil and Latin America. In perceiving a historical frontier not yet explored, we analyze the presence of Protestants in the public space during Vargas’ dictatorship and the redemocratization period. CEB—Brazil’s Evangelical Confederation—and other leaderships with or without ties to the church had a significant impact through manifests, speeches, and political, social, educational, and even law-related actions. The fundamentalist movement brought tension to a plural Protestantism, expressed by the centenary church denominations, by the strength of the ecumenical movement and by the emerging Pentecostalism from the cities’ outskirts. Finally, the article shows that even though attempts to contain their strategies were made, evangelicals have permanently appropriated dogmatic and intolerant attitudes and postures into their ethos, especially with their alignment with the civil-military coup of 1964. The methodology was based on the critical analysis of different types of written documents, such as newspapers, journals, legislations, reports, and the use of photographs and images.