Abstract:
This article explores the interactions between pastors and evangelicals during the 2022 election campaign on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro. Through interviews and ethnographic observations, I show how the pastor of a small neighbourhood evangelical church introduces political issues into services and tries to shape the electoral preferences of the congregation. I observe that political discourse is limited and regulated by economic concerns and ceremonial norms. I then examine how the faithful and the pastoral team react to the increasing politicisation of sermons and try to convey their own political representations. Finally, I analyse how the support given to candidate Jair Bolsonaro generates conflict and dissension among the congregation, leading some of them to distance themselves and temporarily withdraw from attending worship.
Keywords:
Evangelicals
;
2022 Presidential Elections
;
Rio de Janeiro
;
Ethnography