Churches and violence in Brazilian cities: The case of Felipe Camarão Neighborhood, natal-RN

Since 1970’s a tendency in Brazilian sub-urban and slum areas has been perceived in relation with evangelical churches: as much as violence and urban degradation grow, more the number of churches multiplies. That’s the typical case of Felipe Camarão neighborhood, in the capital city of Rio Grande do Norte, one of the nine states of Northeast Brazil. In this neighborhood, considered for years the most violent of Natal, the number of evangelical churches jumped from 40 to 80 in ten years (2001-2011). Why does it happen? We raised this question to the evangelical leaders of the neighborhood, and it started a process of self-criticism. They decided to organize themselves to perform actions in order to change this reality. Not without a strong tension between members of churches, ecclesiastical institutions, and in the church-society relation. All those tensions express tendencies and difficulties of theological nature, as well as ideological and strategic. At long range, the result of the conflict between those who defend integration of church in society and those who don’t will determinate if evangelical religiosity will take a relevant role in the transformation of violent communities, or if they will be just a refuge for scared and passive individuals. That’s what we have been researching during these last five years.