2 - Clergy, Congregants, and Religious Politicians

Summary

This chapter further develops the argument of the book. It begins by considering two prominent explanations for why the culture wars arise in some settings but not others: the intervention of international actors, and the behavior of partisan elites. Neither approach provides much purchase to explain the Brazilian case. By contrast, a clergy-driven explanation better fits not only Brazil, but also other cases in the developing world. In the clergy-driven culture wars, clergy hold sincere political views, yet their behavior is also shaped by the need for “souls” and “money”—the imperative to keep members in the pews and to gather resources. On the one hand, the danger of alienating congregants sometimes leads clergy to self-censor; this restraint reduces clergy political influence, and ultimately dampens political polarization among citizens. On the other hand, the need to gather monetary resources sometimes stimulates clergy activism targeting the state, since the Brazilian state both directly controls resources and regulates churches’ other growth-oriented activities. As a result, particularly in evangelical congregations, clergy select and campaign for in-group politicians. The fact that clergy both select candidates and serve as brokers between candidates and congregants privileges the interests of clergy over those of congregants.