La teología de la liberación en prospectiva - Noticias más vistas

The second reason why Pentecostal churches are popular among theBrazilians in Japan is that the pastors actually deal with the real problemssuffered by their congregations. The pastors give advice during sermonson how to act appropriately in work places or at home. They advise theirflocks not to be carried away with emotion, because it requires perseveranceto be a Christ-follower. The pastors also advise the congregation topay tithes so they will be blessed by God’s grace with greater fortune in thefuture. There seems a hidden pressure that coins are not welcomed on thecollection plate, which means a donor would pay at least one thousandyen (approximately $12) at each service. Some other researchers have alsonoted that Pentecostalism is sought as a way of dealing with real problems,especially poverty and diseases (Burdick 1993; Chesnut 1997).Third, and this is especially distinctive of the uckg, some Pentecostalchurches perform exorcisms. They do so by praying for the Holy Spirit tocome cleanse the evil spirits out of the troubled person. Often, the personupon whom the exorcism is being performed cries and some collapse tothe floor. To one extent or another, this emotional outburst brings catharticeffects among the congregation.In addition, this ritual of exorcism signifies the belief that human natureis fundamentally good, which goes beyond the notion of “sola fide”(justification by faith alone). In this way, people are free from their sinsbecause the ones to be blamed are the evil spirits (Yamada 2002: 84-86).ConclusionAs mentioned above, the Pentecostal churches are preferred by Braziliansin Japan because they are havens of rest, the congregations are entirelyBrazilian, and the churches function to preserve their congregations’ ethnicidentities as Brazilians. In a sense, a small Brazilian town temporallyappears when they gather at church.The Pentecostal churches are also popular as they provide instant solutionsto the problems that many migrant workers suffer. Whether thechurch actually solves the problems or not, they provide a certain comfortfor the people by giving concrete hope of salvation through Christ and theHoly Spirit, and sometimes cast out evil spirits.On the other hand, it is uncertain whether the Brazilian Pentecostalchurches will continue to grow in Japan. The second generation of Brazilianmigrants mostly uses Japanese for communication, which makes ithard to maintain using only Portuguese during the services. It might notCongreso Continental de Teología x 113