Is God a nationalist? How Christian Political Realignment in Brazil Can Help Us Understand the Development of Far-right Governmentality in the World.

Religious-political ties have gained prominence globally. In Brazil, Evangelical churches were key to electing far-right president Jair Bolsonaro in 2018. Yet Evangelical support does not always align with the right in this country. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG)—Brazil’s most influential Evangelical denomination—was once a close ally of the leftist Workers’ Party before becoming part of Bolsonaro’s base. While scholars have examined Evangelical alignment with far-right politics, less is known about how these shifts are experienced inside church communities. In my earlier research, I found that the UCKG’s endorsement of Bolsonaro coincided with internal changes. A notable case was the Raabe Project, a women’s ministry once known for helping victims of domestic violence, which was reoriented to focus on the “spiritual side” of abuse. Soon after, church leaders discouraged all social activism. These changes raise questions about how political realignment transforms religious life. My MSCA project Is God a Nationalist? explores the UCKG’s changing political trajectory and its impact on believers. Rather than seeing Evangelicals as a unified bloc led by institutional elites, the project focuses on how political engagement emerges from everyday practices, community life, and sensorial experience. Brazil offers a unique case: Evangelical affiliation grew from 6% to 22% since 1989—the year Brazilians first voted for president after the dictatorship.