Maraschin

"Brazilian Protestant churches are marked by a deep influence of North American pietism and revivalism... a strong anti-catholic attitude ...centrality of Bible reading ...and a clear option for a puritanical moral practice. The emphasis on 'real conversion to Jesus' had to be signaled by a visible behavior change. In general terms, this meant not smoking, not drinking, not dancing, not cheating, not swearing. This has also been manifest in the manner of dressing and in seeking a godly and honest way of life."¹ (92)

            "As far as music is concerned, historic Protestants would not sing 'songs'  but rather 'hymns'. They could not find those in Brazil and so, they translate what pleased their taste from Europe and North America. . Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Baptists and others still mainly use translated hymnals until today.... The escapist flavour of the hymns (we have to live outside of this 'sinful' world) was propitious to that. "2 (92)
           "In an age in which the liberation theologians were stressing the need to turn to the world in order to transform it, many historic Protestants were singing of fleeing from the world towards the 'celestial country'." 3(93)
           claims that songs also reflect an individualism, a latent eroticism denied embodiment, enjoyment or play and a voluntarism  appealing to conversion and service 4(93)
         o
           "From the 1960s... there sprouted up Pentecostal, neo-pentecostal and charismatic formations with a great variety of types, rhythms and emphases. Liturgical singing is now called louvorzao (big praise) and dominates the new churches.... The lyrics are short, like slogans, which are repeated to exhaustion clearly influenced by the mass media. Sometimes the texts are projected onto large screens. Pentecostals and charismatics do not fear emotions. On the contrary, they accept them and are led by them. They easily enter ecstatic states which are understood as a direct contact with the Holy Spirit. The lyrics of their songs express a neat poetical poverty like the music which goes with them. "5 (94)
           "They approve a certain bargain with God... The Spirit is the source of renewal operating wonders in the life of believers.... The consequences of conversion must appear now, in the daily life of his followers. And this means accepting an alliance based on prosperity. The Devil is also back...spiritual dualism present in what .... the enemy of God has to be represented with sharp images."6 (94)

   "The Pentecostal believers accept all kinds of musical instruments. ... They prefer American popular rhythms to the Brazilian, but nevertheless occasionally use our own music. "7(95)
"They are individualists and sing most of the time in the first person of the singular. On the other hand, they express more explicitly the erotic element than the historical group. Their lyrics show the erotic with reminiscences of the sexual."
"Such erotic texts are, indeed, projections of the violent repression experienced in their daily lives. The constant emphasis on moral individual issues tends to establish a division between a life 'with Jesus' and others. Ethical life means not smoking, not drinking, not dancing, as we have already seen. Sex is the pivotal centre. It is holy if practised in the context  of marriage: sinful when allowed outside matrimony. " 8(95)

1 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100, 92.

2 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100, 92.

3 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100 , 93.

4 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100, 93.

5 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100, 94.

6 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100 , 94.

7 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100, 95.

8 J Maraschin & FP Pires, 'The Lord's Song in the Brazilian Land', Studies in World Christianity 12:2 (2006), 83–100, 95.