POLITICAL COOPERATION AND RELIGIOUS REPRESSION - PRESBYTERIANS UNDER MILITARY-RULE IN BRAZIL (1964-1974)

Unlike their Catholic counterparts, Protestant denominations typically have not been churches of resistance under Latin American military rule. They have either chosen the path of political neutrality or have given full cooperation to the government they operate under. A case study of a Brazilian Protestant church-the Presbyterian Church of Brazil-during a recent period of military regime (1964-1974) explains how Protestant cooperation with the military aids the church in increasing control over its internal life, and is deeply rooted in three long-term trends in Brazilian Presbyterianism: the church's theological intransigence, its struggle to prove its national birthright, and the level of its membership's social prosperity.