SERVING THE NATIONS

THE CORPORATE IDENTITY OF BRAZIL

The CORPORATE IDENTITY of Brazil: GOD'S TROUBADOUR
Summary of message delivered at the "GO TO THE NATIONS CONFERENCE"
in Goiania, Brazil

The theology for this understanding can be found in chapter 3 of my book "The City Called; Theology of the city and her Redemption."

Definition.
Personalities, including corporate personalities like tribes, peoples, nations and cities, are created in the image of God. "The (CORPORATE) IDENTITY (CI) of a (corporate) personality is a. the expression of God's character in that personality, because of which it contains b. her destiny in God and c. her redemptive gift to her fellow peoples; through the fall and the effects thereof, this (corporate) identity has been distorted and corrupted."
Each individual person of a certain people group reflects more or less the CI of that group, be it the corrupted and the redeemed expression of it; a substantial part of his individual personality is rooted in his corporate personality.

God's character:
A Troubadour in European Middle Age history is the person who is called into the royal court, in a celebrative setting of the king with his nobles and subjects, to tell, in a creative way, the history of the nation: a former king, the realm established or a covenant broken, a battle won or a battle lost. The troubadour tells, in a celebrative setting, What Really Happened. The troubadour, in a time of low literacy, has the important role of Establishing The History Of The Nation From The King's Perspective.
In this respect Jesus, as the Living Word, the Word become Flesh, is really God's Troubadour, telling the world the dramatic story of the Kingdom of God, the provision of redemption through the cross, the battle against the kingdom of darkness and the victory of the Kingdom of Heaven to be expected. It is unexpected to picture Jesus as Troubadour. At the same time we should not picture Jesus only in the serious, solemn role of Sacrificing his life, but also as the Son of Man with a message of healing and liberation, of Life Abundant and Eternal Joy.
The three main aspects of the Troubadour are Playful, Dramatic and Sense of History.

Positive expression
In the Church of Brazil, especially in the comparatively young charismatic expression of it, the joy, the playfulness and the dramatic are very clearly present. For someone of the first world Brazilian worship times and prayer meetings are a happening. Worship bands and lately also dance groups play a prominent role in church life. Worship leaders of outstanding quality are many.
A typical and beautiful expression of the CI of Brazil is the March for Jesus: the March for Jesus in Brazil is by far the greatest in the world, attracting both in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo over a million participants, with a joy and exuberance that seems to redeem the Carnival. It really expresses God's Troubadour: joyfully and playfully telling about and showing Jesus to the world!

In society:
As old as the figure of Troubadour is for Europe, for Brazilians the Trovador is a well-known figure in modern times. So well known, that a word of caution is necessary. Especially in the North the figure of repentista is very present : guitar players who are able to sing, without any preparation, any story that is given to them. By calling Brazil God's Troubadour it must be emphasized, that the emphasis is on God's Troubadour who tells "what really happened", who tells what happened from God's perspective: the redeemed version of the secular, contemporary Brazilian trovador or repentista.
The positive expressions of this Corporate Identity in Brazilian society are many.
The opening sentences, in a Dutch book on Brazil, of the chapter on "Culture" (p. 59, 1) in Brazil say: ""There is a sense of nostalgia in Brazilian culture... (The Brazilians) cling to traditions and mysticism... Everywhere in Brazil is music." These opening sentences precisely include the elements of playfulness, drama and sense of history.
Asked in many informal settings what is specific and positive about Brazilians, always there comes out: "joy, warmth, involved, always hope, evangelist with joy". In the last two, always hope, evangelist with joy, surfaces the sense of history.
The quite young (late sixties) and very popular music style "tropicalia" is special in this perspective: the lyrics deal with both romantic and political themes; again: the historic element is prevalent. Caetano Veloso and Maria Bethania are the hero's in this field. The poet Vinicius de Moreas, the singer Artur Gilberto and the author Jorge Amado are tremendously popular.
Hero's in the political arena are: Tiradentos and Padre Cicero of the beginning of the 20th century, both telling the story of the (oppressed) people of Brazil, which made them hero's who were accepted as leaders in political activism (P. Cicero was found to be a fraud, but is revered nevertheless). Betinho de Sousa, who died in 1997, was a singer, called "the conscience of Brazil", as he was the voice of the poor and suppressed, and the expression of poverty and oppression.

Negative expressions: historically and at present, in society:
1. Many forms of occultism are very, very prevalent in Brazil, mixing African and American Indian influences (also in forms incorporated in the Roman Catholic Church). Occultismin Brazil is indeed playful and dramatic, and suggests to give hold on history, but it is not God's history.
2. Sensuality and corruption (sensuality for the women and corruption for the men) are very general in the Brazilian way of life. Both have penetrated the church also. Both are playful, and in a way dramatic, but both are irresponsible in the long run.
3. Carnival and football are both a national craze. Throughout the year there is constant attention for both, as national industries. Not only during the yearly week of the carnival but also during the irregular hours of soccer games the nation comes to complete standstill, as if history should wait for these two highly playful and dramatic events. The church of course is not involved in the carnival, and some churches do outreaches during it. But the football and the craze of it have penetrated the church; some call it a craze, but do not pray or preach against it.
4. The telenovelas (television soap series, since the eighties): three or four telenovelas aired daily and simultaneously are watched "daily by more than a hundred million, for their daily portion love, drama.. and hot societal topics" (p. 68). Again, the elements of playful, drama and history are strongly present. A new telenovela was announced on huge billboards in June 1998, called "Tower of Babel".
Each of these four corrupted expressions of "God's Troubadour" are very typical for just Brazil.

Concern.
The reason to mention these four negative expressions is very specific.
I sense that each of them is very much contributing to the ongoing further corruption of the CI of the nation. Each of them is not dealing with "what really happens", with the true history that God is making, but with un-reality, with vanity, with sentimentality. Each leads to adrenaline-addiction, rather than to corporately taking responsibility for the truth and the truth to be told to the world. Even stronger: the daily telenovelas are like the daily drug, the regular national football matches are like a regular drug and the yearly carnival is like a yearly drug, to further cover and shroud the destiny, to corrupt the divine destiny of the nation to be God's Troubadour.
The carnival is like a yearly national sacrifice to not-God, football like a regular national sacrifice to not-God (I am avoiding to name spirits that might be behind these phenomena), the watching of telenovelas like a daily national sacrifice to not-God. With so massive and widespread sacrifice of energy and time and attention and expectation devoted to "other gods", the O ne True God might very well withdraw as He did when Israel was following other gods. The very existence and destiny of this beautiful people are at stake: the present strong work of the Holy Spirit in the nation can be quenched!

Testimony.
The first time I visited Brazil, a ten day speaking tour in Sao Paulo in the fall of 1993, I joined one of the street outreaches of YOUTH WITH A MISSION. It was through the joyful worship and the playful presentation of the gospel message that I felt the CI of Brasil to be God's Troubadour. My Brazilian host immediately received it, but I did not dare to share it yet.
I continued discussions and questions with Brazilian friends. Among others I taught in an international class on cultural differences, attended by a woman-missionary from Brazil. She responded hesitantly at my suggestion of the CI for Brazil. But in the break time she came to me and told me, asking whether this story might make sense to me, that back in Brazil she had been reaching out to prostitutes, and especially to one whom God had placed on her heart. The prostitute did not respond in any way. In the end the missionary took her guitar and, though she was not a good guitar player at all, sang and played the gospel to the prostitute. That evening the prostitute accepted Jesus into her life. I think her testimony does make sense.
It was only on my way to Brazil in spring 1998 that I read about Brazil 2). Speaking and talking in Sao Paulo, Goiania, Uberlandia and Recife for almost three weeks I felt confirmed over and over again, even to the point that I felt released by the Lord to share my understanding as a word of the Lord in two large audiences. The response again was confirming, including the following.

The way to the redemption of Brazil.
Redemption of music and dance.
Not just the laying down of sensuality, not even reaching academic and artistic standards are the steps to redemption of music and dance. As music and dance are so integral a part of the CI, both must completely be focussed on pure worship. Because growth towards maturity requires others to be allowed to speak into ones life, real redemption (of any cultural aspect) can only happen in an international learning environment. Are the Brazilian worshippers and dancers open, humble enough to together with international Christians in this field to exercise a proces of redemption of the arts?
Redemption of history, including two testimonies.
"What really happened" in Brasil is shrouded by a false sense of humility. Historically the nation of Brasil shows a pattern of suppression and suffering: the immigrants suppressed the Native Americans; the rich suppressed the poor; the international community tries to dictate what Brazil should do with the Amazon and with her minerals. And this lovely Troubadour allowed this to happen to him, without much self-defence and "always hoping". The social activism against it was not effective (and the activists nevertheless became hero's).
But Brasil needs to take time to call her suffering suffering, to call her being robbed of reaching the destiny being robbed of reaching the destiny. Only the church can play the appropriate role here. Not through social activism, but through representative confession/verbalising of the ALL THE SINS AND ALL THE HURTS of the nation.
Brasil has not learned do deal with her past. The Troubadour was telling dramatic history, without dealing with his own dramas in history in the way of the cross. Isa 42:22 applies: "This is a people plundered and looted... There is no one to say: 'Give back'". The role of the church is to say: "Give back!", to pray through the pain and the guilt of the history of the nation with representatives involved. (A paper on the Theology of Representative Confession of Corporate Sins" is available.)
Two examples may help.
Part of my ministry is to initiate representative confession of sins between my nation and my continent and other nations and other continents. In 1995 I went to the USA to confess the sin of slave trade, in 1997 to three West African nations to do the same. So when in spring 1998 I was in Recife, a Brazilian city with Dutch colonial and slave trade history, I was given an opportunity in a congregation to give greetings, and I did the same. The response simply was: "With the Dutch we would have been better off than with the Portuguese." Several Brazilians gave independently the same answer. The truth is, that the Dutch sins were sins; other pain can not and should not cover that up. Brazilian friendliness and Portuguese more serious sins can not cover that up.
The second example occurred three days later.
I was urged to come along to Olinda, north of Recife, to take part in a representative prayer of reconciliation between Dutch, Portuguese and Brazilian believers. I hesitated because of the above experience, but was persuaded. We were nine Brazilians, one of Portuguese decent, one of Indian decent, one of African decent, four of Pernambuco (the state in which Olinda and Recife are located), two other Brazilians, and one Dutchman, altogether 10 persons, six of whom were pastors, all of whom were intercessors of different denominations, thus forming a minimal representation of the whole international Body of Christ involved.
We stood in a circle before the city hall of Olinda, in front of the plaque in the wall that describes the battle between the Dutch and the Portuguese in 1630. We worshipped the Lord. We thanked God for the good things he had done through the history through the Dutch, through the Portuguese, through the Roman Catholic Church. Then "Holland" started to confess of her sins against the Indians and the Africans and the Portuguese. "Portugal" did the same towards the Indians and the Africans and the Dutch, including killing them off for the reason of bringing the gospel to Brasil (by far the earliest Dutch example of combination of colonisation in combination with a serious effort to evangelise the indigenous population). Then the Indians, and the Africans made their confessions, and the Pernambucans, and the other Brazilians, both being very specific in the area of all sorts of occultism. Each party represented was as specific as possible in content and direction of their confessions, kneeling for one another and weeping before God. Each party made sure to verbally extend forgiveness to any party that asked for it. God gave a flow of increasing spiritual and emotional power. Then we went on, with our hands on the ground, to plead with God for healing of the land, for restoration of the poor and the spiritually and socially oppressed, for rain and fertility. Finally we worshipped God again in song and reading scriptures.
All of us were amazed, without being able to accurately indicate what had happened. Several told me that they had waited and prayed for this to happen for many years. Only later, already back in Holland but still "under the cloud" I sensed that God was saying: "That little representation of the Church has modelled the beginning of the redemption of the history of Brasil."

Another aspect of redeeming the history of the nation is dealing with the corporate low self image; the Brazilians feel inferior to Europeans and US-Americans. Because some nations are created to be leader-type nations, like Spain 3) , England 3) and the USA , and because Brazil is, according to the secular way of thinking, "only" a Troubadour, there is in the corporate flesh the suggestion that other nations are better off, are to be higher evaluated. This national sense of inferiority could develop because the Brazilians are not secure in their Corporate Identity in Christ. If the Church receives her Corporate Identity in Christ (whether it is God's Troubadour or any other verbalisation of it) she can lead the nation out of this deceptive lie of corporate low self image.
Again: because growth towards maturity requires others to be allowed to speak into one's life, for real redemption (of any cultural aspect) a requirement is an international spiritual learning environment.

Confess and repent of the two national crazes.
The two national crazes of Brazil are the carnival and the football. Also the church leaders I talked to admitted that they were national crazes, concerning football more or less with the shallow shame of a cigarette smoker who admits that he should not smoke.
Concerning the Carnival: the Church of Brazil should not only not participate in the craze of carnival, not only reach out with the gospel during the craze, but repent, as united and holy Church, for this national sin, as long as this craze continuous. Redeeming the history of a nation is only possible if the Church of the nation takes full responsibility for the sins of the nation.
Concerning the Football: As long as the spiritual leaders of the nation give in that it concerns a national craze, but do not explicitly repent and change their ways, the Church is part of the problem rather than she is part of the solution. The football achievement of Brazil could be a reason for national pride, if not a craze around it holds the nation in bondage. The Church is God's (only) tool to make corporate change. If The Church, Each Day The National Football Team Plays, Would Fast, Fast Of Food And Of Television, And Pray, and is happy to hear the result of the game the next day, she responds in the opposite spirit. If the Church, united and holy, breaks out of the craze, and repents in word and deed of this national sin and bondage, she can break the power of the craze and will open the eyes of the other Brazilians.
The Brazilian church should not be fooled by the fact that an increasing number of players is Christian and give their glory to Jesus. Beautiful football and than give the glory to Jesus, that will redeem the sport of football, and that is great. But the craze is not on the field, the craze is in the stands and in front of the television, and it is there that the church has to play her part.
I was told that huge financial interests are at work behind both dynamics. I am not surprised. That's why the way of fasting and prayer is the way against and out.

Laying down childish things.
A Troubadour has something childlike; the playfulness is the childlike aspect of the CI. However, in the corrupted expression of the CI not only the childlikeness comes out, but also a childishness. I saw the following sorts of childishness, or: irresponsibility typical for immature behaviour of a young person.
A Troubadour is a talker and singer, rather than a listener, focussed on dramatic content rather than on organisational details. Brazilians are poor listeners and poor in communicating details. This is of course an observation made by foreigners, and not a nice one to Brazilian ears. It is childish, in the meaning of immature irresponsibility, to wave this away with "Well, this is how the Brazilians are".
Being late and then allowing meetings to be prolonged, as a habit, cannot be justified by suggesting that the Holy Spirit should have His way. That is close to blaming the Holy Spirit for Brazilian childishness. Starting an action, big or small, and not finishing it, is irresponsible. It is childish, in the meaning of immature irresponsibility, to wave this away with "Well, this is how the Brazilians are".
Sensuality and corruption are in the same manner childish; both only give a thrill at the moment, but are irresponsible in the long run, and both are a way of cheating the other, not taking responsibility for the wellbeing of the other. Let each Christian woman find two female prayer partners to together consider and pray through their way of behaviour and dressing; let each Christian (business-)man find two male prayer partners to together consider and pray through their thought life and way of business. In other words, let the Christian men and women covenant themselves to change their ways, for on their own they cannot change them, as they are so much "how the Brazilians are". The Church, in its smallest expression of two or three, is God's means of liberating first the Church, and so the nation, from this bondage.
This refers also to watching television. Let parents together develop an approach of selective watching, first themselves, then also their children, and discussung the (lack of) truthfulness, (lack) of responsibility in what theu saw.
A whole nation is at stake, a whole generation is fed with junk and blocked of her destiny, or will be saved and rise to the challenge of her calling (re: 5).
Again, and even stronger than in the earlier cases, because growth towards maturity requires others to be allowed to speak into ones life, real redemption (of any cultural aspect) can only happen in an international spiritual learning environment.

The calling of Brasil, to BE GOD'S TROUBADOUR TO THE WORLD.
Why did God make Israel so special? To show the world His character as a whole. Why did God Russia so big? Because he wanted to show the world Glorious Rulership, Teacher Kingship 3) . Why did God make the USA so big? To show the whole world Adventurous Leadership.
And why did God make his Virgin Daughter Brazil so big? Because He planned through this Troubadour to joyfully tell the whole world the drama of what really happened and what is going to happen! In few other cases there is such an immediate step from Corporate Identity to Redemptive Gift as in the case of Brazil. There are other not-leader nations that suffer from a corporate low self image. But Brazil is big and rich, and with an awesome calling: to joyfully spread the gospel over the whole world.
This is not a statement to please the nation, after the admonishments above. Rather it is another warning: obviously the enemy of the nations is forcefully trying to block off Brazil from her calling, through a thorough plan of systematic, daily further corruption of the CI. The calling of Brazil is conditional; the fulfilment of it, so that she will "tell the world what really happens" can only take place if the Church of Brazil rises to the challenge to be God's means of redemption for her nation.
Will Brazil be known by the world as the nation of the macumba, the wild carnival and the soccer achievements? Will she continue to suffer from a corporate low self image? Or will Brazil be known by the world as a nation where the Church rules with Christ, through prayer, and so effects her nation and many other nations.
In my growing list of CI's of nations there is none as close to "evangelist" as Brazil's. And Brazil is a big nation, for God's good reason.

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Endnotes:

Marcel Bayer, "Brazilië, Mensen - Politiek - Economie - Cultuur", Landenreeks, Koninklijk. Back to tekst.

Instituut voor de Tropen, Amsterdam - Novib, 's Gravenhage, 1997. Back to tekst.

The Corporate Identity of these nations has been researched in a similar way. Back to tekst.