Description
Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe book discusses a subject, which has been only fleetingly examined and for that reason brings new information and clues for future research. The honesty and courage of Barbosa's research . . . may shock many Protestant readers due to the timidity or even silence of their respective denominations in the battle for abolition [of slavery in Brazil]. -- From the preface by Dr. Duncan A. Reily
This excellent book by José Carlos Barbosa represents an outstanding contribution to the study of Brazilian Protestantism. It examines an issue that has received little attention but is of great importance to understanding how Protestant denominations came to be implanted in Imperial Brazil. . . . Protestants were not prepared to tackle the most painful question of the day, precisely because they were blinded by the harsh struggle to secure a religious space in Brazilian society. Starting with these facts, Barbosa reveals the true politics of non-involvement erected upon the delicate efforts to maintain a safe distance from a matter as weighty as slavery. -- Elias Boaventura, Professor in the graduate program in Education at the Methodist University of Piracicaba
Table of ContentsChapter 1 Translators' Introduction Chapter 2 Preface Chapter 3 Introduction Chapter 4 Chapter I: "A closed garden which wild animals cannot enter": The Implantation of Protestantism in Brazil Chapter 5 Chapter II: "Contrary to what many think, Brazil is not an uncivilized and barbarous country": Missionary Strategy Chapter 6 Chapter III: "Slavery is like a thorn that penetrates the flesh and causes excruciating pain but which we do not want to pull out, for fear that the operation will further increase the pain": The Institutional Protestant Message and Slavery Chapter 7 Conclusion Chapter 8 Appendix: "The Christian Religion and its relation to Slavery"
