[progchat_action] Hugo Chávez Creates Divide Among Evangelicals 
 
Date: Tue, 20 Nov 2007 01:11:05 -0600 (CST)

Chavez Creates Divide Among Evangelicals

By Krista J. Kapralos
Special to The Washington Post
Sunday, November 18, 2007; Page A23

Caracas, Venezuela -- Every Sunday, Ana Gonzalez wears one of her best suits
to attend Las Acacias, the largest evangelical Christian church in Caracas.

And each week, four days later, she laces up combat boots and tucks her hair
into an olive green military cap to report for duty with Venezuela's army
reserves, a foot soldier in President Hugo Chavez's military.

"I believe in Jesus Christ because he was a revolutionary," said Gonzalez,
47. "I follow Chavez because I believe in the things Chavez is doing. He is
also a revolutionary."

Gonzalez and her husband, Francisco Melo, 49, met at Las Acacias eight years
ago. Now, while they attend church and volunteer in the reserves, doing
everything from target practice to issuing government-subsidized vaccines,
Gonzalez says they are among a shrinking group at Las Acacias who consider
themselves "Chavistas" -- followers of Chavez.

At a time when evangelical Christianity is growing in Venezuela, the ranks
of Gonzalez's church and others have fractured over politics. Church members
say they are caught between admiration for a president who flaunts biblical
references and a growing concern that he will muzzle those who don't preach
his brand of politics.

"A lot of people have left Las Acacias because the pastor identifies with
the opposition," Gonzalez said. "Many Chavistas have said, 'We're not coming
here anymore.' "

But Gonzalez and her husband stayed, if only to reach more Christians for
Chavez

"We have to pray for the opposition," she said.

Ahead of a Dec. 2 referendum on vast revisions to Venezuela's constitution,
this country has become even more polarized politically. Opponents of the
proposed changes, which would eliminate presidential term limits and promote
the government's ability to seize private property, have marched through
city streets in demonstrations that have turned violent.

At a recent pro-government march, Chavez threatened to raze "to the ground"
eastern Caracas, widely considered an opposition stronghold.

In Chavez's fight to bring Venezuelans into the fold of his "socialist
revolution," churches have become important battlegrounds. Many pastors here
say they avoid talking politics, but admit that the issues riveting the
nation don't stop at the church doors. The question has become not whether
to follow Christ, but whether to also follow Chavez.

The president routinely invokes religion. Last year, he celebrated his
reelection by reading a biblical passage describing the communal lifestyles
of first-century Christians. He has also frequently mentioned that his
revolution will create a "new man

"Chavez is a Christian, I have no doubt," said Carmelo Mlvarez, a Puerto
Rican preacher who has worked with pastors in Venezuela through the
Evangelical Pentecostal Union.

The Roman Catholic Church has long held the most sway in Venezuelan
politics, but Chavez has changed that, Mlvarez said. Now, Catholic leaders
are among Chavez's most outspoken critics, even though their congregants,
like much of the country, are politically divided.

Shortly after Chavez was first elected in 1998, he slashed state subsidies
to the Catholic Church -- by up to 80 percent, according to some estimates.

Chavez speaks often of his Catholic upbringing but now he extols the
benefits of many religions, including belief in Marma Lionza, an indigenous
saint with a growing cult following.

Three years ago, the Renacer Church, a Pentecostal congregation in downtown
Caracas, received nearly $100,000 for its nonprofit foundation from the
Chavez government, said pastor Jeszs Pirez.

Pirez expects more money from the government in the future. "The wealth in
Venezuela should be for everyone, not just for a small group," Pirez said.

In 2002, when the president won back control of the government after a
violent two-day coup, Pirez accepted an invitation to appear on state-run
television to revel in what he called the "divine intervention" that
restored a "free Venezuela."

"There is more freedom now for Christians than ever before," Pirez said
after dancing with his congregation for more than two hours during a Sunday
morning service.

Pirez insists he's never used his pulpit for politics, but said his church
members follow Chavez "because Chavez has recognized them."

The Rev. Samuel Olson, senior pastor at Las Acacias and head of the
Evangelical Council of Venezuela, suspects that Chavez's Bible-laced
rhetoric is an indication not of faith, but of political savvy.

"He's everything to everybody," Olson said. "He talks about Jesus, but he
also talks about Father Fidel" Castro.

Now, as Chavez encourages all Venezuelans to join the military reserves in
preparation for the day when the country must defend itself against forces
he labels "capitalist imperialists," Christians are struggling to come to
terms with their own faith and how it informs their political opinions.

"People are going through a profound questioning of their conscience," Olson
said.

Olson was born in Venezuela to American missionaries and has lived in
Caracas most of his life. Some have left his church because he is believed
to be an opposition leader -- a title Olson rejects.

The accusation stems from his participation in a memorial service for those
killed in the 2002 coup, he said. Olson stood on a platform used days before
for an opposition rally, "so I became opposition," he said.

Olson said he doesn't know how many people have left Las Acacias to avoid
the appearance of associating with the opposition.

"Those people are more politically inclined than being true to their own
faith," he said.

At the same time, upper-class Venezuelans, those characterized by Chavez as
the "oligarchy," tend to avoid evangelical churches, including Las Acacias,
because they fear being identified with the Chavista movement, which has
support from pro-government pastors such as Pirez.

"In these times, it's easy to despair," said Pilar Rottner, an American who
has lived in Venezuela for 23 years. Rottner has attended United Christian
Church in Caracas for the past two decades and has served as the church's
council president for the past four years.

Rottner said she prays for Chavez "constantly."

"I feel it helps make me a stronger Christian if I try not to feel any ill
will toward him," she said. "We have not felt any political pressure toward
our church, but we're also very careful to keep a low profile."

Olson's church, which boasts nearly 5,000 members, can't avoid the
spotlight. Already, Las Acacias is under surveillance, Olson said, its Web
site monitored and church leaders' phones tapped.

The church is preparing for a time when the government shuts its doors.
Already, members have divided themselves into groups based on where they
live. If the government shutters the church, each group will have its own
pastor and support staff. Las Acacias will be able to survive, Olson said.

"One has to be very sensitive because there are Christians who still believe
that the essence of this revolution is equality," he said. "But as the
picture unfolds, people are starting to ask questions."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/11/17/AR2007111700
838.html

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