AMAZON RIVER BASIN, Northwest Brazil – A profound spiritual transformation is unfolding in the Amazon.
For centuries, the Catholic Church held a near-monopoly in the region. Today, evangelical Christianity is reshaping the region’s spiritual fabric, leading to new converts and churches. CBN News traveled to Brazil’s northwest Amazon region to witness it firsthand for this exclusive report.
Linger on the banks of the Amazon River and you’ll uncover more than the rich tapestry of life amid the natural splendor.
For many, such as Ramos, the river isn’t just a backdrop; it’s a sanctuary.
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“My family and I all grew up here. My grandmother, grandfather and my parents lived and died in this house. I was born in this house and I’m also going to die here,” Ramos told CBN News.
As an 83-year-old resident of the Amazon River, Ramos refuses to trade his floating bamboo house for life in any Brazilian city.
“It’s so much cooler here than in the city. You cannot walk freely in the city. It’s very dangerous, many cars, many people. I’m free here. I keep my windows open. The doors are always open. At my age, I’ve never faced danger,” Ramos said.
Spanning more than 6 million square miles of South America, 60% of the Amazon rain forest is in northwest Brazil. The approximately 30 million Amazonians currently living here are experiencing an unprecedented evangelical revival.
“God is everything for me. God is my father and without Jesus I’m nothing,” Ramos told us.
Ramos epitomizes this spiritual shift.
Growing up Catholic, he remembers when the faith dominated his riverside community. Not anymore.
The Amazon River here in the northern part of Brazil is filled with hundreds of these small tributaries that in essence snake through the jungle, and over the many years evangelical Christians have been traversing these waters in an attempt to bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the Amazonian people.
“Those early days were definitely much, much more difficult than today,” said Josué Bengtson, pastor of Belem Foursquare Church.
Bengtson has spent decades traversing the river’s intricate network, first as a missionary then as a pastor spreading the evangelical message of salvation.
To read the full story, visit our content partners at CBN News.
Reprinted with permission from cbn.com. Copyright © 2024 The Christian Broadcasting Network Inc. All rights reserved.
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