Justiça pública: Brazil

On saturday, 21 March, I was privileged to address remotely a network of Christian professionals engaged in public life in Brazil. This was under the auspices of Justiça Pública, a new organization established "To promote public justice for all Brazilians through a faithful, courageous, and constructive Christian presence in the public sphere." One of the inspirations behind this effort is the 49-year-old Center for Public Justice, on whose board of trustees I currently serve. Here is a description from an electronic English-language brochure I received last year:

Justiça Pública is a nonpartisan Christian think tank that develops leadership, conducts research, and proposes a constructive way of doing politics in Brazil.

Brazil is undergoing a profound demographic transformation, with the rapid growth of evangelicals, while at the same time facing a crisis in its political practices—marked by radicalism, polarization, and constructive paralysis [sic]. In this context, God has called us to propose an alternative: a long-term vision built by Christians with genuine commitment to the faith, above and beyond any ideology.

The group's mission: "By 2034, to build a public agenda for Brazil, articulated by the Justiça Pública network, as a national project for the coming decades." My name is listed amongst the advisors for the group. Accordingly, Danilo Erly and Victor de Camilo, who are leading this effort, invited me several months ago to speak to a group of professionals about my most recent book, Citizenship Without Illusions. I happily accepted this opportunity to connect once again with readers in that country.

I had to get up fairly early on the day scheduled, as the event began at 9 am in Brazil, which is an hour ahead of us. I spent the first hour talking about my own personal journey growing into adult citizenship. The second hour I spent responding to questions from my audience. I was favourably impressed by the calibre of the participants, including a PhD in political science and numerous officials and public servants, especially at the local level. As some of them reported feeling alone and isolated as Christians in their respective positions, I commended them for establishing a national network enabling them to connect with others in similar circumstances, and I tried to offer as much encouragement as I could.

I was gratified to hear so many of the participants express their appreciation for my work and for my writings. This gives me some hope that my latest book will be translated into Portuguese and published in Brazil for the benefit of that and other lusophone countries. 

All in all, it was a wonderful experience, reinforcing my deep affection for Brazil's people. Que Deus abençoe o trabalho da Justiça Pública! May God bless the work of Justiça Pública!