Silas Lima Malafaia (born 14 September 1958) is a Brazilian

Pentecostal Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

pastor, author and

televangelist Televangelism (from ''televangelist'', a blend of ''television'' and ''evangelist'') and occasionally termed radio evangelism or teleministry, denotes the utilization of media platforms, notably radio and television, for the marketing of relig ...

, who also has a degree in

Psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

. He is the leader of the

Pentecostal church Pentecostalism or classical Pentecostalism is a movement within the broader Evangelical wing of Protestantism, Protestant Christianity that emphasizes direct personal experience of God in Christianity, God through Baptism with the Holy Spirit#Cl ...

''Assembleia de Deus Vitória em Cristo'' (Assembly of God Victory in Christ), a branch of the broader

Assembleias de Deus The Assembleias de Deus () are a Pentecostalism, Pentecostal church in Brazil founded by Daniel Berg (evangelist), Daniel Berg and Gunnar Vingren, who came to Brazil as missionaries from the Swedish Pentecostal Movement, Swedish Pentecostal mov ...

movement of Pentecostal churches in Brazil. He is also the CEO of the publishing company, and vice president of the Interdenominational Council of Evangelical Ministers of Brazil (CIMEB), which is made up of approximately 8.500 ministers and leaders from almost all Brazilian evangelical denominations. Malafaia was born in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. He is well known for his political work and strong opposition to the promotion of homosexuality in society and

Abortion Law Abortion laws vary widely among countries and territories, and have changed over time. Such laws range from abortion being freely available on request, to regulation or restrictions of various kinds, to outright prohibition in all circumstances ...

, as well as for defending the

Prosperity theology Prosperity theology (sometimes referred to as the prosperity gospel, the health and wealth gospel, the gospel of success, seed-faith gospel, Faith movement, or Word-Faith movement) is a belief among some Charismatic Christians that financial bl ...

. In the elections of 2012, he was the evangelical political canvasser of the candidate

José Serra José Serra Chirico (; born 19 March 1942) is a Brazilian politician who has served as a Congressman, Senator, Minister of Planning, Minister of Health, Mayor of São Paulo, Governor of São Paulo state, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Brazil) ...

to the city council of

São Paulo São Paulo (; ; Portuguese for 'Paul the Apostle, Saint Paul') is the capital of the São Paulo (state), state of São Paulo, as well as the List of cities in Brazil by population, most populous city in Brazil, the List of largest cities in the ...

and helped to elect 24 mayors and 16 city councilmen in seven states. In the elections of 2014, Malafaia campaigned for

Aécio Neves Aécio Neves da Cunha (; born 10 March 1960) is a Brazilian economist, politician and former president of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). He was the 17th List of Governors of Minas Gerais, Governor of Minas Gerais from 1 January 20 ...

to the Presidency of Brazil. In the 2018 election Malafaia endorsed eventual winner

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and former military officer who served as the 38th president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. He previously served as a member of Brazil's Chamber of Deputies (Brazil), Chamb ...

. The documentary ' Apocalypse in the Tropics' (2024) shows Malafaia to have had a defining influence on Bolsanaro, while mustering support from Brasil's evangelical movement, in the path to Bolsanaro losing the 2022 presidential elections and in the

protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

and attempted insurrection that followed. According to a 2013 ''

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'' magazine publication, Malafaia's total net worth is estimated at US$150 million. However, he denied the information in the talkshow ', in which he affirmed that his wealth revolved around R$6 million (approximately US$1.6 million). Viewed as a staunch

conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

, Malafaia is a polarizing and controversial figure in Brazil. He is often accused of fomenting

hate speech Hate speech is a term with varied meaning and has no single, consistent definition. It is defined by the ''Cambridge Dictionary'' as "public speech that expresses hate or encourages violence towards a person or group based on something such as ...

, being known for his strong opposition to

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

and

abortion Abortion is the early termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. Abortions that occur without intervention are known as miscarriages or "spontaneous abortions", and occur in roughly 30–40% of all pregnan ...

. His critics accuse him of being a bigot and a homophobe, which he denies.

List of publications

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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Malafaia, Silas 1958 births Living people Brazilian Assemblies of God pastors Brazilian anti-communists Brazilian anti-same-sex-marriage activists Brazilian evangelicals Brazilian Pentecostals Brazilian television evangelists Brazilian Christian religious leaders Brazilian anti-abortion activists Conservatism in Brazil Protestantism in Brazil Prosperity theologians