Zambia has a strong tradition of Christian in\ufb02uence and the church has grown signi\ufb01cantly in the past 25 years. In 1991 former President Frederick Chiluba openly dedicated Zambia to God as a Christian nation. However,

while 50-70% of Zambians, including 60% of political leaders, consider themselves Christians, few are able to bridge the gap between a private life of faith and their public life. Biblical principles have not been applied to Zambia\u2019s civic arena. Christians today lead key areas of political life, holding instrumental positions in several political parties. Foundational Christian values such as speaking truth, accountability (transparency), pursuing justice and loving God and one\u2019s neighbor, o\ufb00er a basis on which national Christian leaders can stand. However, their political party agendas often take precedence and \u2018the good of all others\u2019 becomes secondary.1 Christianity, thus, has struggled to produce authentic lifestyle changes, perhaps best evidenced in Chiluba\u2019s arrest on corruption charges in 2003 and the fact that Zambia is among the most corrupt nations in the world (occupying place number 111 of 163 countries according to Transparency International).\ue000e lack of transformational impact of the Gospel in the country can also be seen in Zambia\u2019s poverty and AIDS indices: In the late 1960s, after its independence in 1964, Zambia was the world\u2019s third largest copper producer. Four decades later, after struggling through its colonial legacy, the collapse of world copper prices, mismanagement and debt, Zambia has become one of the world\u2019s poorest nations.\ue000ree-quarters of Zambia\u2019s population live on less than $1 USD a day, according to World Bank \ufb01gures. What\u2019s more, AIDS is ravaging Zambian economic, political, cultural and social development, and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future, the U.S. State Department says. In urban areas, HIV/AIDS is estimated as high as 23.1 percent and life expectancy fell from 50 years in 1987 to 37 in 2002 as a result of the pandemic. Only four years ago have Christian politicians and pastors begun to concertedly address the challenge posed by the AIDS crisis. While its response to the disease is late, the Zambian government has \ufb01nally shown increased willingness to confront HIV, indicated by the formation of the National AIDS Council to \ufb01ght the disease and support infected people.

Compared to other Latin American countries where non-Catholic congregations are often small, hidden away on back streets and decidedly not in\ufb02uential, the church is Brazil is almost brazen in its visibility and self-promotion. From one or more churches on every block in some sectors of Rio de Janeiro to billboards for a Christian bookstore overlooking downtown Sao Paulo\u2019s

popular central square; from numerous radio and television stations broadcasting \ufb01ery sermons around the clock to glaring neon signs proclaiming \u201cAssemblies of God\u201d atop the largest buildings in some rural towns, Brazilians are \ufb01lling churches as fast as they can open and sharing their faith in a way that would put fellow believers in other countries to shame. Today over 22% of the population is evangelical, up from just 5.7% in 1970.2 Many are attracted to Christianity by dynamic worship services and the emphasis on a personal relationship with God. For the majority, faith remains a private a\ufb00air though; their devotion playing out at church and at home. A growing number, however, have ventured into the public arena: As of 2004, more than 60 evangelicals are serving in congress, 10% of Brazil's nearly 600-member congress.3

While some evangelical politicians have sought to bring higher ethics and social justice issues to the forefront, especially Pentecostal politicians have acquired a reputation for conservatism, moralism, and (in some cases) corruption. In all the scandals which have rocked Brazilian politics in recent years, Protestants have been involved. Indeed, a disproportionately large number of Pentecostal and evangelical congress members are under investigation since early 2006 for a contract kickback scandal.

What\u2019s most unfortunate, not only politicians but also denominational leaders, charities and organizations claiming to speak in the name of all evangelicals have been implicated, badly damaging the public image of the evangelical community.4

While a growing number of evangelicals are seeking to address social issues such as a rising crime rate, poverty and the new landless peasant movement, most churches continue to be solely focused on saving souls for heaven. Violence, poverty, exclusion, and corruption remain constant themes in everyday Brazilian life: 22% of the country\u2019s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is taken through corruption. Roughly 30% of the population continues to live under the poverty line, seeking to survive each day anew under desperate conditions.