How Venezuela's Church Is Challenging Hugo Chávez

Although Christians are sharply divided by politics, a growing number of believers are speaking out against their socialist president.

Depending on who you talk to in Caracas, President Hugo Chávez is either a socialist messiah or a demonic tyrant. He quotes the Bible yet he incites violence. He talks of liberating the poor and enjoys their support, yet he is best friends with the world’s dictators—including Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

You might expect most Venezuelan Christians to be united against Chávez, but that is hardly the case. In fact, in a nation where Pentecostal churches have grown rapidly in recent years, believers are evenly divided by the man who once denounced George W. Bush as a “devil.” Many Pentecostals are in fact chavistas, the label used for Chávez’ hard-core fans.