Horizontes Verticais

Radical Generosity, Entrepreneurship, and the Echoes of a Missionary Culture My journey through America has been more than a geographic crossing. As I observed American daily life, I was struck by three pillars that uphold much of what I saw: quality of life, a culture of entrepreneurship, and financial education. But there’s something deeper that permeates all of this: a radical generosity that seems to echo an old missionary culture, as if the entire country were, in some way, on a mission. On this journey, I visited the state of Texas — the Lone Star State. Texas is, in itself, a global economic powerhouse. If it were an independent country, it would rank among the eight largest economies in the world, with a GDP surpassing that of entire nations. Within this giant, Houston stands out as a vibrant metropolis where innovation, infrastructure, and ambition intertwine. Houston is home to NASA’s operations center, the ultimate symbol of American scientific boldness, and also one of the ...

Churches, Multiculturalism, and Mission in Texas During my stay in the United States, I spent most of my time in the state of Texas, especially in the regions of Houston and Dallas. This choice was no coincidence: Texas strongly represents the so-called “Bible Belt,” but it’s also a space of intense cultural and urban diversity. It was in this environment that I immersed myself in a journey of observation, mentorship, and reflection on the American evangelical landscape. I was welcomed by two brothers I met back in Cuiabá, when I pastored youth: Bruno Zechin and Allan Velasques. Today, both are doing meaningful work in the U.S. Bruno serves as a chaplain and translator on the American rodeo circuit, providing pastoral care to a cowboy community and planting a church that is beginning to take root in the Dallas area. Allan, meanwhile, runs an ice cream shop in Houston focused on serving people with special needs, connecting his business to philanthropic projects and ministries like Broo...

The United States as the Country of Civil Society For eleven days, between August 2 and 13, 2025, I visited four metropolitan regions in the United States: Miami, Austin, Houston, and Dallas. This journey was more than a simple trip. It was a deep immersion into American culture, especially in what I consider its most defining trait: the strength of civil society. By choosing the title “Journey to America” for this series of reflections, I was inevitably reminded of the classic work by Alexis de Tocqueville, the French thinker who, in the 19th century, visited the United States and recorded his impressions in Democracy in America . Tocqueville was struck by the vigor of American society, its organizational capacity, and the active role citizens played in shaping public life. With due proportions — after all, I am a Brazilian theologian, not a French philosopher — my intention was also to look beyond the surface of the trip and turn this experience into reflection. What stood out most t...