Rape Culture in Pastoral Discourses: An Analysis of Women in the Evangelical Religious Context
Sexual violence against women, often legitimized by cultural and pastoral discourses, remains an alarming problem in Brazil. The concept of “rape culture” encompasses a set of beliefs, behaviors, and discourses that normalize and excuse sexual violence, often shifting blame onto those who experience it and protecting the aggressor, according to Judith Herman (1992).
In the evangelical context, religious leaders play a unique role in shaping values and beliefs, influencing both individual behaviors and social structures. However, in certain cases, the language adopted by pastors not only reflects unequal gender norms, but also reinforces them, contributing to the perpetuation of a culture of female submission and violence.
To understand this problem, we examine how evangelical sermons can favor the naturalization of abuse by reinforcing male authority and female obedience. The analysis focused on two examples: a Pentecostal pastor who holds a five-year-old child responsible for the abuse she suffered and another a neo-Pentecostal pastor who eroticizes family relationships.
Based on teachings disseminated on social media, it was observed — through critical discourse analysis of these materials — that these discourses not only perpetuate power inequalities and stigmatize women who experience sexual violence, but also naturalize female submission, creating conditions for the continuation of rape culture in faith communities. Thus, we sought to understand the social and theological implications of these speeches.
Speeches that legitimate violence
The language used by religious leaders has a great influence on the direction of evangelical communities, and is often used as a moral reference. However, when pastoral language legitimizes or minimizes acts of violence, the impact on women is devastating.
In the case of Pastor Jonas Felício Pimentel[1], his speech that attributes blame to the child victim of sexual abuse introduces a perspective of accountability that diverts the focus from the aggressor. Statements such as “the child is also to blame” reveal a discourse that normalizes violence, transforming the victim into an accomplice in her own pain. This stance weakens reports and discourages people from confronting abuse, perpetuating silence and impunity.
On the other hand, in Pastor Lucinho Barreto’s [2]sermon, when he refers to his own daughter as a “big woman” and mentions that he has kissed her on the mouth, we can see the use of a discourse that eroticizes the female figure since childhood. This language reflects an objectification that is not limited to the private sphere, but is echoed in the construction of social norms that subordinate women and girls. The examples above show how apparently harmless discourses can, in practice, sustain a culture of abuse and control over female bodies, reinforcing patriarchal patterns that hinder gender equality.
The power of religious language
Pastoral language has a transformative capacity, and can both encourage and subjugate. According to Pierre Bourdieu (2022), the symbolic power of language lies in its ability to legitimize unequal relationships. In the religious context, pastoral leadership often acts as guardians of morality, using discourse as a tool to control and maintain patriarchal norms.
In Jonas Pimentel’s sermon, victim blaming exemplifies this dynamic, in which women, and even children, are conditioned to accept responsibility for violent acts committed against them. Ivone Gebara (1992), in her reflections on feminist theology, warns of the way in which religious tradition often values female submission, silencing voices that could challenge structural violence.
Similarly, Pastor Lucinho’s speech illustrates how seemingly banal narratives can reinforce the idea that the female body is subject to male control and judgment. This stance, even if unconscious, contributes to the maintenance of a culture of violence that goes beyond the limits of the religious environment.
Amplification of discourse on social media
With the advancement of digital technologies, the impact of pastoral discourse has expanded. Today, sermons are no longer limited to the physical space of churches, but reach thousands of people through live broadcasts, videos, and social media. While this expansion offers the opportunity to question traditional practices and propose new narratives, it often also reinforces conservative norms and problematic discourses.
The statements made by Jonas and Lucinho, shared on digital platforms, exemplify how rape culture can be amplified when there is no critical filter on what is shared. According to Castells (2011), the communicative power of social networks shapes ideologies and behaviors, and can be both a force of resistance and an instrument for reproducing inequalities. The massive reach of problematic religious discourses on social media highlights the need for more critical monitoring of the content disseminated by religious leaders, especially when it directly influences vulnerable groups, such as women.
Towards a new religious practice
The study of the discourses analyzed highlights how pastoral language needs to be reformulated to avoid the perpetuation of patriarchal structures and a culture of violence. Religious leaders have an ethical and spiritual responsibility to combat narratives that reinforce oppression and to promote messages that value human dignity and gender equality.
A central proposal would be to encourage theological training with an emphasis on feminist and decolonial perspectives, which allow the deconstruction of hegemonic patterns and the construction of more inclusive discourses. As Gebara (1992) points out, theology has the potential to be a space of resistance and transformation, capable of breaking with oppressive structures and creating a new relational ethic. It is essential that social media be used to amplify voices that question the normalization of violence, promoting a critical and inclusive dialogue.
The responsibility for deconstructing abusive narratives must be shared by religious leaders, believers, faithful women and society as a whole. Faith communities can create spaces for dialogue, resistance and re-readings of biblical texts, with attention to the historical context, contributing to a collective transformation that challenges the normalization of gender violence.
Through an approach that combined feminist theology, gender studies and thematic analysis, the sermons analyzed are worrying examples of how religious discourses can contribute to supporting a culture of abuse. However, they also highlight the need for a review of pastoral practices and a broader reflection on the role of religion in the construction of values on the subject. The promotion of gender equality and respect for human dignity must be central pillars of any religious discourse that aspires to social justice. The fight against rape culture is, therefore, a collective challenge that requires courage to question traditional structures and a commitment to building new narratives based on inclusion, respect and equality.
[1] Jonas Felicio Pimentel, evangelical pastor, leader of the Tavernaculo da Fé congregation in Goiânia – Goiás
[2] Pastor of the Lagoinha Baptist Church, in Minas Gerais
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© Janaína Freitas, 2025.
This work is licensed under Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0).
Cover image: “Lesotho women protesting violence against women at a National Women’s Day protest at National University of Lesotho” by K. Kendall, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.
Pastor, theologian and researcher. She is a student of Religious Studies at the Methodist University of São Paulo, where she also completed her M.A. and B.A. in Theology. She is a member of the Gender and Religion study group Mandrágora and a member of the Rede Brasileira de Teólogas (Brazilian Network of Women Theologians).
