Page 191 - Aesthetic Formations Media, religion, and the Sense

176 Maria José A. de Abreu

he often says, he realized “he was deviating from the divine path.” The
prospect of having Canção Nova’s existence become exclusively dependent
on external publicity seemed incompatible with the principle of immedi-
acy that underpins the pneumatic experience of Pentecost. In addition,
reliance on publicity revenues would draw in the opacities of mediation of
financial transactions associated with the conventional mechanisms of
advertisement. Besides, the risk of regressing into a noncommunitarian
based economy was high as a free-ride type of economy is likely to arise
when economic transactions take place between entities that are not bound
to a particular social network. Not to mention that the marriage between
Catholicism and marketing was still highly disapproved of in Brazil. So
Padre Jonas had to pull out. After a period of intensive prayer, he decided
to rescind all bonds with the local commerce with which he had been in
contact, and to turn down all the advertising campaigns and sales promo-
tions in place. He declared that from then on Canção Nova would live
exclusively from two sources: selling its own media productions and from
charity. Three months later, he created a donators club membership: “The
Audio-Club” (Clube-do- Ouvinte).

The Audio-Club

The Audio-Club became the heart of the community. Since 1990 Canção
Nova transmits a live TV and radio program called “Wednesday Mass of
the Audio-Club.” The event is supposed to be a ceremony exclusively ded-
icated to the donors and Arrecadadores of Canção Nova. On 7 November
2001, I attended the mass service in the camp. The ceremony was con-
ducted in a hangar with a capacity of about hundred people. On a smaller
scale, the building had the same features described earlier of the main han-
gar Rincão do Meu Senhor: a wall intercepted by a rugged tracery of iron-
work. The space’s inbuilt openness air-conditioned the place. The
well-known Padre Edmilson conducted the ceremony, opening the ritual
with the sound of an organ that kited the voice of a young female singer.

The priest warmly welcomed the audiences and asked them to tune to
channel Canção Nova as one “tunes to the Holy Spirit.” Padre Edmilson
acted like a phone operator switching the flows of spiritual “energy” from
one element to another.

P.E.: I am placing my hands on you [laying his hand toward the TV cam-
era]. Yes, Jesus reaches my brother (. . .) Now I want you to touch your
brother standing next to you with your left arm, while your right hand