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Universal Church of the Kingdom of God

"UCKG" redirects here. For the U.K. Gambling Commission (UKGC), see Gambling Commission.
Universal Church of the Kingdom of God
Logo version in Portuguese
ClassificationEvangelical Protestant
OrientationNeo-charismatic[1]
TheologyNeo-charismatic theology
LeaderEdir Macedo
Region128 countries in 2019
HeadquartersTemple of Solomon, São Paulo, Brazil
FounderEdir Macedo
OriginJuly 9, 1977; 47 years ago (1977-07-09)
Members1.8M - 7M (in Brazil), 3M - 8.2M (worldwide)[2][3][4]
Official websitewww.universal.org

The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG; Portuguese: Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus; Spanish: Iglesia Universal del Reino de Dios, IURD) is an international Evangelical[5] Neo-charismatic Christian denomination with its headquarters at the Temple of Solomon in São Paulo, Brazil. The church was founded in 1977 in Rio de Janeiro by Bishop Edir Macedo,[6] who is the owner (since 1989) of the multi-billion television company RecordTV.[7]

In 1999 the UCKG claimed to have 8 million members in Brazil and was already considered a "commercial church".[8] The denomination had established temples in the United Kingdom and in Africa and India, claiming a total of more than 12 million members worldwide that year.[9][10] By 2013, the UCKG had congregations in New York City, and—according to the UCKG's website in the United States—as of 2019 had more than 300 congregations in 33 U.S. states.[11] The church supported Jair Bolsonaro for president in the 2018 Brazilian general election,[12] which he won.

The UCKG has been accused of cult-like[13][14][15][16] illegal activities and corruption, including money laundering,[17] charlatanism,[18][7][19] and witchcraft,[7] as well as intolerance towards other religions.[20][21] There have also been accusations that the church extracts money from poor members for the benefit of its leaders.[22] In 2000, a London-based UCKG pastor arranged an exorcism which resulted in the death of a child and the conviction of her guardians for murder.[23][24] The UCKG has been subject to bans in several African countries. In 2017 it was alleged to have been adopting children in Portugal and taking them abroad illegally.

In 2022 complaints by ex-UCKG members in the U.K. led to criticism, an investigation interviewing more than 30 former members published in The Guardian,[25] and the opening of an investigation by the Charity Commission into the UCKG's registration as a charity.[26] The BBC reported in 2023 that it recorded London based UCKG Bishop James Marques claiming mental health conditions could be helped by casting out demons and that epilepsy is a "spiritual problem". They also reported that a member underwent "strong prayers" at age 13 to make him heterosexual.[27] The BBC broadcast a 30-minute documentary titled "The Billionaire Bishop and the Global Megachurch" as part of the BBC Panorama series.[28]

  1. ^ van de Kamp, Linda (2012). "Afro-Brazilian Pentecostal Re-formations of Relationships Across Two Generations of Mozambican Women" (PDF). Journal of Religion in Africa. 42 (4): 440–441. doi:10.1163/15700666-12341240. ISSN 0022-4200. S2CID 146737786. The Brazilian churches can be placed in what has been referred to as a global 'third wave' of Pentecostalism or neo-Pentecostalism that started in the 1970s
  2. ^ Leal, Luciana Nunes; Thomé e do Rio, Clarissa (29 June 2012). "Igreja Universal perde quase 230 mil fiéis em dez anos" [Universal Church loses almost 230 thousand faithful in ten years] (in Portuguese). Estadão.
  3. ^ Siqueira, Domingos (10 November 2015). "Artigo: 105 bandeiras para 8 milhões". Correio do Povo (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 17 November 2015.
  4. ^ "Adherents.com: Largest Religious Bodies". Adherents.com. Archived from the original on August 19, 1999. Retrieved 13 September 2018.
  5. ^ "Welcome to Universal Church". UCKG. Retrieved 30 August 2021. The Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (UCKG) is a contemporary, evangelical, biblically-based church
  6. ^ "Bispo Edir Macedo é indiciado por lavagem de dinheiro" [Bishop Edir Macedo indicted for money-laundering]. O Globo (in Portuguese). 12 August 2009. Archived from the original on 23 March 2023.
  7. ^ a b c André Ricardo de Souza (2005). Igreja in concert: padres cantores, mídia e marketing [The Church in concert: fathers, cantors, media and marketing] (in Portuguese). Annablume. p. 25. ISBN 978-85-7419-513-1. "in 1992 Edir Macedo was imprisoned accused of charlatanism, quackery, and larceny by fraud"
  8. ^ Cabral, Paulo (1 September 2011). Brazil's multinational 'commercial church'. BBC News (2'39" video).
  9. ^ Roberta Paixão (11 March 1999). "O sucessor de Edir Macedo" [The successor of Macedo]. Veja (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 29 May 2008. Retrieved 18 July 2011.
  10. ^ "JACOB, C.R.; HEES, D.R.; WANIEZ, P.; BRUSTLEIN, V. Atlas da Filiação Religiosa e Indicadores Sociais no Brasil, São Paulo: PUC-Rio - Edições Loyola, 2003. ISBN 85-15-02719-4"
  11. ^ Brasil, SoulDigital. "Universal USA". Universal USA. Retrieved 2019-05-30.
  12. ^ "Edir Macedo declara apoio a Bolsonaro" [Edir Macedo declares support for Bolsonaro]. UOL - Eleições 2018 (UOL - 2018 elections) (in Brazilian Portuguese). 30 September 2018.
  13. ^ "Controversial church branded a 'dangerous cult' planning on coming to Belfast". Belfast Telegraph. 2023-04-02.
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference South London News 2022 b479 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ "UNIVERSAL CHURCH OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD (What you need to know)". Cultdatabase.com. 2023-04-02.
  16. ^ "Igreja Universal do Reino de Deus". ACI Digital. 2023-04-02.
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference fraud was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ Cite error: The named reference portugal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  19. ^ Cite error: The named reference Lima2008 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference frayssinet was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference vida was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference lorenzo was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference Victoria's life of horror was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference climbiereport was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ Cite error: The named reference mcclenaghan was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  26. ^ Cite error: The named reference ccinvestigat was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  27. ^ Mark, Katie (11 December 2023). "UCKG: Church pastor tells boy 'evil spirit' hides in him". BBC News. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  28. ^ The Billionaire Bishop and the Global Megachurch (Television production). BBC Panorama. 11 December 2023. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
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