Snowball Church, Daniel Lopez and the Pitfall of an Occultist
How a minister at the Snowball Church headquarters apostatized from the evangelical faith to embrace Olavo de Carvalho’s fascist esotericism
By
Julio
Severo
One
of the most bizarre things is to see some Catholics defending the Inquisition
today, when even the popes — from John Paul 2 to Francis — have already
distanced themselves from this defense and even apologized for the crimes of
the Inquisition. It’s as bizarre as seeing a college professor defending the
atrocities of communism.
 |
| Daniel Lopez selling the book The Inquisition — A Court of Mercy |
Among
the “interesting” books promoted by this minister is “The
Inquisition — A Court of Mercy,”
as if torturing, humiliating and killing publicly were an act of mercy,
considering that the “crime” of both Jewish and Protestant
victims was only to have different religious views from the binding doctrines
of the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages.
To
say that the Inquisition was a court of mercy is to say that Satan is the
father of mercies.
Daniel
Lopez, who is identified by himself on his website as minister of the Snowball
(Bola de Neve) Church at its headquarters in the city of São Paulo, Brazil, has
a virtual store called “Daniel Lopez Bookstore” in which he makes available
several books defending the Inquisition.
The
advocacy of the Inquisition has become such a sick obsession among right-wing
fascist Catholics that they say the Inquisition “suffers
slander” just like Trump does!
It is a “creativity” worthy of the evilest mind.
I
don’t know if Lopez is doing this because the Snowball Church, which is one of
Sao Paulo’s largest neo-Pentecostal denominations and a church contextualized
for surfers and young people, is embracing Catholic fascism with its immoral
baggage of defending the Inquisition.
I
do not know if Lopez left his prestigious post as a minister and left his
denomination, as Snowball did not issue any statement about the spiritual state
of its minister, who held or holds one of the most important posts at the
denominational headquarters in São Paulo.
On
Lopez’s Facebook fanpage, there is total silence about his recent pastoral
activities and for the past six months he has not posted anything about Snowball,
although he posted a little last year.
What’s
on his fanpage is too much political and politicized speech. His fanpage has
been soaked from the start with political content that in no way contributes to
the salvation and edification of souls.
His
most recent post shows him at the Brazilian Embassy
in Washington posing with astrologer Olavo de Carvalho, at the ceremony in
which the astrologer received the highest award from the Brazilian government.
Lopez comments: “Undoubtedly, a day that came into history.”
 |
| Daniel Lopez and Olavo de Carvalho |
Glorifying
at the Brazilian Embassy the greatest revisionist of the
Inquisition in Brazil
is a tremendous slap in the face of Jews, evangelicals and historians.
As
an Olavist (adherent of Olavo), Lopez was delighted with the award for the
astrologer, not unlike Foreign Minister Ernesto Araújo, who, knowing on April
that a mesmerized Jair Bolsonaro would award their guru, immediately compared
Bolsonaro with Jesus Christ.
This
was not Lopez’s first meeting with the astrologer. He was at the astrologer’s
house last April in an interview with the theme “How to defeat the
left” — when in fact he needed a deep discipleship of “How to defeat occult
influences in a pastor’s life.” If these influences are not defeated, the
pastor obviously converts to these influences.
Although
now on his website Lopez is keen to sell Catholic books, Holy Week, which is highly revered
by Catholics, has been transformed by Lopez as “Olavo
de Carvalho Week,”
in which he promoted the astrologer’s books.
The
“Daniel Lopez Bookstore” offers Catholic books, from Catholic apologetics to an
entire section that Lopez dedicated to the “Most
Holy Mary.”
His
bookstore also sells several books of Scott Hahn telling his testimony of how he left
the Presbyterian Church to become Catholic. Today, Hahn is a Catholic
theologian.
What
does Lopez intend with all this? Does he want ministers to do what he did, to
abandon evangelical churches to embrace Olavist fascism disguised as
Catholicism?
Interestingly,
Lopez doesn’t sell evangelical books, even from Snowball!
Since
Snowball has issued no statement, it is difficult to know if Lopez remains as a
minister and if Snowball is also going through this strange transition. If
Snowball did not approve of Lopez’s Olavist transition, then the question is:
What kind of discipleship do they offer that does not resist the occult
brainwashing of an astrologer?
Seeing
one of its greatest ministers fall into the occult hole of Olavism is an
immense humiliation.
Before
Catholics celebrate a possible conversion of Lopez to Catholicism, the Daniel
Lopez Bookstore also offers books of Eastern religions, such as Zhao Bichén’s “Taoist Inner
Training,” and Lao Tse’s “Tao Te Ching: The Book of Revelation.” Not to mention
that no real Catholic turns Holy Week into “Olavo de Carvalho Week.”
If
books sold by the Daniel Lopez Bookstore indicate Lopez’s conversion, it was
not only Catholicism that was benefited. Eastern religions too. Such a result
is perfectly expected in adherents of astrologer Carvalho. They engage in
syncretic Catholicism with its traditional blend of esotericism and the occult.
The pope of this Catholicism is the astrologer himself.
From
the standpoint of evangelicalism, Lopez is not well, even though he has a
history of being a minister of one of the largest evangelical churches in Sao
Paulo. Defending the Inquisition and Eastern religions is 100 percent
incompatible with evangelicalism. But it is perfectly compatible with religious
fascism.
From
the standpoint of Catholicism, Lopez is not well, although he is defending Most
Holy Mary. Defending Eastern religions is 100 percent incompatible with
Catholicism. And defending the Inquisition is a stance only compatible with
medieval and fascist Catholics, not with modern popes, much less with Jewish
and Protestant historians.
Lopez’s
passion for Carvalho is leading him to immense nonsense.
In
the philosophy book section of “Daniel Lopez Bookstore,” Olavo de Carvalho’s
books occupy prominence.
His
present appearance of Catholic devotion is sheer illusion. If today he can make
Holy Week into “Olavo de Carvalho Week,” what would the surprise be if he ever
mumbles that Carvalho was crucified, killed and resurrected on the third day?
Lopez
never seems to have paid due attention to what God’s Word says about the charms
of philosophy:
“See
to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy,
which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this
world rather than on Christ.” (Colossians 2:8 NIV)
“Make
sure no predator makes you his prey through some misleading philosophy and
empty deception based on traditions fabricated by mere mortals. These are
sourced in the elementary principles originating in this world and not in the
Anointed One (so don’t let their talks capture you).” (Colossians 2:8 The Voice
Bible)
Even
Lopez’s politics-soaked speech is fraught with misinterpretation. Following the
astrologer, in 2018 he praised Ricardo Vélez’s appointment as minister of
Education in Brazil. It was a terrible indication from the astrologer and
supported by Lopez, because at that time I warned that Velez was a fan of
leftist Hillary Clinton and Trump’s opponent. If Lopez had read my blog, he would
not have fallen into the astrologer’s mistake or flattered his misinformation.
President
Jair Bolsonaro himself eventually fired Velez for incompetence.
Lopez
also flattered the astrologer’s indication in 2018 of Ernesto Araújo as foreign
minister. It was a terrible indication from the astrologer and supported by
Lopez, because at that time I warned that Araújo
publicly praises Julius Evola,
who inspired Nazism and fascism with his books
defending the right and witchcraft at the same time. If Lopez had read my blog, he would
not have fallen into the astrologer’s mistake or flattered his misinformation.
Before
cessationist Calvinists, the so-called “Reformed,” proclaim that Lopez’s
spiritual confusion is the result of neo-Pentecostalism, at the astrologer’s
ceremony at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington was Dr. Steve Turley, a
Reformed American. At the very least, Turley’s personal Facebook page makes a
point of showing prominently that he studied theology at the Reformed
Theological Seminary.
 |
| Olavo de Carvalho and Steve Turley |
If
it was a piece of propaganda, it worked. Reformed
Turley ended up interviewing Carvalho.
But if he reads “The glorification of Olavo de
Carvalho at the Brazilian Embassy in Washington D.C.,” he will surely understand a lot.
That’s why I publish so much information in English about Carvalho. Americans
do not understand the mire of confusion that is in and around Carvalho.
The
fact is that Carvalho, who has already totally confused Lopez’s head, is now
seeking to confuse the heads of American Reformed Christians.
Thanks
to the enchantment and smooth talk of Carvalho, neo-Pentecostals and Reformed
Christians have fallen into the same pitfall of confusion.
These
are predictable falls when a Christian reads more books by Carvalho or
recommended by him than the Bible.
These
are predictable falls when a Christian focuses more on Carvalho and his occult
conspiracies than on Jesus Christ and His Word.
Amateur
and shallow ministers who think that everything that is praised in the right
have automatic support from God need to read the Bible again. They need a
conversion. Carvalho’s bifurcated tongue is a
danger to amateurs.
I
have warned Brazilian evangelicals about Carvalho’s dark spiritual influence.
Evangelicals who follow him are so enchanted and dumbed down by his bifurcated
smooth talk that they eventually place political affairs above God’s Word and
fellowship with Jesus. The end result is predictable: a minister of a large
neo-Pentecostal denomination serving as a doormat of propaganda for an
astrologer’s hidden and occult interests, including the immoral advocacy of the
Inquisition. Indeed, there are already several ministers, both Reformed and
Pentecostal, who have drifted away from the Gospel to follow Olavist fascism.
Facing
Carvalho’s smooth talk and enchantment is not for amateurs, including amateur
ministers. Marco Feliciano, who is one of the greatest ministers in the
Assemblies of God in Brazil and a congressman, can be one of the greatest
amateur ministers when it comes to dealing with an occultist’s smooth talk.
Ministers
are still deluded, and converting, even after the astrologer said that “the
evangelical churches have done more harm to Brazil than the entire left.” Of
course, he knows this is a blatant lie, but he spreads it to try to defeat what
he sees as the sole competitor for his desired glory: to be held solely
responsible for the anti-Marxist resistance in Brazil.
One
of the last and only sermons of Lopez at Snowball headquarters in Sao Paulo, as
recorded on his Facebook fanpage, was about the devil. Lopez quoted in his message: “Be sober and
watchful. The devil, your adversary, walks about like a roaring lion seeking
someone to devour.” (1 Peter 5:8).
Through
the charms of Carvalho’s occult-esoteric philosophy, the devil walked more and
more around Lopez. What he preached to others he could not apply to himself.
A
single astrologer, adherent of Guénon, was sufficient for Lopez to be devoured.
In
2013, Lopez published his book “The
Biblical Vision of Catholicism.”
Lopez himself presented his book saying:
“The
Biblical Vision of Catholicism provides a manual on how to confront Catholic
doctrine through Scripture, and how to answer the questions posed by its
adherents. Today, more than ever, this knowledge is fundamental, because the
Church of Rome is, for the first time, under the leadership of a member of the
Society of Jesus, an order created to stop the advance of Protestantism in the
world. It is therefore a powerful tool for anyone who wishes to heed Jesus’
call and defend sound doctrine in these troubled times.”
By
getting Interested in the astrologer’s anti-Marxist “philosophical” discourse,
Lopez was led not only to value the doctrine of the Most Holy Mary, but also
the Inquisition, Taoism, and Carvalho himself, who became his main
“philosophical” and spiritual reference.
If
anti-Marxist speech could turn a man into a saint, the holiest of all would be Catholic Adolf Hitler, who had an
anti-Marxist speech that deceived millions of Catholics. And let not Lopez and other
Olavists tell me that Hitler was neither Catholic nor anti-Marxist, for Julius Evola, who advised Nazism,
is praised by such Olavists as Ernesto Araújo. More than that, Evola was the
greatest disciple of the Islamic occultist René Guénon, who is the guru of
several “Catholics” deified by right-wing populism, including Steve Bannon and
Carvalho.
The
resurgence of admiration for Evola is a Brazilian phenomenon occurring only
within Carvalho’s movement. Only people affected by Olavo de Carvalho’s ideas
end up praising Evola. Even affected evangelicals succumb. On May 2019, evangelical
writer Thiago Cortes quoted
a statement from Evola: “Be radical, have principles, be absolute, be what the
bourgeoisie calls extremist.” It is a right-wing statement made by a right-winger
with Nazi ties.
Cortes
has a history as a columnist of major Brazilian evangelical websites such as
GospelPrime and GospelMais. On early 2016, I scolded him for cursing foul-mouthed
Carvalho. But later, the curses turned into a passion for Carvalho. Today,
everything about Cortes’s rightism, including Evola, is Carvalho’s influence.
Cortes’s passion for Carvalho has guaranteed him a high political job: He
has become Secretary General of the Liberal Social Party in Sao
Paulo, Brazil, where the boss is Eduardo Bolsonaro, who is the son of the
Brazilian president. One of the things Eduardo does most is propagandizing Carvalho.
The result of the meeting of two similar propagandists was Cortes getting a
very well-paid political job. As long as he goes on flattering Carvalho, his
job is guaranteed.
He
changed from evangelical writer who criticized Carvalho to well-paid political
activist fawning over Carvalho and Evola. With this, the Kingdom of God
suffered loss, and the kingdom of political darkness gained. The intellectual
submission of evangelicals to Carvalho has sickened their minds. Cortes is an
example. Lopez is another.
In
a 2016 sermon, Lopez asked the audience “Who is your Master?”
Today the audience at Snowball and other churches in which he preached should
ask him, “Who is your Master?”
Is
Lopez alone in this or not? Has Snowball Church, which has not yet made
declarations on his apostasy, also been duped by the astrologer’s anti-Marxist
“philosophical” discourse?
Will
Snowball defend the Inquisition, Taoism and Carvalho himself?
Will
Reformed Americans, duped by Lopez’s presence as a sign that “Carvalho is loved
by Brazilian evangelicals,” also end up embracing fascist esotericism with its
baggage of immoral defense of the Inquisition, Most Holy Mary, Taoism and
political astrology?
In
Moses’ day there were many astrologers and occultists in the Egyptian
government, but Moses was not duped by any of them and their charming political
“philosophies.” Because Moses did not follow them, God exalted him above them.
In
Daniel’s day, there were many astrologers and occultists in the Babylonian
government, but Daniel was not duped by any of them and their charming
political “philosophies.” Because Daniel did not follow them, God exalted him
above them.
What
is happening to today’s ministers who instead of following the example of Moses
and Daniel prefer to follow astrologers and occultists with their charming
political “philosophies”?
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Right Wing Watch, of People for the
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