Robert Brenneman
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199753840
- eISBN:
- 9780199918836
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199753840.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
Central American transnational youth gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha and the Eighteenth Street gang promote a hyper-machismo that idealizes violent, risk-prone codes of conduct and lifelong ...
More
Central American transnational youth gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha and the Eighteenth Street gang promote a hyper-machismo that idealizes violent, risk-prone codes of conduct and lifelong affiliation. Central American evangelical churches promote a strict piety that prohibits drinking and promotes domestic ideals of marriage and fatherhood. Yet several studies suggest that conversion to evangelical Christianity is a common pathway out of the gang. Using semi-structured interviews with sixty-four former gang members in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, this book examines why many ex-gang members consider joining an evangelical or Pentecostal church the safest and most effective means of leaving the gang. Religious conversion provides former gang members with new access to social and symbolic resources crucial for keeping safe, building trust, and finding work after leaving the gang. But more than strategic use of cultural “tools” is involved in religious conversion. In some cases, emotional conversion experiences actually helped to bring about gang exit by occasioning embodied, emotional experiences that violated the macho feeling rules of the gang. Highly public emotional conversion experiences also provided some exiting gang members with opportunities for discharging chronic shame. The author argues that an important factor in the ongoing popularity of Pentecostal-ized evangelical Christianity in Central America is its promotion of ritual contexts for effectively dealing with shame. While progressive Catholicism seeks to attack the social sources of shame, evangelical-Pentecostalism offers powerful interaction rituals for dealing with the emotion itself at the individual level.Less
Central American transnational youth gangs such as the Mara Salvatrucha and the Eighteenth Street gang promote a hyper-machismo that idealizes violent, risk-prone codes of conduct and lifelong affiliation. Central American evangelical churches promote a strict piety that prohibits drinking and promotes domestic ideals of marriage and fatherhood. Yet several studies suggest that conversion to evangelical Christianity is a common pathway out of the gang. Using semi-structured interviews with sixty-four former gang members in Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador, this book examines why many ex-gang members consider joining an evangelical or Pentecostal church the safest and most effective means of leaving the gang. Religious conversion provides former gang members with new access to social and symbolic resources crucial for keeping safe, building trust, and finding work after leaving the gang. But more than strategic use of cultural “tools” is involved in religious conversion. In some cases, emotional conversion experiences actually helped to bring about gang exit by occasioning embodied, emotional experiences that violated the macho feeling rules of the gang. Highly public emotional conversion experiences also provided some exiting gang members with opportunities for discharging chronic shame. The author argues that an important factor in the ongoing popularity of Pentecostal-ized evangelical Christianity in Central America is its promotion of ritual contexts for effectively dealing with shame. While progressive Catholicism seeks to attack the social sources of shame, evangelical-Pentecostalism offers powerful interaction rituals for dealing with the emotion itself at the individual level.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The 1980s brought major changes including socioeconomic and political collapse; the enlarged networking with external, Western forms of Pentecostalism; and the liberalization of media space following ...
More
The 1980s brought major changes including socioeconomic and political collapse; the enlarged networking with external, Western forms of Pentecostalism; and the liberalization of media space following the “second liberation” of Africa from dictators. The combination of religious and cultural changes, especially increased contact with external change agents, catalyzed the intense use of media as an instrument of evangelization. This chapter examines how the Pentecostal movement reshaped the religious landscape using media technology and popular culture and has, in turn, been shaped by both popular culture and the media technology.Less
The 1980s brought major changes including socioeconomic and political collapse; the enlarged networking with external, Western forms of Pentecostalism; and the liberalization of media space following the “second liberation” of Africa from dictators. The combination of religious and cultural changes, especially increased contact with external change agents, catalyzed the intense use of media as an instrument of evangelization. This chapter examines how the Pentecostal movement reshaped the religious landscape using media technology and popular culture and has, in turn, been shaped by both popular culture and the media technology.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
Across Africa, Christianity is thriving in all shapes and sizes. But one particular strain of Christianity prospers more than most — Pentecostalism. Pentecostals believe that everyone can personally ...
More
Across Africa, Christianity is thriving in all shapes and sizes. But one particular strain of Christianity prospers more than most — Pentecostalism. Pentecostals believe that everyone can personally receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as prophecy or the ability to speak in tongues. In Africa, this kind of faith, in which the supernatural is a daily presence, is sweeping the continent. Today, about 107 million Africans are Pentecostals — and the numbers continue to rise. This book reviews Pentecostalism in Africa. It shows the amazing diversity of the faith, which flourishes in many different forms in diverse local contexts. While most people believe that Pentecostalism was brought to Africa and imposed on its people by missionaries, the book argues emphatically that this is not the case. Throughout, the book demonstrates that African Pentecostalism is distinctly African in character, not imported from the West. With an even-handed approach, the book presents the religion's many functions in African life. Rather than shying away from controversial issues like the role of money and prosperity in the movement, it describes malpractice when it is observed. The book touches upon the movement's identity, the role of missionaries, media and popular culture, women, ethics, Islam, and immigration.Less
Across Africa, Christianity is thriving in all shapes and sizes. But one particular strain of Christianity prospers more than most — Pentecostalism. Pentecostals believe that everyone can personally receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit, such as prophecy or the ability to speak in tongues. In Africa, this kind of faith, in which the supernatural is a daily presence, is sweeping the continent. Today, about 107 million Africans are Pentecostals — and the numbers continue to rise. This book reviews Pentecostalism in Africa. It shows the amazing diversity of the faith, which flourishes in many different forms in diverse local contexts. While most people believe that Pentecostalism was brought to Africa and imposed on its people by missionaries, the book argues emphatically that this is not the case. Throughout, the book demonstrates that African Pentecostalism is distinctly African in character, not imported from the West. With an even-handed approach, the book presents the religion's many functions in African life. Rather than shying away from controversial issues like the role of money and prosperity in the movement, it describes malpractice when it is observed. The book touches upon the movement's identity, the role of missionaries, media and popular culture, women, ethics, Islam, and immigration.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0015
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The intensified level of religious violence around the world and especially in Africa is a disconcerting dimension of the 21st century. Some argue that religions have an innate affirmation of ...
More
The intensified level of religious violence around the world and especially in Africa is a disconcerting dimension of the 21st century. Some argue that religions have an innate affirmation of violence; that, in spite of the many levels of meaning given to the word jihad, it demands the use of force, and especially violence, to protect religion, and that Christianity's track record is no better in this aspect than any other religion's. Using Nigeria as a case study, this chapter examines the discourses used by scholars to explain the rising crescendo of religious violence, the radicalization of Islamic politics amid the competition for dwindling economic resources, responses to modernity, the dilemma of pluralism in a modern African state, and especially the “clash of fundamentalisms” induced by the insurgence of Pentecostalism and charismatic forces into Islamic strongholds. The reassertion of local identities and the manipulation of religion as a cultural signifier is reflected by the demonization of Islam in Pentecostal rhetoric.Less
The intensified level of religious violence around the world and especially in Africa is a disconcerting dimension of the 21st century. Some argue that religions have an innate affirmation of violence; that, in spite of the many levels of meaning given to the word jihad, it demands the use of force, and especially violence, to protect religion, and that Christianity's track record is no better in this aspect than any other religion's. Using Nigeria as a case study, this chapter examines the discourses used by scholars to explain the rising crescendo of religious violence, the radicalization of Islamic politics amid the competition for dwindling economic resources, responses to modernity, the dilemma of pluralism in a modern African state, and especially the “clash of fundamentalisms” induced by the insurgence of Pentecostalism and charismatic forces into Islamic strongholds. The reassertion of local identities and the manipulation of religion as a cultural signifier is reflected by the demonization of Islam in Pentecostal rhetoric.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0018
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter begins with a discussion of the impact of the religion of immigrants on the northern religious landscape. It then discusses the character of the African immigrant community and immigrant ...
More
This chapter begins with a discussion of the impact of the religion of immigrants on the northern religious landscape. It then discusses the character of the African immigrant community and immigrant Christianity. It is argued that African Christianity, spurred by the charismatic and Pentecostal movements, has made its presence felt around the globe with an identifiable missionary character. African Pentecostalism is reshaping the face of global Christianity and fulfilling the dreams of the Ethiopian movement.Less
This chapter begins with a discussion of the impact of the religion of immigrants on the northern religious landscape. It then discusses the character of the African immigrant community and immigrant Christianity. It is argued that African Christianity, spurred by the charismatic and Pentecostal movements, has made its presence felt around the globe with an identifiable missionary character. African Pentecostalism is reshaping the face of global Christianity and fulfilling the dreams of the Ethiopian movement.
Solomon Schimmel
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- September 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195188264
- eISBN:
- 9780199870509
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195188264.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter analyzes the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, the belief in the physical resurrection of Jesus, and the theology and practices of serpent‐handling sects. This chapter points out the ...
More
This chapter analyzes the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, the belief in the physical resurrection of Jesus, and the theology and practices of serpent‐handling sects. This chapter points out the irrationality and circularity of the ‘proofs’ for ‘biblical inerrancy’ put forth by the evangelical Protestant theologian, Grudem. It then examines the claims of the fundamentalist Craig for the historicity of the physical resurrection of Jesus, and the views of the philosopher Flew, the New Testament scholar Ehrman, and the psychologist Kent, who provide naturalistic, non‐miraculous explanations for the origin and spread of the belief in Jesus' resurrection. The chapter, using Ralph Hood's concept of ‘intratextuality’ examines how members of the Pentecostal Church of God (Of Prophecy) sect, led by Hensley, derive from the Bible a mandate to handle venomous snakes in order to prove their Christian faith, and explains why their way of reading and interpreting the Bible makes no sense.Less
This chapter analyzes the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, the belief in the physical resurrection of Jesus, and the theology and practices of serpent‐handling sects. This chapter points out the irrationality and circularity of the ‘proofs’ for ‘biblical inerrancy’ put forth by the evangelical Protestant theologian, Grudem. It then examines the claims of the fundamentalist Craig for the historicity of the physical resurrection of Jesus, and the views of the philosopher Flew, the New Testament scholar Ehrman, and the psychologist Kent, who provide naturalistic, non‐miraculous explanations for the origin and spread of the belief in Jesus' resurrection. The chapter, using Ralph Hood's concept of ‘intratextuality’ examines how members of the Pentecostal Church of God (Of Prophecy) sect, led by Hensley, derive from the Bible a mandate to handle venomous snakes in order to prove their Christian faith, and explains why their way of reading and interpreting the Bible makes no sense.
Terence O. Ranger and Paul Gifford
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195174779
- eISBN:
- 9780199871858
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195174779.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter presents seven important points about the topics covered in this volume and the issues the book raises. The first point concerns labels and particularly the labels “evangelical” and ...
More
This chapter presents seven important points about the topics covered in this volume and the issues the book raises. The first point concerns labels and particularly the labels “evangelical” and “Pentecostal”. The second point relates to “democracy” and politics. The third point raises the question of how leading evangelical church figures relate to elite behavior. The fourth point refers to the danger of placing too much stress on the change of character of those individuals joining such churches. The fifth point reflects on the African economy. The sixth point argues that the “powers that be” may directly use evangelical Christianity for political purposes. The seventh point cites the lack of reference to the enchanted worldview that may underlie much evangelical and pentecostal Christianity in Africa.Less
This chapter presents seven important points about the topics covered in this volume and the issues the book raises. The first point concerns labels and particularly the labels “evangelical” and “Pentecostal”. The second point relates to “democracy” and politics. The third point raises the question of how leading evangelical church figures relate to elite behavior. The fourth point refers to the danger of placing too much stress on the change of character of those individuals joining such churches. The fifth point reflects on the African economy. The sixth point argues that the “powers that be” may directly use evangelical Christianity for political purposes. The seventh point cites the lack of reference to the enchanted worldview that may underlie much evangelical and pentecostal Christianity in Africa.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
The oriki tradition performed the task of historiography among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, dealing with the core matters of genealogy and identity. Not only did it tell the story of the past, ...
More
The oriki tradition performed the task of historiography among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, dealing with the core matters of genealogy and identity. Not only did it tell the story of the past, but it told of the history and how other performers have handled the story. Indeed, the performers, arokin, often expounded on how they inherited the tradition and faithfully maintained it. This chapter tells the story of African Pentecostalism as embodying Africans' quest for power and identity through religion. It begins by embedding that story within the contours of global Pentecostal historiography. The African religious achievement is often dismissed by emphasizing the external influences. The shape and flow of Africa's experience of the Pentecost is reviewed with the eyes of the python, because of the salience of the Pentecostal movement in African historiography.Less
The oriki tradition performed the task of historiography among the Yoruba of southwestern Nigeria, dealing with the core matters of genealogy and identity. Not only did it tell the story of the past, but it told of the history and how other performers have handled the story. Indeed, the performers, arokin, often expounded on how they inherited the tradition and faithfully maintained it. This chapter tells the story of African Pentecostalism as embodying Africans' quest for power and identity through religion. It begins by embedding that story within the contours of global Pentecostal historiography. The African religious achievement is often dismissed by emphasizing the external influences. The shape and flow of Africa's experience of the Pentecost is reviewed with the eyes of the python, because of the salience of the Pentecostal movement in African historiography.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter examines the changing face and emphases of Pentecostalism over time. It argues that the explosive growth of African Pentecostalism intensified in the 1990s through a vigorous ...
More
This chapter examines the changing face and emphases of Pentecostalism over time. It argues that the explosive growth of African Pentecostalism intensified in the 1990s through a vigorous evangelization program, and thereby created a very complex religious environment. The aftereffect of the movement's growth is also considered.Less
This chapter examines the changing face and emphases of Pentecostalism over time. It argues that the explosive growth of African Pentecostalism intensified in the 1990s through a vigorous evangelization program, and thereby created a very complex religious environment. The aftereffect of the movement's growth is also considered.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0010
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter continues the discussion on Pentecostal missionary practice by focusing on another major question related to women: do Pentecostals adequately conceptualize and utilize the resources of ...
More
This chapter continues the discussion on Pentecostal missionary practice by focusing on another major question related to women: do Pentecostals adequately conceptualize and utilize the resources of women? How do women theologize the feminine roles in the African Christianity and especially in the Pentecostal movement? What is the impact of Pentecostal missionary impulse on gender ideology? Does the Spirit-driven temper dissolve patriarchy? The underlying gender ideology that determines women's access to ritual and administrative power is examined. Firstly, the chapter clarifies the distinctions about Pentecostal image of womanhood. Secondly, it draws a distinction between African and the Western contexts, where women operated more freely during the early days of the movement but were reined into submission. Thirdly, Pentecostal feminist theology is placed within the larger framework of Christian feminist theology. It is argued that the Pentecostal movement in Africa realizes that the mission of the church demands the full mobilization of all sectors, and that to ignore any would diminish the full potential to work with Christ in reconciling a lost world unto the Father.Less
This chapter continues the discussion on Pentecostal missionary practice by focusing on another major question related to women: do Pentecostals adequately conceptualize and utilize the resources of women? How do women theologize the feminine roles in the African Christianity and especially in the Pentecostal movement? What is the impact of Pentecostal missionary impulse on gender ideology? Does the Spirit-driven temper dissolve patriarchy? The underlying gender ideology that determines women's access to ritual and administrative power is examined. Firstly, the chapter clarifies the distinctions about Pentecostal image of womanhood. Secondly, it draws a distinction between African and the Western contexts, where women operated more freely during the early days of the movement but were reined into submission. Thirdly, Pentecostal feminist theology is placed within the larger framework of Christian feminist theology. It is argued that the Pentecostal movement in Africa realizes that the mission of the church demands the full mobilization of all sectors, and that to ignore any would diminish the full potential to work with Christ in reconciling a lost world unto the Father.
Ogbu Kalu
- Published in print:
- 2008
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195340006
- eISBN:
- 9780199867073
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195340006.003.0012
- Subject:
- Religion, World Religions
This chapter focuses on cultural discourse that reconstructs the African Pentecostal movement's response to the system of meanings embodied in the symbols and worldviews of indigenous African ...
More
This chapter focuses on cultural discourse that reconstructs the African Pentecostal movement's response to the system of meanings embodied in the symbols and worldviews of indigenous African religions and cultures. It starts from a different location to explore the cultural discourse that argues that Pentecostalism has grown because of its cultural fit into indigenous worldviews and its response to the questions that are raised within. It asserts that the indigenous worldview still dominates contemporary African experiences and shapes the character of African Pentecostalism. Therefore, African Pentecostalism is the “setting to work” of the gospel in Africa, at once showing how Africans appropriated the gospel message, how they responded to the presence of the Kingdom in their midst, and how its power transformed their worldviews.Less
This chapter focuses on cultural discourse that reconstructs the African Pentecostal movement's response to the system of meanings embodied in the symbols and worldviews of indigenous African religions and cultures. It starts from a different location to explore the cultural discourse that argues that Pentecostalism has grown because of its cultural fit into indigenous worldviews and its response to the questions that are raised within. It asserts that the indigenous worldview still dominates contemporary African experiences and shapes the character of African Pentecostalism. Therefore, African Pentecostalism is the “setting to work” of the gospel in Africa, at once showing how Africans appropriated the gospel message, how they responded to the presence of the Kingdom in their midst, and how its power transformed their worldviews.
Timothy Matovina
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691139791
- eISBN:
- 9781400839735
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691139791.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter examines how the growth of Pentecostal and evangelical religions among Latinos, as well as the erosion of religious commitment in a secular culture of choice, are momentous challenges ...
More
This chapter examines how the growth of Pentecostal and evangelical religions among Latinos, as well as the erosion of religious commitment in a secular culture of choice, are momentous challenges for Catholic outreach ministries. Ongoing difficulties within apostolic movements and parishes often detract from their evangelizing potential. Yet even these struggles are an indicator of the Hispanic presence and influence within the faith communities of U.S. Catholicism. Hispanic influences at the local level have one driving force in common: leadership. From pastors to prayer group leaders, effective Latina and Latino leaders enhance the ministries of parishes and apostolic movements. Conversely, the absence of such leaders or the ineffectiveness of poorly formed or self-serving leaders can pose a major detriment to building vibrant faith communities.Less
This chapter examines how the growth of Pentecostal and evangelical religions among Latinos, as well as the erosion of religious commitment in a secular culture of choice, are momentous challenges for Catholic outreach ministries. Ongoing difficulties within apostolic movements and parishes often detract from their evangelizing potential. Yet even these struggles are an indicator of the Hispanic presence and influence within the faith communities of U.S. Catholicism. Hispanic influences at the local level have one driving force in common: leadership. From pastors to prayer group leaders, effective Latina and Latino leaders enhance the ministries of parishes and apostolic movements. Conversely, the absence of such leaders or the ineffectiveness of poorly formed or self-serving leaders can pose a major detriment to building vibrant faith communities.
Timothy Matovina
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691139791
- eISBN:
- 9781400839735
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691139791.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Early Christian Studies
This chapter talks about how the transition from immigrant to U.S.-born generations is at the heart of the evangelization challenge among Latinos. As they begin to surpass their parents' and ...
More
This chapter talks about how the transition from immigrant to U.S.-born generations is at the heart of the evangelization challenge among Latinos. As they begin to surpass their parents' and grandparents' often limited formal education, young Latinos need catechesis that engages their minds as well as their hearts. They need formation in Catholic faith and teachings that both addresses that reality and builds on their elders' religious traditions. When Catholic families, parishes, schools, and youth ministries do not provide formation that takes into account young Latinos' background and life situation, they are more likely to become adherents of moralistic therapeutic deism, participants in Pentecostal or evangelical churches, or progressively detached from any religious practice or tradition.Less
This chapter talks about how the transition from immigrant to U.S.-born generations is at the heart of the evangelization challenge among Latinos. As they begin to surpass their parents' and grandparents' often limited formal education, young Latinos need catechesis that engages their minds as well as their hearts. They need formation in Catholic faith and teachings that both addresses that reality and builds on their elders' religious traditions. When Catholic families, parishes, schools, and youth ministries do not provide formation that takes into account young Latinos' background and life situation, they are more likely to become adherents of moralistic therapeutic deism, participants in Pentecostal or evangelical churches, or progressively detached from any religious practice or tradition.
John M. Giggie
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195304039
- eISBN:
- 9780199866885
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195304039.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, American History: 19th Century, History of Religion
This book explores religious transformation in the lives of ex-slaves and their descendants living in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta between the end of Reconstruction and the start of the Great ...
More
This book explores religious transformation in the lives of ex-slaves and their descendants living in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta between the end of Reconstruction and the start of the Great Migration. It argues that Delta blacks, who were overwhelmingly rural sharecroppers and tenant farmers, developed a rich and complex sacred culture during this era. They forged a new religious culture by integrating their spiritual life with many of the defining features of the post‐Reconstruction South, including the rise of segregation and racial violence, the emergence of new forms of technology like train travel, the growth of black fraternal orders, and the rapid expansion of the consumer market. Experimenting with new symbols of freedom and racial respectability, forms of organizational culture, regional networks of communication, and popular notions of commodification and consumption enabled them to survive, make progress, and at times resist white supremacy. The book then evaluates the social consequences of these changes and shows in particular how the Holiness‐Pentecostal developed in large part as a rejection of them. It ends by probing how this new religious world influenced the Great Migration and black spiritual life in the 1920s and 1930s.Less
This book explores religious transformation in the lives of ex-slaves and their descendants living in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta between the end of Reconstruction and the start of the Great Migration. It argues that Delta blacks, who were overwhelmingly rural sharecroppers and tenant farmers, developed a rich and complex sacred culture during this era. They forged a new religious culture by integrating their spiritual life with many of the defining features of the post‐Reconstruction South, including the rise of segregation and racial violence, the emergence of new forms of technology like train travel, the growth of black fraternal orders, and the rapid expansion of the consumer market. Experimenting with new symbols of freedom and racial respectability, forms of organizational culture, regional networks of communication, and popular notions of commodification and consumption enabled them to survive, make progress, and at times resist white supremacy. The book then evaluates the social consequences of these changes and shows in particular how the Holiness‐Pentecostal developed in large part as a rejection of them. It ends by probing how this new religious world influenced the Great Migration and black spiritual life in the 1920s and 1930s.
Thomas Blom Hansen
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691152950
- eISBN:
- 9781400842612
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691152950.003.0009
- Subject:
- Anthropology, Social and Cultural Anthropology
This chapter explores how the process of reevaluating one's past and reaching for a future beyond a clear ethnoracial definition is played out among the thousands of ordinary working-class Indians in ...
More
This chapter explores how the process of reevaluating one's past and reaching for a future beyond a clear ethnoracial definition is played out among the thousands of ordinary working-class Indians in Chatsworth and elsewhere who convert to Pentecostal Christianity. These conversions, which have gathered significant force since 1994, reflect a desire for respectability and purity, but even more so a powerful attempt to find a religious identity that seems both intelligible and in tune with the culture of the larger South Africa society. The chapter considers how these church communities, among many other things, negotiate new forms of inclusion and embody a promise of being both included in the new nation and global yet decidedly and conspicuously nonpolitical.Less
This chapter explores how the process of reevaluating one's past and reaching for a future beyond a clear ethnoracial definition is played out among the thousands of ordinary working-class Indians in Chatsworth and elsewhere who convert to Pentecostal Christianity. These conversions, which have gathered significant force since 1994, reflect a desire for respectability and purity, but even more so a powerful attempt to find a religious identity that seems both intelligible and in tune with the culture of the larger South Africa society. The chapter considers how these church communities, among many other things, negotiate new forms of inclusion and embody a promise of being both included in the new nation and global yet decidedly and conspicuously nonpolitical.
Philip V. Bohlman
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- May 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195173048
- eISBN:
- 9780199872091
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195173048.003.0001
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
Historical moments in which music consciously identifies American religious experience provide the historical framework of this introductory chapter, which stretches from William Billings's “America” ...
More
Historical moments in which music consciously identifies American religious experience provide the historical framework of this introductory chapter, which stretches from William Billings's “America” to “Amazing Grace” as a historical text to the ethnographic present in Pentecostal worship in a Chicago Romanian church. The theoretical concepts that connect the book's chapters are introduced, including concepts of genealogy, individualism, and the metaphors of American religion in sacred music-making. Charles Ives and Thomas A. Dorsey Jr, the great American modernist composer and the inventor of the gospel blues, provide case studies. The interdisciplinarity of the book's diverse contributors is introduced and connected to the chapters that follow. The importance of music as ritual, sacred language, and the performance of sacred space generates further links and shared notions of religious experience for the book's chapters.Less
Historical moments in which music consciously identifies American religious experience provide the historical framework of this introductory chapter, which stretches from William Billings's “America” to “Amazing Grace” as a historical text to the ethnographic present in Pentecostal worship in a Chicago Romanian church. The theoretical concepts that connect the book's chapters are introduced, including concepts of genealogy, individualism, and the metaphors of American religion in sacred music-making. Charles Ives and Thomas A. Dorsey Jr, the great American modernist composer and the inventor of the gospel blues, provide case studies. The interdisciplinarity of the book's diverse contributors is introduced and connected to the chapters that follow. The importance of music as ritual, sacred language, and the performance of sacred space generates further links and shared notions of religious experience for the book's chapters.
John Wigger
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- September 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195387803
- eISBN:
- 9780199866410
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195387803.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Francis Asbury (1745–1816) is one of the most important religious leaders in American history. He guided the creation of the American Methodist church, the largest church in nineteenth-century ...
More
Francis Asbury (1745–1816) is one of the most important religious leaders in American history. He guided the creation of the American Methodist church, the largest church in nineteenth-century America and the foundation of much of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. The United States remains a deeply religious nation and Asbury is an important reason why. Yet Asbury did not lead in ways that we expect. He did not look like the ministers of colonial America, nor does he look like many high profile religious leaders today. The son of an English gardener, he had only a few years of formal education before being apprenticed to a metalworker at age fourteen. He never wrote a book and was often a disappointing preacher. He never married or owned a home, rarely spoke at church conferences, and often felt insecure in public. Yet in this definitive biography Asbury emerges as an effective and influential leader. His life of prayer and voluntary poverty were legendary, as was his generosity to the poor. Offsetting his poor public speaking was his remarkable ability to connect with people one-on-one or in small groups as he crisscrossed the nation. Asbury rode more than 130,000 miles from 1771 to 1816, tirelessly organizing the church’s expansion into every state and territory. He traveled more extensively across the American landscape than anyone of his generation. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, John Wigger reveals how Asbury shaped Methodism to engage ordinary Americans, establishing patterns that are still evident today.Less
Francis Asbury (1745–1816) is one of the most important religious leaders in American history. He guided the creation of the American Methodist church, the largest church in nineteenth-century America and the foundation of much of the Holiness and Pentecostal movements. The United States remains a deeply religious nation and Asbury is an important reason why. Yet Asbury did not lead in ways that we expect. He did not look like the ministers of colonial America, nor does he look like many high profile religious leaders today. The son of an English gardener, he had only a few years of formal education before being apprenticed to a metalworker at age fourteen. He never wrote a book and was often a disappointing preacher. He never married or owned a home, rarely spoke at church conferences, and often felt insecure in public. Yet in this definitive biography Asbury emerges as an effective and influential leader. His life of prayer and voluntary poverty were legendary, as was his generosity to the poor. Offsetting his poor public speaking was his remarkable ability to connect with people one-on-one or in small groups as he crisscrossed the nation. Asbury rode more than 130,000 miles from 1771 to 1816, tirelessly organizing the church’s expansion into every state and territory. He traveled more extensively across the American landscape than anyone of his generation. Drawing on a wide variety of sources, John Wigger reveals how Asbury shaped Methodism to engage ordinary Americans, establishing patterns that are still evident today.
Lydia Bean
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161303
- eISBN:
- 9781400852611
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161303.003.0002
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sociology of Religion
This chapter introduces two Baptist churches and two Pentecostal churches, matched on either side of the U.S.–Canada border. It conducts participant observation in two evangelical churches located in ...
More
This chapter introduces two Baptist churches and two Pentecostal churches, matched on either side of the U.S.–Canada border. It conducts participant observation in two evangelical churches located in Buffalo, New York—one Baptist and one Pentecostal. Since 2004, it has become increasingly obvious to American observers that the Christian Right is in a struggle with alternative evangelical voices. As a loose coalition, conservative Protestants have never had a centralized religious authority who could speak for the religious tradition, as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops speaks for Catholics. Christian Right leaders like Charles McVety represent themselves as the political arm of evangelicalism, characterizing this group's values and policy priorities in the public sphere.Less
This chapter introduces two Baptist churches and two Pentecostal churches, matched on either side of the U.S.–Canada border. It conducts participant observation in two evangelical churches located in Buffalo, New York—one Baptist and one Pentecostal. Since 2004, it has become increasingly obvious to American observers that the Christian Right is in a struggle with alternative evangelical voices. As a loose coalition, conservative Protestants have never had a centralized religious authority who could speak for the religious tradition, as the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops speaks for Catholics. Christian Right leaders like Charles McVety represent themselves as the political arm of evangelicalism, characterizing this group's values and policy priorities in the public sphere.
Lydia Bean
- Published in print:
- 2014
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691161303
- eISBN:
- 9781400852611
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691161303.003.0003
- Subject:
- Sociology, Sociology of Religion
This chapter talks about how Protestants define the boundaries of their religious subculture. Social scientists have vigorous debates about who is, and who isn't, an evangelical. In these churches, ...
More
This chapter talks about how Protestants define the boundaries of their religious subculture. Social scientists have vigorous debates about who is, and who isn't, an evangelical. In these churches, there were only two kinds of Christians: born-again Christians who had made a personal decision for Christ, and nominal Christians who lacked this personal relationship with Christ. Other denominational or sectarian differences were meaningless to rank-and-file members, even though conservative Protestants once divided themselves rigidly between charismatics, Pentecostals, fundamentalists, and culture-engaging evangelicals. All four of these churches shared a sense of subcultural identity as “born-again” or evangelical Christians, which transcended the historical divisions between Baptist and Pentecostal worship and theology.Less
This chapter talks about how Protestants define the boundaries of their religious subculture. Social scientists have vigorous debates about who is, and who isn't, an evangelical. In these churches, there were only two kinds of Christians: born-again Christians who had made a personal decision for Christ, and nominal Christians who lacked this personal relationship with Christ. Other denominational or sectarian differences were meaningless to rank-and-file members, even though conservative Protestants once divided themselves rigidly between charismatics, Pentecostals, fundamentalists, and culture-engaging evangelicals. All four of these churches shared a sense of subcultural identity as “born-again” or evangelical Christians, which transcended the historical divisions between Baptist and Pentecostal worship and theology.
Edward L. Cleary
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780813036083
- eISBN:
- 9780813038285
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University Press of Florida
- DOI:
- 10.5744/florida/9780813036083.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, History of Religion
Much has been made of the dramatic rise of Protestantism in Latin America. Many view this as a sign that Catholicism's primacy in the region is at last beginning to wane. Overlooked by journalists ...
More
Much has been made of the dramatic rise of Protestantism in Latin America. Many view this as a sign that Catholicism's primacy in the region is at last beginning to wane. Overlooked by journalists and scholars has been the parallel growth of Charismatic, or Pentecostal, Catholicism in the region. This book offers the first comprehensive treatment of this movement, revealing its importance to the Catholic Church as well as the people of Latin America. Catholic Charismatics have grown worldwide to several hundred million, among whom Latin Americans number approximately 73 million participants. These individuals are helping the church become more extroverted by drawing many into evangelizing and mission work. The movement has rapidly acquired an indigenous Latin American character and is now returning to the United States through migration and is affecting Catholicism in the United States. The author of this book has witnessed firsthand the birth and maturing of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Latin America as both a social scientist and a Dominican missionary. Drawing upon important findings of Latin American scholars and researchers, this book explores and analyzes the origins of the most important Catholic movement in Latin America and its notable expansion to all countries of the region, bringing with it unusual vitality and notable controversy about its practices.Less
Much has been made of the dramatic rise of Protestantism in Latin America. Many view this as a sign that Catholicism's primacy in the region is at last beginning to wane. Overlooked by journalists and scholars has been the parallel growth of Charismatic, or Pentecostal, Catholicism in the region. This book offers the first comprehensive treatment of this movement, revealing its importance to the Catholic Church as well as the people of Latin America. Catholic Charismatics have grown worldwide to several hundred million, among whom Latin Americans number approximately 73 million participants. These individuals are helping the church become more extroverted by drawing many into evangelizing and mission work. The movement has rapidly acquired an indigenous Latin American character and is now returning to the United States through migration and is affecting Catholicism in the United States. The author of this book has witnessed firsthand the birth and maturing of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in Latin America as both a social scientist and a Dominican missionary. Drawing upon important findings of Latin American scholars and researchers, this book explores and analyzes the origins of the most important Catholic movement in Latin America and its notable expansion to all countries of the region, bringing with it unusual vitality and notable controversy about its practices.
