Pentecostals have theological views of the world that range from embracing it to rejecting it. The world for some Pentecostals can be a hostile place where evil spirits come under the authority of Jesus Christ. Pentecostals also view the world as a place for the Holy Spirit's activity where the kingdom of God is advanced as witnessed through spiritual gifts like healing. Theological responses offer important insight into how Pentecostals view the world. And the intersection of these theological views with sociological observations about worldwide change provides researchers with interesting cases for exploration. There are four that are especially interesting for me at this time that require sustained research and discussion.
The first has to do with the way Pentecostals engage public issues especially when they are in conflict with other religions. Africa offers some fascinating examples. In Nigeria, for example, there is religious conflict between Pentecostals and Muslims over the future of the country and what role religion will play. Interestingly, both groups do not see a separation or differentiation between what modern western societies typically refer to as public and private spheres of society. Sociologists like Peter Beyer and José Casanova offer insight into these issues when they talk about the (anti)systemic nature of religion in global society or the deprivatization of religions that refuse to be shaped by secularization.
Second, I am interested to know how Pentecostalism adapts and changes when migrants carry specific versions from one region of the world to another. Exploring the transnational links that Pentecostal migrants maintain between "home" and "host" countries where continuous flows of cultural goods move back and forth illustrates the construction of new ways of being Pentecostal including hybrid forms. Sociologists like Peggy Levitt and Jan Nederveen Pieterse offer insight into transnationalism and hybridity that I find useful for understanding the transformation of Pentecostalism.
Third, there are important issues raised about diversity, polyethnicity, and multiculturality that require some analysis. Western Europe and North America offer two examples of how societies are wrestling with questions about migration, citizenship and identity. Often issues about the multicultural character of a society are discussed with variables like race, ethnicity, class, and gender. Now religion is brought into the discussion and countries like Canada, the United States, France, and Britain, are trying to figure out what to do with immigrants when religion is said to be very important for them. This is also problematic for Pentecostals who arrive in these countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America and cannot understand why people do not accept religion or faith as an important aspect of their identity. Robert Wuthnow has written about religion and diversity in the United States and sees this issue as paramount for Americans and their ability to dialogue (if not live together).
Finally, the expansion of religions from one region of the world to another is often tied up with theological notions of mission or spreading the faith or for some Pentecostals "advancing the kingdom of God." Missionary work and how religions expand is understudied by sociologists. Anthropologists have paid attention to the role of missionaries and colonialism. And historians have accounted for the work of missionaries and the development of a society. Sociological work needs to account for the worldwide expansion of religions generally and Pentecostalism particularly. Old theories of diffusion may not be very helpful since in a global world very little moves in a linear fashion from a single place. However, understanding Pentecostalism as a globalizer and how Pentecostals employ new technologies, media, and cultural symbols is sorely needed. Sociological research on missionaries, whether from the United States, Korea, or Ghana, needs to examine their work. Here too I am shaped by the work of Robert Wuthnow and his critique of global Christianity, the global north / global south distinction, and the assumption that American influence has waned.
Cultural globalization offers important insight into key social processes and the ways Pentecostals engage public life, adapt and employ transnational ties, engage questions about citizenship and identity, and as globalizers, expand their sub-culture throughout the world. While these are not the only questions cultural globalization proposes, they are ones I have engaged and will continue to examine.
The first has to do with the way Pentecostals engage public issues especially when they are in conflict with other religions. Africa offers some fascinating examples. In Nigeria, for example, there is religious conflict between Pentecostals and Muslims over the future of the country and what role religion will play. Interestingly, both groups do not see a separation or differentiation between what modern western societies typically refer to as public and private spheres of society. Sociologists like Peter Beyer and José Casanova offer insight into these issues when they talk about the (anti)systemic nature of religion in global society or the deprivatization of religions that refuse to be shaped by secularization.
Second, I am interested to know how Pentecostalism adapts and changes when migrants carry specific versions from one region of the world to another. Exploring the transnational links that Pentecostal migrants maintain between "home" and "host" countries where continuous flows of cultural goods move back and forth illustrates the construction of new ways of being Pentecostal including hybrid forms. Sociologists like Peggy Levitt and Jan Nederveen Pieterse offer insight into transnationalism and hybridity that I find useful for understanding the transformation of Pentecostalism.
Third, there are important issues raised about diversity, polyethnicity, and multiculturality that require some analysis. Western Europe and North America offer two examples of how societies are wrestling with questions about migration, citizenship and identity. Often issues about the multicultural character of a society are discussed with variables like race, ethnicity, class, and gender. Now religion is brought into the discussion and countries like Canada, the United States, France, and Britain, are trying to figure out what to do with immigrants when religion is said to be very important for them. This is also problematic for Pentecostals who arrive in these countries from Africa, Asia, and Latin America and cannot understand why people do not accept religion or faith as an important aspect of their identity. Robert Wuthnow has written about religion and diversity in the United States and sees this issue as paramount for Americans and their ability to dialogue (if not live together).
Finally, the expansion of religions from one region of the world to another is often tied up with theological notions of mission or spreading the faith or for some Pentecostals "advancing the kingdom of God." Missionary work and how religions expand is understudied by sociologists. Anthropologists have paid attention to the role of missionaries and colonialism. And historians have accounted for the work of missionaries and the development of a society. Sociological work needs to account for the worldwide expansion of religions generally and Pentecostalism particularly. Old theories of diffusion may not be very helpful since in a global world very little moves in a linear fashion from a single place. However, understanding Pentecostalism as a globalizer and how Pentecostals employ new technologies, media, and cultural symbols is sorely needed. Sociological research on missionaries, whether from the United States, Korea, or Ghana, needs to examine their work. Here too I am shaped by the work of Robert Wuthnow and his critique of global Christianity, the global north / global south distinction, and the assumption that American influence has waned.
Cultural globalization offers important insight into key social processes and the ways Pentecostals engage public life, adapt and employ transnational ties, engage questions about citizenship and identity, and as globalizers, expand their sub-culture throughout the world. While these are not the only questions cultural globalization proposes, they are ones I have engaged and will continue to examine.
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