When All Comes Crumbling Down: A Nigerian Pastor and his Congregation in the Diaspora

IF 0.3 0 RELIGION

PentecoStudies-An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements Pub Date : 2020-01-05 DOI:10.1558/pent.40301

A. Lundberg

引用次数: 0

Abstract

Based on ethnographic research in a local RCCG congregation, the Jesus House in Midtown, Sweden, this article focuses on the meaning of pastorship to its founding pastor, John, and on the nature of the relationship between John and his congregation. Results show that to John, pastorship means hard work but also an opportunity for social mobility. As he founded the Jesus House, John took on considerable financial risk, realistically turning him into a church-owner. Furthermore, the relationship between pastor and congregation implies a contract where John is expected to protect his congregants from illness and death. As a congregant dies, a crisis hits and the congregation starts to break apart. In order to save his congregation, John first appeals to his own spiritual powers, but then resorts to pleading to the structures of plausibility within the congregation. As the paper argues, this shows the importance of both cognitive and relational aspects of meaning-making.

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当一切都崩溃了:一位尼日利亚牧师和他散居在外的会众

本文以瑞典中城耶稣之家当地RCCG会众的民族志研究为基础，重点探讨牧养对其创始牧师约翰的意义，以及约翰与他的会众之间关系的本质。结果表明，对约翰来说，牧养意味着辛勤的工作，也是一个社会流动的机会。在创立耶稣之家时，约翰承担了相当大的财务风险，现实地把他变成了一个教会的所有者。此外，牧师和会众之间的关系意味着一种契约，约翰被期望保护他的会众免受疾病和死亡的伤害。当一名教友去世时，一场危机袭来，教友开始分裂。为了拯救他的会众，约翰首先求助于自己的精神力量，然后求助于会众内部的合理结构。正如本文所述，这表明了意义形成的认知和关系两个方面的重要性。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

PentecoStudies-An Interdisciplinary Journal for Research on the Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements RELIGION-

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0.70

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0.00%

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期刊介绍： PentecoStudies offers a distinctly interdisciplinary forum for the study of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity. Authors from the social sciences, the humanities, cultural studies, religious studies and theology are all welcome to submit research on global expressions of Pentecostalism defined in its broadest sense. The journal invites work that attends to historical, contemporary and regional studies. In particular, it is interested in the global expansion of Pentecostalism, its mutations and impact on society, culture and the media, including its influence on traditional non-Pentecostal churches. Comparative research is encouraged, especially if it is based on different regional studies and contributes to our understanding of globalization and the role of Pentecostalism in post-colonial contexts. Attention to the lived experience of religion is important and studies that include empirical research are welcome, as well as theoretical studies. Theological contributions that assist our understanding of the beliefs and practices of Pentecostal Christians are essential and these are best placed if they engage in a dialogue with the broader traditions of philiosophy and theology, especially ecumenical dialogue. Finally, in this age of many faiths, it is important that the impact of Pentecostalism on other religious traditions is researched and vice versa. Pentecostal and Charismatic Christianity ("Pentecostalisms") cannot be fully appreciated in isolation but must be understood in all its complexity when it is placed in multiple contexts and viewed through multiple lenses. The journal aims to fulfil this important research need.