Innovation in Contemporary Evangelical Christianity (2)
Panel Chair: Martin Radermacher (CERES)
Considering revivalism, processes of institutionalization of churches and revitalization of traditions, Evangelical and Charismatic Christianity have been the prototype of both innovation and tradition from the start. This apparent paradox and interdependency will be in the center of this panel: How is it possible for movements and communities to flesh out an identity, encourage innovative methods, and still feel ingrained in religious tradition? What normative role do texts and readaptations of texts play? How does the body become a means of religious innovation and regulation? Evangelicals navigate between engagement and distancing – what Lynne Gerber (2012) calls (following Smith) the “evangelical dance of engagement and distinction”. This condition fosters cultural adaptations that include, e.g., media and new technologies which transform what they transport (Birgit Meyer 2010) and thus entail innovation. The panel welcomes papers on evangelical and charismatic practices and discourses from different regions in the world in contemporary perspective addressing these questions.
Martin Radermacher (CERES) will chair this international panel.
