Pentecostal Theology, Identity Politics, and Racialized Xenophobia: Claiming A New Social Order

Abstract

Applying the methodological lens of ethnographic theology, the article argues that grounded Pentecostal theologies participate in reimagining a new social order, particularly in relation to racialized xenophobia. This argument is made in the specific context of two Pentecostal churches in Johannesburg, South Africa, both led and frequented by people who have come to Johannesburg from other parts of the African continent. The argument is outlined by unpacking three theological themes prominent in the collected ethnographic data: positive confession, Word-centred ecclesiology, and Christlike lifestyle. Taken together, these themes highlight a social conscience that other societal actors would do well to take seriously when considering combatting xenophobia. Overall, the article challenges the scholarly emphasis on Pentecostal theologies as uninterested in life-affirming structural change, building on Nimi Wariboko’s formulation of blackness, chosenness, and Nigerian Pentecostalism ‘that reads against the existing social order’ within the particular context of xenophobia in urban South Africa.

African Pentecostal Churches and Racialized Xenophobia: International Migrants as Agents of Transformational Development?

“…We have argued here that the case study churches were spaces where transformation was encouraged at the personal level, in particular in how these churches nurtured a positive sense of self in, and the agency of, their members. The idea of African diaspora churches as spaces that nurture a sense of agency among migrants, in particular as this relates to evangelizing, is also echoed in research conducted elsewhere (Haugen, 2013; Pasura, 2012); this may suggest that the argument we make about these “foreign” churches as developmental agents is not limited to our case study context.…”

“…Lastly, some interviewees connected spreading the gospel to impacting on the relationships between the foreign national and the citizen and, more specifically, on reducing xenophobia (also see Hankela, 2020). To illustrate this, a few people explicitly reasoned that through doing good, the foreign church changes the ways in which South Africans view foreign nationals: "We know we are projecting an image.…”

“…The research project was part of the African Theological Advance initiative (cohort of 2018-2020) of the Nagel Institute for the Study of World Christianity (Grand Rapids, MI) and was conducted under the working title "Xenophobia and the Re-imagination of Evangelization amongst Migrant Dominated Churches in South Africa". Two articles that deal with the Johannesburg case study data have been published to date (Hankela, 2020;Swart et al, 2021) and this article builds on their findings. 3.…”

“…The case study churches we engaged with were chosen based on their fitting into the category of churches led and frequented by international migrants. The churches were somewhateven if by no means identicallyinfluenced by similar theological emphases; these included themes such as the centrality of the Word of God, the importance of living a Christ-like life, a strong call to evangelize and a form of prosperity theology (see Hankela, 2020;Swart et al, 2021). Yet it is important to note that the case study churches belong to two distinct Pentecostal denominationswith different backgrounds geographically, theologically and historicallyand thus we briefly locate them within their respective traditions before introducing the local churches themselves.…”