Description
Book SynopsisIn Transnational Religious Organization and Practice Stanley John provides the first in-depth analysis of a migrant Christian community in the Arabian Gulf. The book explores how Kerala (South India) Pentecostal churches in Kuwait organize and practice their Christian faith, given the status of their congregants as temporary economic migrants and noting that the transient status heightens their transnational orientation toward their homeland in India. The research follows a twofold agenda: first, examining the unique sociopolitical and migrational context within which the KPCs function, and second, analyzing the transnational character and structural patterns that have emerged in this context. The ethnographic research identifies and analyzes the emerging structures and practices of the KPCs through three lenses: networks, agents, and mission. This study concludes with a proposal for an interdisciplinary theoretical framework to be employed in the study of transnational religious communities.
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations 1 Diaspora Pentecostal Churches in an Era of World Christianity Part 1: The Context of Kerala Pentecostal Churches in Kuwait 2 Demographic Analysis of Transnational Fields 3 Conceptualizing Temporary Economic Migration 4 The History of Christianity in the Transnational Fields Part 2: Transnational Religious Organization and Practice 5 Transnational Ecclesial Networks 6 Transnational Ecclesial Agents 7 Transnational Practice of Faith: Mission of the Church 8 Conclusion: Kerala Pentecostal Churches in Mission Appendix: Employment Contract Bibliography Index
