- Ecumenical Ecclesiology, Interreligious Dialogue, Ecumenical dialogues, Peace Studies, Religion and Modernity, Ecumenical and Interfaith Dialogue, and 15 moreWorld Christianities, Conflict Transformation, Conflict Resolution, International Relations, Theology, Development Studies, Religious Pluralism, Peace and Conflict Studies, Sociology of Religion, Conflict, Violence, Political Science, Sociology, Peacebuilding, and Anthropology of Religionedit
"Christianity is the only mad religion; which is perhaps, the explanation for its survival—it deconstructs itself and survives by deconstructing itself.” -- Jacques Derrida WINNER 2015 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the... more
"Christianity is the only mad religion; which is perhaps, the explanation for its survival—it deconstructs itself and survives by deconstructing itself.” -- Jacques Derrida
WINNER 2015 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
This book explores the persons, practices, and sociological significance of emerging Christianity. The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is a self-classified, voluntary, and largely reactive religious movement that strives to achieve social relevance and spiritual vitality by actively disassociating from its roots in Conservative, Evangelical Christianity. Using congregational surveys, in-depth interviews with leaders and participants, and ethnographic reports from nine different “Emerging Church” communities and four conference meetings, in the United States and the United Kingdom, supplemented by observation of the movement since its beginnings in the late 1990s, this book provides a social scientific analysis of this intriguing development within modern Christianity. In presenting our understanding of this movement, we focus on the motivation and religious identity of “Emerging Christians,” the structure of ritual practices within their congregations (often called “gatherings” or “communities”), and its significance as a modern religious movement.
Advance Praise
“As growing numbers of Americans say they are ‘nonreligious,’ observers note a comparable shift among those who are religious toward looser, more individualistic, anti-institutional, experimental expressions of faith. Marti and Ganiel have done a superb job of examining these emerging expressions, illuminating both the practices and beliefs of individuals and the innovative congregations they are forming.”
--Robert Wuthnow, Gerhard R. Andlinger ‘52 Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University
“In the midst of a polarized landscape, where ‘religion’ and ‘church’ signal a lack of vitality and authenticity, Emerging Churches are putting together something new out of the debris. Marti and Ganiel show us why we should pay attention. They describe the faith found here as neither shopping nor seeking, but a conversation carried on in congregations that are determinedly open and inclusive. This book provides a careful analysis of this much-discussed movement and shows why it is so well-suited to our times.”
--Nancy T. Ammerman, author of Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life
WINNER 2015 Distinguished Book Award from the Society for the Scientific Study of Religion
This book explores the persons, practices, and sociological significance of emerging Christianity. The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is a self-classified, voluntary, and largely reactive religious movement that strives to achieve social relevance and spiritual vitality by actively disassociating from its roots in Conservative, Evangelical Christianity. Using congregational surveys, in-depth interviews with leaders and participants, and ethnographic reports from nine different “Emerging Church” communities and four conference meetings, in the United States and the United Kingdom, supplemented by observation of the movement since its beginnings in the late 1990s, this book provides a social scientific analysis of this intriguing development within modern Christianity. In presenting our understanding of this movement, we focus on the motivation and religious identity of “Emerging Christians,” the structure of ritual practices within their congregations (often called “gatherings” or “communities”), and its significance as a modern religious movement.
Advance Praise
“As growing numbers of Americans say they are ‘nonreligious,’ observers note a comparable shift among those who are religious toward looser, more individualistic, anti-institutional, experimental expressions of faith. Marti and Ganiel have done a superb job of examining these emerging expressions, illuminating both the practices and beliefs of individuals and the innovative congregations they are forming.”
--Robert Wuthnow, Gerhard R. Andlinger ‘52 Professor of Sociology and Director of the Center for the Study of Religion, Princeton University
“In the midst of a polarized landscape, where ‘religion’ and ‘church’ signal a lack of vitality and authenticity, Emerging Churches are putting together something new out of the debris. Marti and Ganiel show us why we should pay attention. They describe the faith found here as neither shopping nor seeking, but a conversation carried on in congregations that are determinedly open and inclusive. This book provides a careful analysis of this much-discussed movement and shows why it is so well-suited to our times.”
--Nancy T. Ammerman, author of Sacred Stories, Spiritual Tribes: Finding Religion in Everyday Life
Research Interests: Religion, Christianity, Sociology, Sociology of Religion, Organizational Theory, and 36 moreSocial Sciences, Organizational Change, Social Identity, Ethnography, Qualitative Methods (Sociology), Organizational Culture, Community Development, Community Organizing, Case Study Research, Emerging Church, Institutional Theory, Religious Pluralism, Organization Studies, Faith Based Organizations, Ethnography (Research Methodology), Qualitative Research, Religion and Social Change, Church History, Evangelicalism, Evangelical movements, Ethnographic fieldwork, American Protestantism, Lived Religion, Ethnographic Studies, Evangelical Ecclesiology, Religious Studies, New Paradigm Christianity, Neo-institutional theory, Ulrich Beck, Neo-Institutionalism, Neoinstitutionalism, Non Profit Organizations, Organizational Dynamics, Neoinstitutional Theory, Religion and Social Work, and Social Science
Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland is the first major book to explore the dynamic religious landscape of contemporary Ireland, north and south, and to analyse the island's religious transition. It confirms that the Catholic Church's... more
Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland is the first major book to explore the dynamic religious landscape of contemporary Ireland, north and south, and to analyse the island's religious transition. It confirms that the Catholic Church's long-standing 'monopoly' has well and truly disintegrated, replaced by a mixed, post-Catholic religious 'market' featuring new and growing expressions of Protestantism, as well as other religions. It describes how people of faith are developing 'extra-institutional' expressions of religion, keeping their faith alive outside or in addition to the institutional Catholic Church.
Drawing on island-wide surveys of clergy and laypeople, as well as more than 100 interviews, Gladys Ganiel describes how people of faith are engaging with key issues such as increased diversity, reconciliation to overcome the island's sectarian past, and ecumenism. Ganiel argues that extra-institutional religion is especially well-suited to address these and other issues due to its freedom and flexibility when compared to traditional religious institutions. She explains how those who practice extra-institutional religion have experienced personal transformation, and analyses the extent that they have contributed to wider religious, social, and political change. On an island where religion has caused much pain, from clerical sexual abuse scandals, to sectarian violence, to a frosty reception for some immigrants, those who practice their faith outside traditional religious institutions may hold the key to transforming post-Catholic Ireland into a more reconciled society.
Drawing on island-wide surveys of clergy and laypeople, as well as more than 100 interviews, Gladys Ganiel describes how people of faith are engaging with key issues such as increased diversity, reconciliation to overcome the island's sectarian past, and ecumenism. Ganiel argues that extra-institutional religion is especially well-suited to address these and other issues due to its freedom and flexibility when compared to traditional religious institutions. She explains how those who practice extra-institutional religion have experienced personal transformation, and analyses the extent that they have contributed to wider religious, social, and political change. On an island where religion has caused much pain, from clerical sexual abuse scandals, to sectarian violence, to a frosty reception for some immigrants, those who practice their faith outside traditional religious institutions may hold the key to transforming post-Catholic Ireland into a more reconciled society.
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This chapter explores how the Benedictine monks at Holy Cross Monastery in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, have re-introduced the idea of vocation into the minds of a range of Christians on the island of Ireland. A picture of this new vision... more
This chapter explores how the Benedictine monks at Holy Cross Monastery in Rostrevor, Northern Ireland, have re-introduced the idea of vocation into the minds of a range of Christians on the island of Ireland. A picture of this new vision of the church in Ireland is painted through sections devoted to 'living ecumenism' and 'creating safe spaces'. The work of the Rostrevor Benedictines may seem limited because of the small scale of the changes among individuals. But Holy Cross is just one of multiple 'extra-institutional' spaces in Ireland's changing religious landscape. From their strategic positions on the margins, extra-institutional expressions of religion may prompt more significant changes in religious practice than initially seem possible.
The chapter is published in 'Mining Truths: Festschrift in Honour of Geraldine Smyth OP - Ecumenical Theologian and Peacebuilder', edited by John O'Grady, Cathy Higgins, and Jude Lal Fernando, EOS, 2015
The chapter is published in 'Mining Truths: Festschrift in Honour of Geraldine Smyth OP - Ecumenical Theologian and Peacebuilder', edited by John O'Grady, Cathy Higgins, and Jude Lal Fernando, EOS, 2015
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Religion is alive and well all over the world, especially in times of personal, political, and social crisis. Even in Europe, long regarded the most “secular” continent, religion has taken centre stage in how people respond to the crises... more
Religion is alive and well all over the world, especially in times of personal, political, and social crisis. Even in Europe, long regarded the most “secular” continent, religion has taken centre stage in how people respond to the crises associated with modernity, or how they interact with the nation-state. In this book, scholars working in and on Europe offer fresh perspectives on how religion provides answers to existential crisis, how crisis increases the salience of religious identities and cultural polarization, and how religion is contributing to changes in the modern world in Europe and beyond. Cases from Poland to Pakistan and from Ireland to Zimbabwe, among others, demonstrate the complexity and ambivalence of religion’s role in the contemporary world.
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Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you today. My talk will proceed as follows. First, I will outline changes in political and religious identification on the island since 1998, the year of the Good Friday Agreement.... more
Thank you very much for the opportunity to speak with you today. My talk will proceed as follows. First, I will outline changes in political and religious identification on the island since 1998, the year of the Good Friday Agreement. Second, I will reflect on how Brexit has been a shock to relationships and identities across the island (and between Ireland and the UK). Third, I will describe how the churches have responded to Brexit, primarily profiling the work of the Irish Council of Churches (ICC) and the Irish Inter Church Meeting (IICM). And finally, I will consider the role of religion during the Covid-19 pandemic, arguing that the churches’ increased visibility and cooperation, which is related to responding to the pandemic, may open doors for more significant public engagement for church contributions on Brexit, particularly around issues of identity, belonging and collaboration.
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The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is a primarily Western religious phenomenon, identifiable by its critical ‘deconstruction’ of ‘modern’ religion. While most prominent in North America, especially the United States, some of the most... more
The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is a primarily Western religious phenomenon, identifiable by its critical ‘deconstruction’ of ‘modern’ religion. While most prominent in North America, especially the United States, some of the most significant contributors to the ECM ‘conversation’ have been the Belfast-based Ikon Collective and one of its founders, philosopher Peter Rollins. Their rootedness in the unique religious, political and social landscape of Northern Ireland in part explains their position on the ‘margins’ of the ECM, and provides many of the resources for their contributions. Ikon’s development of ‘transformance art’ and its ‘leaderless’ structure raise questions about the institutional viability of the wider ECM. Rollins’ ‘Pyrotheology’ project, grounded in his reading of post-modern philosophy, introduces more radical ideas to the ECM conversation. Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ and ‘marginal’ location provides the ground from which Rollins and Ikon have been able to ex...
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This article explores how Christian clergy in Ireland have framed their adoption of online ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic as opportunities for the churches to retain some significance, even in secularizing societies. It is based... more
This article explores how Christian clergy in Ireland have framed their adoption of online ministries during the COVID-19 pandemic as opportunities for the churches to retain some significance, even in secularizing societies. It is based on an island-wide survey of 439 faith leaders and 32 in-depth, follow-up interviews. The results of this study are analysed in light of scholarship in three areas: (1) secularization in Ireland, informed by Norris and Inglehart’s evolutionary modernization theory; (2) cross-national research that has found increasing interest in spirituality or religion during the pandemic (with the UK as the main point of comparison); and (3) wider pre-pandemic scholarship on digital religion. The article concludes by arguing that the clergy’s framing of online ministries as opportunities is important: if they regard online ministries as potential sites of religious revitalization, they are more likely to invest in them. There is some evidence that they may be assi...
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This article develops the concept of ‘extra-institutional religion,’ which was first introduced in the 2016 book Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland. It describes how the author’s research for a biography of Fr Gerry Reynolds, a... more
This article develops the concept of ‘extra-institutional religion,’ which was first introduced in the 2016 book Transforming Post-Catholic Ireland. It describes how the author’s research for a biography of Fr Gerry Reynolds, a Redemptorist based in Belfast’s Clonard Monastery during the Troubles, helped advance the concept by fostering insight into the importance of links between faith-inspired activists and institutional religion. It also develops the concept’s theoretical potential, arguing that it may be well-placed to contribute to wider change by balancing two paradoxical structural strengths: its position on the peripheries of religious, social, and political life; and its continued links with institutional religion. It relates these structural strengths to theoretical literature on religion and civil society (which alerts us to how change can emerge from the peripheries); and Grace Davie and Abby Day’s work on European religion (which alerts us to the continued importance of...
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This article develops the concept of ‘extra-institutional religion’ to describe how some religiously committed individuals practise religion in a ‘post-Catholic’ Ireland. Rooted in an island-wide study, it describes extra-institutional... more
This article develops the concept of ‘extra-institutional religion’ to describe how some religiously committed individuals practise religion in a ‘post-Catholic’ Ireland. Rooted in an island-wide study, it describes extra-institutional religion as the practice of religion outside or in addition to the Catholic Church, Ireland’s historically dominant religious institution. As a new concept, extra-institutional religion provides an alternative to the theoretical emphasis on religious individualisation advocated by sociologists of religion and general theorists like Ulrich Beck. It builds on the concepts of British sociologists of religion Grace Davie (‘believing without belonging’ and ‘vicarious religion’) and Abby Day (‘believing in belonging’ and ‘performative religion’). It argues that extra-institutional religion may have application outside Ireland in the mixed religious markets of Europe. Extra-institutional religion also may contribute to wider change by balancing its two struc...
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This article uses a comparative approach to analyze the strengths and limitations of the inclusion of religious actors in peace and transition processes. It compares the theoretical frameworks of Bercovitch and Kadayifci-Orellana, and... more
This article uses a comparative approach to analyze the strengths and limitations of the inclusion of religious actors in peace and transition processes. It compares the theoretical frameworks of Bercovitch and Kadayifci-Orellana, and Brewer, demonstrating how the first helps us understand the strengths of religious actors, while the second sheds more light on their limitations. An analysis of the involvement of religious actors in the peace processes in Northern Ireland and Bosnia and Herzegovina supports the argument that religious actors are more likely to contribute to peace when they are excluded from Track One negotiations and are active in other modalities of participation: in wider social peace processes at national or grass-roots levels. Religious actors can contribute to peace processes especially if they choose to exclude themselves from Track One negotiations in order to avoid the pitfalls of becoming too closely associated with political power.
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This article analyses Abundant Life Christian Church in Limerick City, a multi-ethnic, Pentecostal/charismatic congregation in the Assemblies of God denomination. It provides insights about how religious groups are negotiating immigration... more
This article analyses Abundant Life Christian Church in Limerick City, a multi-ethnic, Pentecostal/charismatic congregation in the Assemblies of God denomination. It provides insights about how religious groups are negotiating immigration and ethnic diversity and how charismatic expressions of Christianity are engaging in Ireland's post-Catholic public sphere. The study revealed remarkably harmonious relationships between native Irish and immigrants of diverse backgrounds, which were built in large part on a leadership model in which one ethnic group did not hold significantly more power than others. The study also found that people at Abundant Life seemed anxious to establish their legitimacy as a Christian church, a concern that was rooted in previous, and even current, experience of Ireland as a 'Catholic country'. Congregants displayed varying degrees of openness towards Catholicism, but what was striking was how often they described their own faith in contrast to Catholicism. The institution that is the Catholic Church in Ireland cast a long shadow over Abundant Life congregants' own experience of Christianity and continues to define Ireland's post-Catholic religious market.
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With so many voices, groups, and organizations participating in the Emerging Church Movement (ECM), few are willing to “define” it, though authors have offered various definitions. Emerging Christians themselves do not offer systematic... more
With so many voices, groups, and organizations participating in the Emerging Church Movement (ECM), few are willing to “define” it, though authors have offered various definitions. Emerging Christians themselves do not offer systematic or coherent definitions, which contributes to frustration in isolating it as a coherent group – especially for sociologists who strive to define and categorize. In presenting our understanding of this movement, we categorize Emerging Christianity as an orientation rather than an identity, and focus on the diverse practices within what we describe as “pluralist congregations” (often called “gatherings,” “collectives” or “communities” by Emerging Christians themselves). This leads us to define the ECM as a creative, entrepreneurial religious movement that strives to achieve social legitimacy and spiritual vitality by actively disassociating from its roots in conservative, evangelical Christianity. Our findings are extensively developed in The Deconstructed Church: Understanding Emerging Christianity (Marti and Ganiel 2014).
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Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in southern Africa. This article explores its social and political roles, drawing primarily on examples from South Africa and Zimbabwe to illuminate wider trends across... more
Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity is the fastest-growing religion in southern Africa. This article explores its social and political roles, drawing primarily on examples from South Africa and Zimbabwe to illuminate wider trends across the continent. It considers the main competing assessments of Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity in Africa: 1. it is dominated by the 'prosperity gospel' and therefore stunts real economic growth and development; 2. it is primarily an apolitical faith that distracts people from their suffering; and 3. it is a Western import that disables the development of African cultures. It concludes that Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity in South Africa and Zimbabwe has included all of these elements. But recent research indicates that Pentecostal/charismatic Christianity is increasingly a socially and politically active religion that is surprisingly well-placed to meet people's economic and material needs, to empower people to participate in civic and public life, and to promote reconciliation between previously opposing groups.
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in editor(s)Martin Leiner, Maria Palme, Peggy Stoeckner, Sub-Saharan Africa between Conflict and Reconcilition, Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 2014, [Volume II in the Societies in Transition Series]
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“Can Churches Contribute to Post-Violence Reconciliation and Reconstruction? Insights and Applications from Northern Ireland,” in John Wolffe, ed., Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims: Irish “Religious” Conflict in Comparative... more
“Can Churches Contribute to Post-Violence Reconciliation and Reconstruction? Insights and Applications from Northern Ireland,” in John Wolffe, ed., Catholics, Protestants, and Muslims: Irish “Religious” Conflict in Comparative Perspective, Basingstoke, Palgrave, 2014, pp. 59-75
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April 2013: Mukai/Vukani: the Jesuit Journal for Theological Reflection in Zimbabwe, 64 The Catholic Church in Ireland is in steep decline. For centuries, the Catholic Church enjoyed what sociologist Tom Inglis called a “moral monopoly”... more
April 2013: Mukai/Vukani: the Jesuit Journal for Theological Reflection in Zimbabwe, 64
The Catholic Church in Ireland is in steep decline. For centuries, the Catholic Church enjoyed what sociologist Tom Inglis called a “moral monopoly” over the lives of the Irish.[1] The Irish State had ceded control to the Church in areas such as education and health, and key laws reflected Catholic social teaching: divorce was not outlawed until 1995 and abortion remains illegal. This is similar to Zimbabwe, where the State also entrusted churches to administer education and health. Further, there has been a fusion between Catholicism and Irish national identity, which has been constructed in contrast to Ireland’s “old enemy,” the colonising “Protestant” British state. Out of such a heavily socialized Catholic milieu it seems shocking that the Church’s influence seems so reduced as to now be marginal in the lives of the Irish.
What can the Church in Zimbabwe learn from this transition in Irish Catholicism?
The Catholic Church in Ireland is in steep decline. For centuries, the Catholic Church enjoyed what sociologist Tom Inglis called a “moral monopoly” over the lives of the Irish.[1] The Irish State had ceded control to the Church in areas such as education and health, and key laws reflected Catholic social teaching: divorce was not outlawed until 1995 and abortion remains illegal. This is similar to Zimbabwe, where the State also entrusted churches to administer education and health. Further, there has been a fusion between Catholicism and Irish national identity, which has been constructed in contrast to Ireland’s “old enemy,” the colonising “Protestant” British state. Out of such a heavily socialized Catholic milieu it seems shocking that the Church’s influence seems so reduced as to now be marginal in the lives of the Irish.
What can the Church in Zimbabwe learn from this transition in Irish Catholicism?
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The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is a primarily Western religious phenomenon, identifiable by its critical deconstruction’ of ‘modern’ religion. While most prominent in North America, especially the United States, some of the most... more
The Emerging Church Movement (ECM) is a primarily Western
religious phenomenon, identifiable by its critical deconstruction’ of ‘modern’ religion. While most prominent in North America, especially the United States, some of the most significant contributors to the ECM ‘conversation’ have been the
Belfast-based Ikon Collective and one of its founders, philosopher Peter Rollins. Their rootedness in the unique religious, political and social landscape of Northern Ireland in part explains their position on the ‘margins’ of the ECM, and
provides many of the resources for their contributions. Ikon’s development of ‘transformance art’ and its ‘leaderless’ structure raise questions about the institutional viability of the wider ECM. Rollins’ ‘Pyrotheology’ project, grounded in his reading of post-modern philosophy, introduces more radical ideas to the
ECM conversation. Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ and ‘marginal’ location provides the ground from which Rollins and Ikon have been able to expose the boundaries of the ECM and raise questions about just how far the ECM may go in its efforts to transform Western Christianity.
religious phenomenon, identifiable by its critical deconstruction’ of ‘modern’ religion. While most prominent in North America, especially the United States, some of the most significant contributors to the ECM ‘conversation’ have been the
Belfast-based Ikon Collective and one of its founders, philosopher Peter Rollins. Their rootedness in the unique religious, political and social landscape of Northern Ireland in part explains their position on the ‘margins’ of the ECM, and
provides many of the resources for their contributions. Ikon’s development of ‘transformance art’ and its ‘leaderless’ structure raise questions about the institutional viability of the wider ECM. Rollins’ ‘Pyrotheology’ project, grounded in his reading of post-modern philosophy, introduces more radical ideas to the
ECM conversation. Northern Ireland’s ‘Troubles’ and ‘marginal’ location provides the ground from which Rollins and Ikon have been able to expose the boundaries of the ECM and raise questions about just how far the ECM may go in its efforts to transform Western Christianity.
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... Other studies focus on its roles in conflict (Appleby 2000; Falola 2001; Akenson 1992), resistance ... the transformation of old racial categories to a new, inclusive or integrated identity within the ... cially in contexts in which... more
... Other studies focus on its roles in conflict (Appleby 2000; Falola 2001; Akenson 1992), resistance ... the transformation of old racial categories to a new, inclusive or integrated identity within the ... cially in contexts in which the population is broadly Christian, such as South Africa. ...
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By Matthew Guest in Journal of Contemporary Religion
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BOOK REVIEW - The Deconstructed Church - The Christian Century - December 24 2014
Research Interests: Organizational Behavior, Religion, Christianity, Sociology, Social Change, and 23 moreSociology of Religion, Organizational Theory, Organizational Change, Social Identity, Practical theology, Organizational Culture, Qualitative methodology, Case Study Research, Emerging Church, Institutional Change, Organization Studies, Case Studies, Congregational Studies, Qualitative Research, Evangelicalism, Evangelical movements, Qualitative Research Methods, American Protestantism, Ethnographic Methods, Religious Studies, Case Study, Non Profit Organizations, and Practical Theology
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Review of The Deconstructed Church in the Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion by Ryan Burge (Eastern Illinois University)
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Review by R.P. Cimino