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Cosmologies in Collision: Pentecostal Conversion and Christian Cults in Asmara

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2014

Abbebe Kileyesus
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Abstract:

This article aims to contribute to a better understanding of the popularity of Pentecostalism and the formation of religious identity in an Eritrean city. Examining the penetration of Pentecostal Protestantism into longstanding Christian churches in Asmara during a time of rapid socioeconomic change in Eritrea, it looks at how Pentecostalism discontinues its relation with the past, conceptualizes the present, and generates an autonomous image of itself in the highly competitive religious marketplace of an Eritrean urban space. The article discusses how and why this movement increasingly favors Bible reading and networks of religious meetings as the principal mediums of transmission of its teachings and the expansion of its denomination, breaking deliberately from traditional Christian churches and using local forces and resources.

Résumé:

Résumé:

Cet article a pour objectif de contribuer à une meilleure compréhension de la popularité de l'église de pentecôte et de la formation d'une identité religieuse dans une ville Érythréenne. En examinant la pénétration du protestantisme de pentecôte dans les églises chrétiennes bien établies in Asmara pendant une période de changement socio-économique rapide en Erythrée, il envisage la manière dont l'église de la pentecôte rompt ses liens avec le passé, conceptualise le présent, et génère une image autonome d'elle-même sur le marché religieux hautement compétitif dans un espace urbain Érythréen. L'article aborde les questions du comment et du pourquoi ce mouvement favorise de plus en plus la lecture de la bible et les réseaux de rassemblements religieux comme moyens principaux de transmission de ses enseignements et de l'expansion de sa réputation, se détachant délibérément des églises chrétiennes traditionnelles et utilisant des pouvoirs et ressources locaux.

Type
Research Article
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 49 , Issue 1 , April 2006 , pp. 75 - 92
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2006

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