Religion's ‘state effects’: evangelical Christianity, political legitimacy, and state formation
The author argues in this paper that the ‘state effects’ generated by religious movements – even those operating at the margins of societies – require us to consider anew the impact of religious movements on state formation. In Sri Lanka, for instance, evangelicals are a minority. Yet their practice...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic/Print Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group
[2014]
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In: |
Religion
Year: 2014, Volume: 44, Issue: 4, Pages: 573-591 |
Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Sri Lanka
/ Evangelical movement
/ Mission
/ State
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IxTheo Classification: | AX Inter-religious relations CC Christianity and Non-Christian religion; Inter-religious relations KBM Asia KDG Free church |
Online Access: |
Volltext (doi) |
Summary: | The author argues in this paper that the ‘state effects’ generated by religious movements – even those operating at the margins of societies – require us to consider anew the impact of religious movements on state formation. In Sri Lanka, for instance, evangelicals are a minority. Yet their practice of proselytizing to new audiences was considered ‘unethical,’ generating opposition that was directed not only at them, but also at ruling elites for failing to stem what was seen as an intrusion of incompatible ‘Western’ ideals. Instead of considering how such Christian movements seek to ‘take over’ the functions of the ‘state’ as has been the experience in the United States and parts of Latin America, the author illustrates in this article why it makes more theoretical sense to ask how their activities impinge upon the conceptual frameworks through which the ‘state’ is imagined. |
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ISSN: | 0048-721X |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religion
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2014.894951 |