Mainline Churches: Networks of Belonging in Postindependence Kenya and Tanzania
Christian churches are not abstract or ethereal institutions; they impact people’s daily decisions, weekly rhythms, and major life choices. This paper explores the continued importance of Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Anglican church membership for East African women. While much recent scholarship on...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
| Published: |
Brill
[2018]
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| In: |
Journal of religion in Africa
Year: 2018, Volume: 48, Issue: 3, Pages: 255-285 |
| Standardized Subjects / Keyword chains: | B
Nairobi
/ Tanzania (Nord)
/ Lutheran Church
/ Presbyterian Church
/ Anglican Church
/ Church institution
/ Network
/ Religious identity
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| IxTheo Classification: | CB Christian life; spirituality CH Christianity and Society KBN Sub-Saharan Africa KDD Protestant Church KDE Anglican Church |
| Further subjects: | B
Women
B Presbyterian B Well-being B Anglican B Lutheran B East Africa B Prayer |
| Online Access: |
Volltext (Verlag) Volltext (doi) |
| Summary: | Christian churches are not abstract or ethereal institutions; they impact people’s daily decisions, weekly rhythms, and major life choices. This paper explores the continued importance of Lutheran, Presbyterian, and Anglican church membership for East African women. While much recent scholarship on Christianity in Africa has emphasized the rising prominence of Pentecostalism, I argue that historic, mission-founded churches continue to represent important sources of community formation and support for congregations. Using oral interviews with rural and urban women in Nairobi and northern Tanzania, I explore the ways churches can connect disparate populations through resource (re)distribution and shared religious aesthetic experiences. Moving below the level of church institutions, I focus on the lived experiences and motivations of everyday congregants who invest in religious communities for a range of material, interpersonal, and emotional reasons that, taken together, help us understand the ongoing importance of mainline churches in East Africa. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0666 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Journal of religion in Africa
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700666-12340140 |