Pathways to Heaven

Holger Jebens is Research Fellow at the Frobenius Institute and Managing Editor of Paideuma, and, from 2001–2002, was Theodor-Heuss Lecturer at the New School of Social Research.

“The book will be of value to those who study the religions of Oceania and those who are concerned with missions and local Christianities.“  ·  Anthropos“What Jebens has provided us on the whole, is a densely-knit and fascinating study, which will be of interest to all scholars of religion and social change in the Oceanic and Asiatic regions. His anthropological perspective illuminates areas of the everyday practice of faith and the working out of religious conflict that would not be accessible to us otherwise.“  ·  Asian Journal of Social Science“This ethnography’s strengths includethe clear presentation of multiple perspectives, emic and etic, all of which are subjected to constructive critique. It incorporates both qualitative and quantitative methods.”  ·  Anthropological Forum“…essential reading for those interested in the complexities of Christian missionisation and conversion in Papua New Guinea, and offers valuable insights into differing interpretations and experiences of Christian practices and beliefs in a rural context.”  ·  The Australian Journal of Anthropology“The great value in this study stems from the fact that the author leaves no perspective out of the presentation and analysis of the data he amassed, including emic and etic, and the fact that he is very careful theoretically.”  ·  Pacific Affairs“There is more to this rich work than one can do justice to in a short review…it is the finest account of the cultural bases of denominational conflict I have read anywhere outside of Latin America, and in its ethnographic depth it is probably the fullest we have in the anthropological literature from anywhere.”  ·   Joel Robbins in JRAIJebens's book is a theoretically sophisticated, ethnographically rich, and delightfully personal story that is humble, warm, and yet scientifically rigorous. It is also accessible to students.   · Anthropological Forum”This is a carefully documented, and insightfully interpreted, ethnographic case study…Independently-minded, pleasantly free form lip-service to extraneous analytical paradigms or modes. Scholarly, meticulous, and full of well-grounded and neatly formulated analyses as well as complexly reported data, this book should surely become one of the classics of the analysis of Christianity in Papua New Guinea and the Pacific generally, as well as beyond the region.”  · Journal of Contemporary Religion"This is a remarkable study of the cultural bases of interdenominational conflict, and one that is rendered all the more arresting for being set in a Papua New Guinea village with less than 200 inhabitants. One of the few really deep studies we have of the lives of Melanesian Christians, it is also a major contribution to the anthropology of Christianity and to the study of fundamentalist forms of religion. It deserves a wide readership in anthropology, religious studies, and beyond."  · Joel Robbins, University of California, San Diego, author of "Becoming Sinners: Christianity and Moral Torment in a Papua New Guinea Society"

• List of Maps and FiguresPrefaceAcknowledgementsIntroductionPART I: PAIRUNDUChapter 1. Present-Day CultureChapter 2. Traditional ReligionChapter 3. Colonisation and MissionisationChapter 4. Catholics and AdventistsPART II: CHANGE AND CONTINUITYChapter 5. Past and Future ChangesChapter 6. Adopting ChristianityChapter 7. The Influence of the Traditional ReligionPART III: MISSIONISATION AND MODERNISATIONChapter 8. Missionisation in Papua New GuineaChapter 9. Fundamentalism as a Response to ModernityChapter 10. Concluding RemarksGlossaryReferencesIndex