Devotional Fitness

Martin Radermacher is a Research Associate at the Center for Religious Studies (CERES) at Bochum University (Germany). During his doctoral research in the United States, he was affiliated with the Department of Religion at Columbia University, New York. He completed his PhD on evangelical dieting and fitness programs in North America at Münster University (Department of Religion) in 2014 and has published in various volumes on contemporary religion and Christianity. He is co-founder and speaker of the newly established working group on evangelical, pentecostal, and charismatic movements within the German Association for the Study of Religions (DVRW). Besides the entanglements of sports, fitness and religion, his research interests include religion und space/materiality, contemporary religion and spirituality, the history of the study of religions as well as the theory and method of the study of religions.

“This book, while about fitness, also explores the religious side of physical fitness and the role that religion plays in people exercising in their daily lives. … This book presents some interesting thoughts. I feel that the church should do different physical things to help reach out to their community and to improve the health and wellbeing of the church itself. This book will present me with some things to think about as I venture into full-time ministry.” (Justin Dilliplane, Resolved for Christ, resolvedfc.blogspot.de, February, 2018)

• 1 Introduction.- PART I. Theoretical and methodological background.- 2 State of research on devotional fitness.- 3 Goal, theory, and method.- PART II. Body and religion in twentieth century America.- 4 From New Thought to Bod4God.- PART III. Analysis of empirical data: products, narratives, and theologies.- 5 Devotional fitness as discourse and embodied practice6 Between inclusion and exclusion: devotional fitness and its environment.- PART IV. Theoretical reflections—reflecting theory.- 7 Constructing identity from difference.- 8 Reflecting on concepts and approaches.- 9 Conclusions.