Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology

Martina Björkander, Ph.D. (b. 1977), is a post-doctoral researcher in practical theology at The Polin Institute, Åbo Akademi University, Finland. She has published several book chapters and articles on Pentecostalism, including "Pentecostal Praise and Worship as a Mode of Theology" in Faith in African Lived Christianity (Brill, 2020).

This work is an excellent study of lived theology. In Björkander’s analysis, the theological riches of Pentecostal spirituality come to the fore. - Mika Vähäkangas, Professor, Director of Polin Institute of Åbo Akademi University Björkander here makes a significant contribution to a pentecostal theology of worship that accounts for the various affective, performative, and embodied dimensions of pentecostal spirituality, enabled through meticulous ethnographic foregrounding of two charismatic East African congregations and their ritual practice. This is practical theology at its best, lifting up the many (disciplinary) tongues and (linguistic) accents of global pentecostal-charismatic Christianity. - Amos Yong, Professor of Theology and Mission, Fuller Seminary

• PreludeList of Figures and Tables1 Introduction1 The Task at Hand1.1 Background1.2 Introducing the Research Study1.3 Introducing the Researcher2 Worship in Pentecostal Spirituality: Previous Research and Study Rationale2.1 Ritual Perspectives2.2 Theological Perspectives2.3 Congregational Music Perspectives2.4 Africanist Perspectives2.5 Study Rationale3 Step by Step through This BookPart 1Theory and Method2 Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology1 A Spirituality Approach to Pentecostalism1.1 The Pentecostal-Charismatic Tradition1.2 Pentecostal Spirituality as Theology1.3 Worship as Orthodoxa2 A Practice Approach to Theology2.1 Starting with Practice2.2 Researching the Lived and the Local2.3 Worship as a Modus Theologicus3 A Ritual Approach to Worship3.1 The Lacuna in Pentecostal Studies3.2 Perspectives in Ritual Theory3.3 Embodiment and the Study of Pentecostal Ritual3.4 Worship as ‘The Rite of Worship and Praise’4 A Combination of Approaches3 Research Design and Method1 Case Study Design1.1 Critical, Multiple-Case, Embedded-Case Study Design2 The Fieldwork Journey2.1 Choosing a Topic, a Method and a Field2.2 Two Phases of Fieldwork and Two Cases3 The Data-Collection Maze3.1 Observation and Participation3.2 Field Notes, Audio-Visual Recordings3.3 Interviews3.4 Lyrics3.5 Research Surveys3.6 Summary of Collected Data4 The Quagmire of Analysis4.1 Analysing Lyrics in Search of Theology: A Special Excursion5 Ethical Considerations5.1 Access, Anonymity and Informed Consent5.2 Copyright Issues5.3 The Role of the ResearcherPart 2Cases and Context4 Urban, Progressive Melting Pots1 Urban Pentecostalism in Kenya1.1 Historical Background1.2 One Charismatic Community, Two Influential Church Families2 Introducing Woodley and Mavuno2.1 citam Woodley2.2 Mavuno Church Bellevue2.3 Demographic Profiles and Affiliation3 Situating Woodley and Mavuno Theologically3.1 Pentecostal or Evangelical?3.2 Cultural, Theological, and Liturgical Melting PotsInterlude1 Sunday Worship in Mavuno Church, Bellevue, January 20142 Sunday Worship in citam Woodley, January 2014Part 3Worship in Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology5 Orthopraxis: Worship as Ritualized Practice1 Ritual Dynamics in Worship1.1 Music and Singing within the Larger Ritual System1.2 The Rhythm of Sunday Services1.3 The Rhythm and Flow of Worship and Praise2 Core Elements of Worship2.1 Ritual Preparation and Production2.2 Ritual Actors and Groups2.3 Ritual Objects and Places2.4 Ritual Languages3 Conclusion: the Ritualization of Pentecostal Worship6 Orthopathos: Worship as Embodied Practice1 Bodies together as One: Why Community Matters1.1 Nurturing Community through Worship1.2 Conflicts, Power Play, and the Body of Christ2 Bodies in Motion: Why Movement Matters2.1 Kinesthetic Dimensions of Worship2.2 Dance, Spirituality, and Liturgy3 Bodies Dressed for Service: Why Clothes Matter3.1 Dress Codes and Holiness Ideals in Worship3.2 The Social Skin: When Style is Everything4 Bodies Feeling and Not Feeling: Why Emotion Matters4.1 Affective Dimensions of Worship4.2 The Emotions of a Worship Leader5 Conclusion: The Embodied Character of Worship7 Orthopistis: Worship as Theologizing Practice1 What Does the Bible Sing? Singing the Scriptures1.1 Emic Voices on the Bible in Worship1.2 Tabernacle and Throne: How Selected Passages Recur in Song1.3 A Psalter-Inspired Typology of Worship Songs2 Christology as the Hub of Pentecostal Theology2.1 Patterns of Trinitarian Thought in Contemporary Worship2.2 Jesus Is the Centre of It All: Not the Spirit2.3 Christ as (Newborn, Crucified, and Triumphant) Saviour and King3 Conclusion: Theologizing through Worship8 Orthodoxa: A Rhythm That Connects Our Hearts with God1 Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology Revisited1.1 Theoretical Remarks on This Study’s Contribution to Knowledge2 Worship as Unio Mystica2.1 Transformation as a Key Concept in Pentecostal Spirituality2.2 Songs That Carry Salvific Transformation2.3 Sung Worship as a Mediator of the Divine-Human Relationship2.4 Becoming Fearless Influencers: The Missional Goal for Worship3 BTW, What Is Worship?3.1 Worship Is a Lifestyle: It Encompasses Everything3.2 Worship Is Biblical: It Is Modelled on Scripture3.3 Worship Is More Than Music, Yet Music Is Critical for Worship4 Living a Life of Love: Worship as OrthodoxaAppendix 1: Interview Guides and ExamplesAppendix 2: Observation GuidesAppendix 3: Lyrical Content Analysis GuideAppendix 4: Research SurveysAppendix 5: Research Survey Results, Mavuno ChurchAppendix 6: Research Survey Results, CITAM WoodleyAppendix 7: Primary SourcesBibliographyIndex of ScriptureIndex of Subjects