A Problem of Presence :Beyond Scripture in an African Church - The Anthropology of Christianity

4.56 ( 9 Ratings by Goodreads)
A Problem of Presence

A Problem of Presence :Beyond Scripture in an African Church - The Anthropology of Christianity

(Author)
4.56 (9 Ratings by Goodreads)
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Published: 5 June, 2007
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Description

The Friday Masowe apostolics of Zimbabwe refer to themselves as 'the Christians who don't read the Bible.' They claim they do not need the Bible because they receive the Word of God 'live and direct' from the Holy Spirit. In this insightful and sensitive historical ethnography, Matthew Engelke documents how this rejection of scripture speaks to longstanding concerns within Christianity over mediation and authority. The Bible, of course, has been a key medium through which Christians have recognized God's presence. But the apostolics perceive scripture as an unnecessary, even dangerous, mediator. For them, the materiality of the Bible marks a distance from the divine and prohibits the realization of a live and direct faith. Situating the Masowe case within a broad comparative framework, Engelke shows how their rejection of textual authority poses a problem of presence - which is to say, how the religious subject defines, and claims to construct, a relationship with the spiritual world through the semiotic potentials of language, actions, and objects. Written in a lively and accessible style, "A Problem of Presence" makes important contributions to the anthropology of Christianity, the history of religions in Africa, semiotics, and material culture studies.
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More Details

Type Book
ISBN13 9780520249042
ISBN10 0520249046
Number Of Pages 321
Item Weight 454 g
Product Dimensions 152 x 229 x 20 mm
Publisher / Reseller University of California Press
Format paperback
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Media Reviews

"An insightful inquiry into a fascinating ethnographic case." -- Thomas Kirsch Journal Of The Royal Anthropological Inst "A rich and rewarding book, A Problem of Presence contributes to a number of fields and brings them into new alignments." Journal Of Religion In Africa "An important contribution, not just to scholarship on the African Church, but also to an emerging anthropology of Christianity." -- David Maxwell Books & Culture "Highly useful for readers interested in African studies, religious studies, the anthropology of Christianity, the history of African churches, and social movements in Africa." -- Erica Bornstein H-Safrica "A remarkably insightful book." Gladys Ganiel

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Author's Bio

Matthew Engelke is a lecturer in the Department of Anthropology at London School of Economics and Political Science.

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