Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology

Front matter

SS Se Ss oe as ees Soe Se ss Gs a ON OSes Bee os Sees ns es A STU DEES

SSE I NT

OTE ST a a Sasa aaa alae aaa eal

Contents

Prelude xı List of Figures and Tables xiv

1 TheTaskatHand 2 11 Background 2 1.2 Introducing the Research Study 5 1.3 Introducing the Researcher 12

2 Worship in Pentecostal Spirituality: Previous Research and Study Rationale 13 2.1 Ritual Perspectives 13 2.2 Theological Perspectives 17 2.3 Congregational Music Perspectives 23 2.4 Africanist Perspectives 26 2.5 Study Rationale 30

PART 1 Theory and Method

2 Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology 37 1 A Spirituality Approach to Pentecostalism 38 11 The Pentecostal-Charismatic Tradition 38 1.2 Pentecostal Spirituality as Theology 43 1.3 Worship asOrthodoxa 45 2 APractice Approach to Theology 48 2.1 Starting with Practice 49 2.2 Researching the Lived and the Local 53 2.3 Worship asa Modus Theologicus 56 3 ARitual Approach to Worship 59 31 The Lacuna in Pentecostal Studies 60 3.2 Perspectives in Ritual Theory 62 3.3 Embodiment and the Study of Pentecostal Ritual 68 3.4. Worship as ‘The Rite of Worship and Praise’ 78 4 A Combination of Approaches 80

VIII CONTENTS

3 Research Design and Method 82 1 Case Study Design 82 11 Critical, Multiple-Case, Embedded-Case Study Design 84 2 TheFieldworkJourney 88 21 Choosing a Topic, a Method anda Field 88 2.2 Two Phases of Fieldwork and Two Cases go 3 The Data-CollectionMaze 92 31 Observation and Participation 92 3.2 Field Notes, Audio-Visual Recordings 94 3.3 Interviews 97 3.4 Lyrics 99 3.5 Research Surveys 101 3.6 Summary of Collected Data 102 4 The Quagmire of Analysis 103 4.1 Analysing Lyrics in Search of Theology: A Special Excursion 105 5 Ethical Considerations 109 5.1 Access, Anonymity and Informed Consent 109 5.2 Copyright Issues im 5.3 The Role of the Researcher 1

PART 2 Cases and Context

1 Urban Pentecostalismin Kenya 18 11 Historical Background 118 1.2 One Charismatic Community, Two Influential Church

Families 121

2 Introducing Woodley and Mavuno 124 21 CITAM Woodley 124 2.2 Mavuno Church Bellevue 126 2.3 Demographic Profiles and Affiliation 128

3 Situating Woodley and Mavuno Theologically 133 31 Pentecostal or Evangelical? 133 3.2 Cultural, Theological, and Liturgical Melting Pots 139

Interlude 143 1 Sunday Worship in Mavuno Church, Bellevue, January 2014 143 2 Sunday Worship in cITAM Woodley, January 2014 150

CONTENTS

PART 3 Worship in Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology

Ritual Dynamics in Worship 163

11 Music and Singing within the Larger Ritual System 163 1.2 The Rhythm of Sunday Services 167

1.3 The Rhythm and Flow of Worship and Praise 181

Core Elements of Worship 192

2.1 Ritual Preparation and Production 193

2.2 Ritual Actorsand Groups 198

2.3 Ritual Objects and Places 201

2.4 RitualLanguages 21

Conclusion: The Ritualization of Pentecostal Worship 216

Bodies Together as One: Why Community Matters 224 11 Nurturing Community through Worship 225

1.2 Conflicts, Power Play, and the Body of Christ 232 Bodies in Motion: Why Movement Matters 237

21 Kinesthetic Dimensions of Worship 239

2.2 Dance, Spirituality, and Liturgy 246

Bodies Dressed for Service: Why Clothes Matter 257 3.1 Dress Codes and Holiness Ideals in Worship 259 3.2 The Social Skin: When Style Is Everything 266 Bodies Feeling and Not Feeling: Why Emotion Matters 274 4.1 Affective Dimensions of Worship 275

4.2 The Emotions of a Worship Leader 282 Conclusion: The Embodied Character of Worship 286

What Does the Bible Sing? Singing the Scriptures 290

11 Emic Voices on the Bible in Worship 295

1.2 Tabernacle and Throne: How Selected Passages Recur inSong 298

1.3 A Psalter-Inspired Typology of Worship Songs 305

Christology as the Hub of Pentecostal Theology 325

21 Patterns of Trinitarian Thought in Contemporary Worship 327

2.2 Jesus Is the Centre of It All: Not the Spirit 330

IX x CONTENTS

2.3 Christ as (Newborn, Crucified, and Triumphant) Saviour and King 340 3 Conclusion: Theologizing through Worship 354

8 Orthodoxa: A Rhythm That Connects Our Hearts with God 356 ı Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology Revisited 357 11 Theoretical Remarks on This Study’s Contribution to Knowledge 357 2 Worship as Unio Mystica 360 2.1 Transformation as a Key Concept in Pentecostal Spirituality 361 2.2 Songs That Carry Salvific Transformation 365 2.3 Sung Worship as a Mediator of the Divine-Human Relationship 375 2.4 Becoming Fearless Influencers: The Missional Goal for Worship 387 3 BTW, What Is Worship? 397 3.1 Worship Is a Lifestyle: It Encompasses Everything 398 3.2, Worship Is Biblical: It Is Modelled on Scripture 404 3.3. Worship Is More Than Music, Yet Music Is Critical for Worship 412 4 Livinga Life of Love: Worship as Orthodoxa 417

Appendix 1: Interview Guides and Examples 423 Appendix 2: Observation Guides 428

Appendix 3: Lyrical Content Analysis Guide 430 Appendix 4: Research Surveys 434

Appendix 5: Research Survey Results, Mavuno Church 438 Appendix 6: Research Survey Results, CITAM Woodley 443 Appendix 7: Primary Sources 448

Index of Scripture 478

Prelude

Every researcher brings their own personal story and preferences to research, some more than others, and some more overtly than others. As I read through what became my thesis—now transformed into this book—it is clear to me that whatever came out of my research was distinctly and unequivocally coloured by me. I admit, I love music. I admit, Ilove dance. I admit, I love clothes. I admit, I love stories. I admit, I love worship. I admit, I love Africa. There is not much Ican do about it. I hope this love permeates my writing, making it better rather than worse. I also hope that it has not hindered me from doing some fine and detailed critical analysis. The two—love and analysis—need not be in tension, but may instead spur each other on. The feelings expressed by ethnomusicologist Samuel A. Floyd resonate strongly with my own. His early introduction to practices and narratives within the African-American community became an important resource for his scholarship, a checkpoint for his ideas and conclusions. As he writes, “The feeling of having such a cultural memory to inform and ignite the intellect is powerfully gratifying; it confirms the validity of new knowledge and new ideas as no amount of rational thought will or can.” In a similar manner, I have found my upbringing in Central Africa, and our family’s continuous contact with African Pentecostalism, a well of inspiration and a compass for my analysis.

At the same time, the love and heritage may at times have made me especially keen to distance myself from a subject that is so close to my heart. One way to do so has been to apply ritual theory to worship practice. Some readers, especially my fellow Pentecostals, may react to my use of the words ‘ritual’ and ‘liturgy’ in this book, and find them provocative. These are not words that we normally use to describe worship. Worship is a practice in which Pentecostals place great value and do not want dissected into pieces by some meddlesome researcher. However, I hope that once I have argued my case, readers will have found the analysis illuminating and explanatory. Failing that, I suggest sceptics should consider it a language game, or a mirror. For a short while we can try out this new language of ritual, look at ourselves in the mirror, and see what we discover. Either we learn something new about ourselves, something important that helps us appreciate our rituals more deeply, or we rework them

1 Samuel A. Floyd, The Power of Black Music: Interpreting Its History from Africa to the United States (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 4.

XII PRELUDE to bring them more into line with our values. Or, we resolve that this language game is not for us and put the mirror down, no damage done.

A few acknowledgements are in place. First of all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude towards the two congregations that so generously received me in their midst; Mavuno Church and c1TAM Woodley. A special thank you goes to the two Senior Pastors, Muriithi Wanjau and Charles Obara, who granted me access, and to their co-workers, Nyambura, Kyama, Amos, and Grace, who helped me in countless ways along the way. Special thanks also go to the people I interviewed; I would have liked to be able to name you all but ethical and legal requirements constrain me from doing so. You know who you are, and I am forever grateful for your willingness to share a bit of your life and faith with me. Many others in Nairobi also shared their thoughts in informal conversations, or just helped me out practically before, during, and after fieldwork, not least my research assistants Stanley and Doris, you all have my appreciation.

Moreover, the members of my academic family need special mention. A massive Asante sana to my main supervisor, Prof. Mika Vähäkangas, who ceaselessly encouraged me, sharpened me as a scholar, and taught me to value life, health, and family above all; and to my two co-supervisors, Prof. em. Anne-Christine Hornborg and Prof. Amos Yong, who generously shared both their time and their expertise with me. All three of you are such important role models, and I will always remember you with a smile. My great appreciation also goes to Prof. Jean N. Kidula, Prof. Mark J. Cartledge, and the entire review committee, who carefully scrutinized the thesis before the Viva, and to the anonymous reviewer at Brill who did the same for this monograph version. Your suggestions have been invaluable. A special thanks to the series editors and editorial board of the Global Pentecostal Charismatic Studies, and to Ingrid Heijckers-Velt and Nitzan Shalev at Brill who have eased the publication journey in so many ways.

A special thank you goes to those who, each in their own way, inspired me to start this journey of theological enquiry many years ago: Ulrik Josefsson, Jenny Jakobsson, Gunilla Nyberg-Oskarsson, Per-Axel Sverker, Lennart Thörn, and Jan-Ake Alvarsson. Your inspiration, example and encouragement at various stretches of the road have made a huge difference to me. More academic role models have showed up at later stages, not least Elias Kifon Bongmba and Daniel Dama, who have become great friends.

My friends and colleagues at Lund University, Lotta Gammelin, Jennifer Nyström, Hans Olsson, Aron Engberg, Arne Olsson, Sara Gehlin, Vera La Mela, Magdalena Dziaczkowska, and the rest of the wonderful Global Christianity and Interreligious Relations research seminar, must also be mentioned. Your

PRELUDE XIII great feedback and our intense discussions have made this text what it is. You have all fostered me and made me a better scholar. Most of all, we have had so much fun along the road, and I will keep the memories close to my heart forever.

Over the years, I have had the privilege to interact with scholars in other academic settings as well: academic conferences arranged by the International Association of Mission Studies, 1aMs, the European Research Network on Global Pentecostalism, GloPent, the Nordic Network for Theology and Practice, NNTP, and the Christian Congregational Music Conference; academic institutions such as Abo Akademi University, Akademi for Ledarskap och Teologi, ALT, the Pan African Christian University, PACU, the Africa International University, AIU, the East Africa School of Theology, EAST, Kenyatta University, as well the Fuller Theological Seminar. I have also been able to share my work in joint research seminars within the Nordic Institute for Mission Studies and Ecumenics, NIME, and the Institute for Pentecostal Studies, 1Ps. It has been an honour to interact with people in such a wide variety of academic milieus, and you have all in different ways helped me develop my ideas.

Practical help has come from many places. A big shout-out goes to Marie- Louise Karttunen, who patiently language-edited my insanely long and detailed texts—twice!—Frida Nilsson who helped me with illustrations, Gill Hannant who transcribed the interviews, and Sahaya Selvam, who translated lyrics from Swahili and guided me in methodology.

Thanks also to my great support group of friends: Susanne Klingberg, Kristin Borneling, Linda Andréasson, Lena-Maria Doss, Stina Hejdenberg, and Elisabeth Andersson. You are such a blessing, and I am truly grateful to have each and every one of you in my life. A special mention to Helena Friede, who had time to listen to my story: plumbing the depths with you has meant the world to me, and to Jennie Dahlén, who never gave up on our friendship: what would I have done without you these past years?

Family must be mentioned too. My dear parents, Ingemar and Solveig Andersson, who gave me the gift of loving Africa and taught me to serve, to strive and not to yield; my siblings, Jafet and Sabina, who supported my academic interest early on, and always triggered me to do my very best, and Johan, who walked with me a stretch of the way. Lastly, my greatest love goes to Jeremia, Efraim, and Filemon. Being your mother is what I appreciate most in life. I am prouder of you than you can ever imagine. And to Jesus—my beloved Lord and Saviour.

Figures and Tables

Figures

Graphic design for figures courtesy of Frida Nilsson, Lund University.

The orthodoxa model 47

Theology as process 57

First and second-order theology in relation to theologizing as process 59 Case study design 86

Ritual sequences in Sunday liturgy 175

Timing of ritual sequences in Sunday liturgy 175

Waves of ritual sound 187

The orthodoxa model 358 oo N an A UU N

Tables m.

Age and educational profile, Woodley and Mavuno 129 Language profile, Woodley and Mavuno 130

Church affiliation, Woodley and Mavuno 131

Time of affiliation with Woodley and Mavuno 132

The family’s main religious affiliation during childhood 140 an f wo N

Level of satisfaction with services and worship music, Woodley

and Mavuno 220

7 Most appreciated service element, Woodley and Mavuno 221

8 Comparison between 1 Chron. 16:9—34 (selected verses), The Lord is Good and Haiye 301

9 Comparison between Rev. 4-5 (selected verses), Worthy is the Lamb, Hallelujah and Unastahili/You are Worthy 306

10 Frequency of songs according to type/literary genre 324

u Divine naming, person in Trinity addressed 331

12 Divine naming, names and titles of God 332

13 Comparison of The Solid Rock, Cornerstone, and Cha Kutumaini Sina/I Have

Nothing to Hope For 349

A11 Interview guide, partı 423 A1.2 Interview guide, part 11: Example, pastor in CITAM Woodley 424

FIGURES AND TABLES

Observation guide, partı 428 Observation guide, partII 429

Example of lyrical content analysis, genre/type 431 Example of lyrical content analysis, the names of God 432 Example of lyrical content analysis, person in Trinity 432 Example of lyrical content analysis, use of Bible 433

Survey (Mavuno Church) 434 Survey (CITAM Woodley) 436

A5.1-13. Survey responses (Mavuno Church)

Age 438

Province of origin 438

Mother tongue 439

Family religious affiliations 439

Academic qualifications 440

Employment status 440

Nature of affiliation with Mavuno 441 Duration of affiliation with Mavuno 441 Levels of satisfaction with church services 441 Levels of satisfaction with worship music 442 Experience of intimacy with God, self and others 442 Appreciation of service elements 442

A6.1-13. Survey responses (CITAM Woodley)

Age 443

Province of origin 443

Mother tongue 444

Family religious affiliations 444

Academic qualifications 445

Employment status 445

Nature of affiliation with crıram Woodley 446 Duration of affiliation with cITAM Woodley 446 Levels of satisfaction with church services 446 Levels of satisfaction with worship music 447 Experience of intimacy with God, self and others 447 Appreciation of service elements 447

XV

XVI

FIGURES AND TABLES

List of formal interviews 448 List of observed services and gatherings 449 Songs sung in observed services Mavuno 450

Songs sung in observed services in CITAM Woodley 454

Introduction

“How do you keep sane?” the moderator asked at a seminar I attended while preparing this manuscript. She was talking to Dr Denis Mukwege, the Nobel Peace Prize winner and founder of Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, who had been telling us about the atrocities committed against women and children in his country: sexual violence that destroyed bodies, souls, and lives, tearing societies apart. Every day he and his team meet victims and see brutality beyond comprehension. How do they keep sane? the moderator wanted to know. The answer was swift and certain: “Each morning we gather for worship.” Together with the staff, the patients, and all the women in their holistic programs of care, they gather to sing, dance, pray, and read the Bible. “I think this moment is really very crucial,” Dr Mukwege said, “when we can come together, and we feel that we are all human and we support each other.”!

Although Dr Mukwege’s situation is unique, his experience of worship is not. For pentecostal and charismatic Christians around the world, worship is a key spiritual practice, one with ramifications far beyond the spiritual realm. Many bear witness to its importance in their personal lives—for their mental, emotional, and even physical well-being—as well as for their communities: creating fellowship, solidifying identity, and fostering bonds of trust. A wholesome practice, while directed towards heaven it has an effect on earth. The rhythm that connects human hearts with the heart of God transforms them and sets them out to transform the world, Pentecostals assert.

In this book, I dive into the finer details of pentecostal worship, aiming to explain its role in pentecostal spirituality with as much texture as possible. Based on two concrete cases, I discuss worship from various angles—ritual-liturgical, emotional-embodied, doctrinal-theological—and, to present a total picture, I connect them all together, proposing that worship is indeed at the heart of pentecostal spirituality-as-theology.

This introduction sets the stage for the rest of the book by briefly introducing the study and myself as a researcher, meanwhile highlighting some

1 Mukwege, Denis (2023), Seminar on the political role of the church, at Pingst Pastor International, Stockholm, 2023-01-11.

This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the cc BY-NC 4.0 license.

previous research on pentecostal worship, music, and ritual. The chapter ends with a presentation of the book’s structure.

1 The Task at Hand

11 Background Vibrant worship music is part of pentecostal spirituality all around the world and has become, in many ways, the hallmark of charismatic Christianity itself. Indeed, itis hard to think about this brand of Christianity without thinking of its music. That so-called ‘praise and worship’ is central to pentecostal-charismatic church life has been noted by many scholars over the years,? among them Paul Alexander, who says that “music is a crucial aspect of Pentecostalism and part of its phenomenal appeal.”? In their global study of social engagement among Pentecostals, Donald Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori refer to worship as “the engine” of the tradition, saying that “the heart of Pentecostalism is the music.”4 Despite its centrality, scholarly interest in the specific role of music and worship within Pentecostalism was sparse until around the time when I started

2 Allan Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity (Cambridge, U.K.: Cambridge University Press, 2004); Mark J. Cartledge, Encountering the Spirit: The Charismatic Tradition (Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 2007); Mark J. Cartledge, Testimony in the Spirit: Rescripting Ordinary Pentecostal Theology, Explorations in Practical, Pastoral, and Empirical Theology (London; New York: Routledge, 2016); Chris E.W. Green, ‘Saving Liturgy: (Re)Imagining Pentecostal Liturgical Theology and Practice, in Scripting Pentecost: A Study of Pentecostals, Worship and Liturgy, ed. Mark J. Cartledge and AJ. Swoboda (London; New York: Routledge-Taylor & Francis, 2019); Ezra Chitando, ‘Singing Culture: A Study of Gospel Music in Zimbabwe’ (Uppsala: Nordiska Afrikainstitutet, 2002); Walter J. Hollenweger, Pentecostalism: Origins and Developments Worldwide (Baker Publishing Group, 2005); Monique M. Ingalls and Amos Yong, eds., The Spirit of Praise: Music and Worship in Global Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity (University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2015); Douglas G. Jacobsen, The World's Christians: Who They Are, Where They Are, and How They Got There (Chichester, West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011); Ogbu U. Kalu, ‘Holy Praiseco: Negotiating Sacred and Popular Music and Dance in African Pentecostalism, Pneuma: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies 32, no. 1 (2010): 16- 40; Ogbu Kalu, African Pentecostalism: An Introduction (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008); Lee R. Martin, ‘The Book of Psalms and Pentecostal Worship’, in Toward a Pentecostal Theology of Worship, ed. Lee R. Martin (Cleveland, TN: cpr Press, 2016); Donald E. Miller and Tetsunao Yamamori, Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement (University of California Press, 2007).

3 Paul Alexander, Signs and Wonders: Why Pentecostalism Is the World's Fastest Growing Faith (San Fransisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, Wiley, 2009), 25.

4 Miller and Yamamori, Global Pentecostalism: The New Face of Christian Social Engagement, 23-24.

my own inquiry. Since then, much has happened in the field, especially among ethnomusicologists in the West. For instance, studies have shown that musical ways of congregating are crucial for community and identity, while at the same time often sources of conflict and tension.° Still, there is more to do in order to understand the meaning of worship for pentecostal spirituality more fully, not least from theological and ritual perspectives. Given the centrality of Africa for contemporary pentecostal-charismatic Christianity, and the vitality of the tradition on the continent,® a case study in an urban, African centre is a good place to start such an inquiry.

To me, the Kenyan capital of Nairobi—a city with a vibrant church scene that boasts more than a thousand Protestant churches’—seemed like an especially suitable place. According to the World Christian Database, Kenya and other East African countries have the world’s highest levels of affiliation with pentecostal-type churches. In their estimation, around fifty per cent of the Kenyan population belonged to churches in the ‘Christian Renewal’ category in 2010.8 The Pew Forum Research’s ten-country survey of Pentecostals (2006)

5 Monique M. Ingalls, Singing the Congregation: How Contemporary Worship Music Forms Evangelical Community (Oxford University Press, 2018); Mark Porter, Contemporary Worship Music and Everyday Musical Lives (Taylor & Francis, 2016); Jonathan Dueck, Congregational Music, Conflict and Community (Taylor & Francis, 2017).

6 Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity; J.K. Asamoah- Gyadu, Contemporary Pentecostal Christianity: Interpretations from an African Context (1517 Media, 2013); J. Kwabena (Johnson Kwabena) Asamoah-Gyadu, ‘Teaching Pentecostalism in World Christianity: An African Perspective’, The Ecumenical Review 74, no. 1 (January 2022): 69- 83; Elias Kifon Bongmba, The Routledge Companion to Christianity in Africa, First edition, Routledge Religion Companions (New York: Routledge-Taylor & Francis, 2016); Jacobsen, The World’s Christians: Who They Are, Where They Are, and How They Got There; Philip Jenkins, The Next Christendom: The Coming of Global Christianity (Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press, 2002); Kalu, African Pentecostalism: An Introduction; Nimi Wariboko and Adeshina Afolayan, eds., African Pentecostalism and World Christianity: Essays in Honor of J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu (Pickwick Publications, 2020).

7 ACM-FTT Afriserve and Dawn Ministries, The Unfinished Task: A National Survey of Churches in Kenya (ACM-FTT Afriserve, in partnership with Dawn Ministries, 2004), 18-19.

8 ‘World Christian Database [Electronic Resource] / Center for the Study of Global Christianity at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary’ (Leiden: Brill, 2004). Even if the statistics of wcD can be criticized for various reasons, they remain the most reliable ones available. The category of Christian Renewal/Renewalists includes the subcategories Pentecostals, Charismatics, and Neocharismatics, and more or less overlaps the four-fold typology of global Pentecostalism, as described in Chapter 2. Compare David B. Barrett and Todd M. Johnson, ‘Global Statistics’, in The New International Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements, ed. Stanley M. Burgess and Eduard M. Van der Maas (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2002), 284-302. Statistics were chosen from the year closest to my time in the field, rather than the latest possible.

had similar results, indicating that more than half the population subscribed to forms of Christian faith that emphasize the experience of the Holy Spirit, although belonging to different denominations. Among Catholics (25% of the total population) about a third were Renewalists, and among Protestants (63% of the population) as many as seven out of ten professed a similar faith.’

The renewal ethos is spread across denominations through a high level of religious mobility and shared ritual practices. Music is important in this respect, and the same songs and repertoires can be found in Anglican, Pentecostal, Baptist, Catholic, and nondenominational churches with almost no distinction.!° In Nairobi, charismatic mega churches have established a niche for themselves in catering to the needs of upwardly mobile, urban Kenyans." Their attraction is especially strong among young people, largely due to what Ogbu Kalu calls “the charismatic liturgy,” with musical and ritual styles appealing to the young, modern, Kenyan. In fact, any casual visitor who knows what to look for will notice how suffused Kenyan society is with charismatic Christianity, not least through music. Music stands sell worship music on almost every corner; the big malls have Gospel music sections; Christian artists are played on secular radio; and quotes from worship songs appear on postcards and bumper stickers alike. Charismatic Christianity is everywhere in Nairobi, and so is charismatic music.

9 “Spirit and Power—A 10-country Survey of Pentecostals.” http://www.pewforum.org/2006 /10/05/spirit-and-power (accessed 2017-04-07). 83-84. Religious belonging in Kenya is fluid and often categories overlap and people move between different churches; compare Yonatan N. Gez, Traditional Churches, Born Again Christianity, and Pentecostalism: Religious Mobility and Religious Repertoires in Urban Kenya (Cham: Springer Nature, Palgrave, 2018).

10 Jean Ngoya Kidula, ‘Singing the Lord’s Song in the Spirit and with Understanding: The Practice of Nairobi Pentecostal Church’ in The Spirit of Praise: Music and Worship in Global Pentecostal-Charismatic Christianity, ed. Monique Marie Ingalls and Amos Yong (University Park, PA: The Pennsylvania State University Press, 2015), 133-47.

11 Damaris Seleina Parsitau, “Then Sings My Soul”: Gospel Music as Popular Culture in the Spiritual Lives of Kenyan Pentecostal/Charismatic Christians’, Journal of Religion and Popular Culture 14 (2006); Kyama M. Mugambi, A Spirit of Revitalization: Urban Pentecostalism in Kenya (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2020), 131-59.

12 Kalu, African Pentecostalism: An Introduction, 121. See also Kalu, ‘Holy Praiseco: Negotiating Sacred and Popular Music and Dance in African Pentecostalism’.

13 Wanjiru M. Gitau, Megachurch Christianity Reconsidered: Millennials and Social Change in African Perspective (InterVarsity Press, 2018), 1-15, 18-29; Parsitau, “Then Sings My Soul”: Gospel Music as Popular Culture in the Spiritual Lives of Kenyan Pentecostal/ Charismatic Christians’; Damaris Seleina Parsitau and Philomena Mwaura, ‘God in the City: Pentecostalism as an Urban Phenomenon in Kenya’, Studia Historiae Ecclesiasticae 36, no. 2 (October 2010): 95-112.

1.2 Introducing the Research Study 1.2.1 Aim and Research Question This empirical theological study seeks to contribute to the ongoing scholarly dialogue on pentecostal spirituality by offering an in-depth interpretation of worship as it is practiced in two urban pentecostal-charismatic congregations in Nairobi, Kenya, and proposes a pentecostal theology of worship. At the heart of Pentecostalism is its spirituality, which finds one of its major expressions in worship; thus, worship may serve as a window into the very heart of Pentecostalism.

The study combines empirical data with theoretical and theological reasoning and sets out to answer two main questions: — How and why do pentecostal churches practice worship as part of their spirituality?

— Based on data from two concrete cases, how can worship be theologized from a pentecostal perspective?

The study is designed as a “critical case study”4 (also known as an “instrumental case study”), where a specific case is chosen based on its theoretical value and used to gain insight into larger issues and general themes. While each case is always unique—and important in its own right—additional scholarly relevance is gained via the dialogue between empirical data and theoretical reasoning. Hence, we may speak of two main aims, one descriptive and analytical, the other creative and constructive. The first aim is to produce a detailed and multi-layered analysis of worship in the two case churches, utilizing a range of theoretical perspectives. The second is to propose a pentecostal theology of worship: that is, to suggest a way in which to theologize around worship from a pentecostal theological perspective. The empirical data thus serve as a springboard for theological construction and interpretation from a pentecostal perspective.

1.2.2 Empirical and Methodological Base In line with common practice in pentecostal studies,!© world Christianity studies, and practical theology,!” as well as in ritual studies!® and case study

14 Robert K. Yin, Case Study Research and Applications: Design and Methods, Sixth edition (Los Angeles: SAGE, 2018), 49.

15 Jessy Jaison, Qualitative Research and Transformative Results (SA1ACS Publications, A Division of South Asia Institute of Advanced Christian Studies, 2018), 45.

16 Michael Bergunder et al., eds., Studying Global Pentecostalism : Theories and Methods (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2010).

17 Martha Frederiks and Dorottya Nagy, World Christianity: Methodological Considerations (Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill, 2020).

18 Ronald L. Grimes, The Craft of Ritual Studies (New York: Oxford University Press, 2014).

research,!9 the methodological approach is interdisciplinary, strategically utilizing methods and theories from several disciplines in order to answer the research questions at hand. Given that worship is a complex and multi-layered phenomenon within pentecostal spirituality, an interdisciplinary design combining empirical methods with theoretical and theological analysis was deemed most appropriate. The study is organized as a critical case study, with a two-case, embedded design. Data were collected during five months of ethnographic fieldwork in Nairobi, conducted in 2013 and 2014, that included participant observation, interviews, surveys, and song collection. The details of this design are discussed in Chapter 3.

Two congregations were selected as the main focus of research; Mavuno Church, Bellevue, and Christ is the Answer Ministries (CITAM ), Woodley, hereafter simply Mavuno and Woodley. In the history of revitalization in urban Kenya, they and their respective mother churches (Nairobi Chapel and Nairobi Pentecostal Church/c1TaM) are profiled representatives of the most recent strand of renewal, the Progressive Pentecostal Churches (PPc). In addition to a shared pentecostal ethos, such as preaching Jesus as the only Saviour, confessing the Bible as the Word of God, practicing spiritual gifts, and creatively adopting local cultural elements, this group of churches emphasize clear structures of governance, transparency in terms of finances, deliberate processes of discipleship, and socio-political engagement.?°

Both churches have English-speaking, upper-middle-class congregations with multiple Sunday services, and both had around 4,000-5,000 attendees each Sunday at the time. Woodley is an all-generations type of church, while Mavuno targets the young, urban professional. In terms of heritage, Woodley draws on classical pentecostal roots, while Mavuno has greater Baptist and evangelical influences; with regard to current spirituality, both churches belong to the worldwide pentecostal-charismatic church tradition, not least through their musical and liturgical expression. Chapter 4 presents the two churches and their place in the ecclesial landscape of Nairobi.