THIS IS MY DESIRE - VU-DARE Home - Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

460 Pages·2011·2.5 MB·English

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HIS IS MY ESIRE
Lay out: Miranda Klaver

Cover design: René Staelenberg, Amsterdam

Cover illustration: Paul Abspoel

ISBN 978 90 8555 047 1
NUR 700, 740

© M. Klaver / Pallas Publications, Amsterdam University Press, 2011

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this book
may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by
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permission of both the copyright owner and the author of the book.
VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT

This is my Desire

A Semiotic Perspective on Conversion
in an Evangelical Seeker Church
and a Pentecostal Church
in the Netherlands

ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT

ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan
de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,
op gezag van de rector magnificus
prof.dr. L.M. Bouter,
in het openbaar te verdedigen
ten overstaan van de promotiecommissie
van de faculteit der Sociale Wetenschappen
op donderdag 30 juni 2011 om 13.45 uur
in de aula van de universiteit,
De Boelelaan 1105

door

Miranda Klaver

geboren te Alkmaar
promotoren: prof.dr. A.F. Droogers
prof.dr. C. van der Kooi
copromotor: dr. P.G.A. Versteeg
THIS IS MY DESIRE

This is my desire
To honor You
Lord with all my heart
I worship You
All I have within me
I give you praise
All that I adore is in You

Lord I give You my heart
I give you my soul
I live for you alone
Every breath that I take
Every moment I’m awake
Lord have your way in me

Reuben Morgan ©Hillsong Publishing

Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 13
CHAPTER 1 THIS IS MY DESIRE 17
Introduction 17
The research program: Conversion Careers in Global Pentecostalism 22
Religious changes in the Netherlands since the 1960s 23
Research questions 28
Methodological notes and reflection 31
The impact of life history interviews 32
Reflexivity 34
Access to the field 37
Position in the field 38
Outline of the book 40
CHAPTER 2 EVANGELICALISM IN THE NETHERLANDS 43
Introduction 43
Evangelicalism: definitions and discussions 43
Evangelical movement and churches in the Netherlands 47
Dutch reform and revival movements in the past 49
Dutch evangelicalism in the twentieth century 54
Conclusion 60
CHAPTER 3 CONVERSION: STORIES AND THEORIES 63
Introduction 63
Stories 63
Marc’s story 63
John’s story 68
Jolanda’s story 71
Discussion 74
Conversion theories revisited 76
Conversion and commitment 79
Conversion, language and narration 82
Narratives as performance 88
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The limits of language 91
A semiotic approach of conversion 95
Prospect 100
CHAPTER 4 WELCOME 103
Introduction 103
The Theater Church 103
Welcome at the theater church 103
The theater church: the Willow Creek connection 109
Church with a mission: the unchurched 111
Commitment, membership and baptism at the theater church 113
The theater church: the world, tradition and culture 116
The Powerhouse Church 118
Welcome at the powerhouse church 118
The church as powerhouse: the revivalist church 124
Church with a mission: national center of revival fire and power 127
Commitment, membership and baptism at the powerhouse church 131
The powerhouse church: the world, tradition and culture 133
Concluding remarks: two distinct environments for conversion 137
CHAPTER 5 SACRED SPACE AS IMPLICIT NARRATIVES 141
Introduction 141
Evangelical sacred space 142
Evangelical space in historic perspective 144
The Theater Church 148
A theatrical design 148
Creating defining ‘divine’ moments 151
Mediating the ‘unmediated’ experience 155
The Powerhouse Church 159
An auditorium design 159
Kinesthetic sacred space 164
Pentecostal visual rhetoric 170
Sacred Space and Pentecostal bodies 178
Discussion: conversion of space 179
To conclude 182

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CHAPTER 6 WORSHIP MUSIC AS EMBODIED NARRATIVES 187
Introduction: music as lived experience 187
From revival songs to praise and worship 188
Music as aesthetic form 195
The Theater Church 199
From spectator to partaker 199
Performance and sound 204
Lyrics and the meaning of words 207
The Powerhouse Church 211
Lively and spontaneous 211
Leading into His presence 215
Praise, worship and repetition 217
A new song 220
Discussion I: two aesthetic domains of conversion 223
Discussion II: music and community formation 228
To conclude 231
CHAPTER 7 CONVERSION LANGUAGE IDEOLOGIES 233
Introduction 233
Conversion language in evangelical tradition 235
The Theater Church: ‘Coming Home’ 239
The Waiting Father as overarching narrative 240
Contested ways of framing conversion 249
Reframing, tradition and journeys 255
The Powerhouse Church: ‘Passion Paradigm’ 260
The sermon as a mimetic performance 260
The Passion Story as overarching narrative 265
Framing conversion as deliverance from the past 270
The questionnaire as a literary form of confession 275
Testimonial talk and untold stories 282
Discussion: Two distinct language ideologies and conversion 287
Final remarks 292

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CHAPTER 8 LEARNING CONVERSION AT THE ALPHA COURSE 295
Introduction 295
The Alpha course as a global and local phenomenon 297
Learning religion through performative practices 300
Learning the ministry prayer 304
The Alpha program in practice 307
Invited for dinner 313
Listening to the message: the lecture 317
Learning conversion talk: the small-group 323
Conversion time: the Alpha weekend 331
Discussion: the Alpha course body pedagogics 346
Final remarks 353
CHAPTER 9 BAPTISM AS PERFORMEND NARRATIVES 357
Introduction 357
Evangelical baptism and conversion 358
Marleen’s story 358
Betty’s story 359
Martha’s story 360
Martin’s story 361
Dutch Protestantism and baptism practices 364
Protestant ritual ideology 367
Baptism in the theater church and the powerhouse church 370
Baptism as ritual communication 378
Canon and self-referentiality: infant baptism as communal faith 380
Adult baptism as embodied faith 383
Conclusion 388
CHAPTER 10 CONCLUSION 393
Contemporary evangelical conversion 393
Semiotic ideology, dialogue and participation 402
Final remarks on interdisciplinary approach 406
AFTERWORD 409

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