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The spatial modalities of evangelical Christian growth in Sri Lanka: evangelism, social ministry and the structural mosaic
Author(s) -
Woods Orlando
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
transactions of the institute of british geographers
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.196
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1475-5661
pISSN - 0020-2754
DOI - 10.1111/tran.12004
Subject(s) - evangelism , church growth , mosaic , sociology , christian ministry , context (archaeology) , agency (philosophy) , sri lanka , order (exchange) , epistemology , social science , political science , economics , geography , law , philosophy , socioeconomics , tanzania , finance , archaeology
This paper incorporates a melange of ideas into a new understanding of evangelical Christian growth. Existing explanations of growth are well rehearsed within the social sciences, and draw clear distinctions between the characteristics of evangelical organisations and the structural contexts in which they operate. A number of theoretical and empirical assumptions render such explanations applicable in some countries, but not others. Drawing on empirical data from Sri Lanka, I argue that closer examination of the recursive relationship between organisation (agency) and context (structure) will lead to recognition of the fact that growth is a spatially defined process, with evangelical organisations being tied to localities in complex and multifarious ways. A heuristic device – the structural mosaic – is proposed and developed in order to account for the growth of evangelical Christian groups in hostile environments around the world.