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conversion by affiliation: the history of the Karo Batak Protestant Church
Author(s) -
KIPP RITA SMITH
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
american ethnologist
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.875
H-Index - 78
eISSN - 1548-1425
pISSN - 0094-0496
DOI - 10.1525/ae.1995.22.4.02a00110
Subject(s) - protestantism , declaration , identity (music) , politics , element (criminal law) , christianity , sociology , ethnic group , religious studies , philosophy , law , anthropology , political science , aesthetics
Theories of conversion have often stressed either psychological or sociological factors, but viewing conversion as the public declaration of a new identity and incorporating the element of time afford a way to synthesize these approaches. Although conversions to Christianity in the Karo Protestant Church, legacy of a Dutch Reformed mission, were often prompted by political or pragmatic considerations and reinforced an ethnic identity in contrast to a Muslim majority, religious life for many Karo has been transformed over the long run.