Open AccessChristianity, Presence, and the Problem of History
Author(s) -
Jan Jensen
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
suomen antropologi
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.141
H-Index - 7
eISSN - 1799-8972
pISSN - 0355-3930
DOI - 10.30676/jfas.v45i2.90016
Subject(s) - temporality , orthodoxy , context (archaeology) , christianity , sociology , set (abstract data type) , epistemology , religious studies , philosophy , history , theology , archaeology , computer science , programming language
In this article, I compare two forms of Christian temproality in the Faroe Islands. In so doing, I problematize some of the ways in which the idea of history has been applied theoretically to studies of churches and congregations in the country. As a remedy to what I see as the shortcomings of social theory when applied to Pentecostal temporality, I propose seeing the latter as a form of extended present. This is set in contrast to dispensationalism, which sees historical and theological time as occuring in a sequential manner. Dispensationalism in this context refers more than anything to the Plymouth Brethren, who make up the biggest group of non-Lutheran Christians in the Faroe Islands. Finally, I reflect on how temporality is shaped by operational goals that differ between similar, yet subtly different Christian practitioners.
Keywords: Faroe Islands, Pentecostalism, temporality, history, theology, presence, dispensationalism, orthodoxy