Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology

Worship, Ritual, and Pentecostal Spirituality-as-Theology: A Rhythm that Connects our Hearts with God by Martina Björkander. Brill, Global Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, Volume: 48, 2024.

Even people who know very little about charismatic Christianity tend to associate them with hands raised in worship, vibrant- often loud- music, and spontaneous services. It is as if the pentecostal-charismatic spirituality cannot be thought of without its songs and music.

Music has always been central to charismatic Christianity and an important carrier of theology and spirituality. The spread of contemporary worship music has made this focus on music even more announced. Through music, pentecostal spirituality has reached far beyond the confines of pentecostal denominations and affected the entirety of global Christianity as we know it today. But why? What makes music and singing so central to pentecostal spirituality? And how does it work concretely?

This in-depth study examines the phenomenon of “worship” starting from the liturgical practices of two concrete urban churches in Kenya. As in many pentecostal-charismatic churches around the globe, each service is commenced with a block of communal singing, so-called “worship”. This practice is analysed from three main angles: ritual, affectivity and doctrine. Towards the end, the dimensions are woven together to show how they integrate into a larger whole. This whole constitutes a microcosm of pentecostal spirituality and cannot be separated from it. The study is based on empirical data (interviews, observations, lyrics, questionnaires), and considerable space is given to in-depth descriptions of practices and quotes from songs and local voices.

An important conclusion in the study is that the centrality of music has to do with the connection between a concrete practice (“worship”) and a pentecostal attitude towards life where every day and every part of life is lived in community with Christ and is thus seen as “worship”.  Music becomes a carrier of theology and spirituality; more than that, it becomes a carrier of the relationship with God, even life itself.

The book is available Open Access: https://brill.com/display/title/63398.

Martina Björkander