Ethnic Church Meets Megachurch: Indian American Christianity in Motion

Ethnic Church Meets Megachurch: Indian American Christianity in Motion

by Prema A. Kurien
Ethnic Church Meets Megachurch: Indian American Christianity in Motion

Ethnic Church Meets Megachurch: Indian American Christianity in Motion

by Prema A. Kurien

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Overview

Winner, 2018 Section on Asia and Asian America Book Award presented by the American Sociological Association

Traces the religious adaptation of members of an important Indian Christian church– the Mar Thoma denomination – as they make their way in the United States.

This book exposes how a new paradigm of ethnicity and religion, and the megachurch phenomenon, is shaping contemporary immigrant religious institutions, specifically Indian American Christianity. Kurien draws on multi-site research in the US and India to provide a global perspective on religion by demonstrating the variety of ways that transnational processes affect religious organizations and the lives of members, both in the place of destination and of origin.

The widespread prevalence of megachurches and the dominance of American evangelicalism created an environment in which the traditional practices of the ancient South Indian Mar Thoma denomination seemed alien to its American-born generation. Many of the young adults left to attend evangelical megachurches. Kurien examines the pressures church members face to incorporate contemporary American evangelical worship styles into their practice, including an emphasis on an individualistic faith, and praise and worship services, often at the expense of maintaining the ethnic character and support system of their religious community.

Kurien’s sophisticated analysis also demonstrates how the forces of globalization, from the period of colonialism to contemporary out-migration, have brought about tremendous changes among Christian communities in the Global South. Wide in scope, this book is a must read for an audience interested in the study of global religions and cultures.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781479826377
Publisher: New York University Press
Publication date: 06/20/2017
Edition description: New Edition
Pages: 304
Product dimensions: 5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Prema A. Kurien is Professor of Sociology at Syracuse University and author of two award-winning books, Kaleidoscopic Ethnicity: International Migration and the Reconstruction of Community Identities in India, and A Place at the Multicultural Table: The Development of an American Hinduism. She is currently working on her next book, Race, Religion, and Citizenship: the Political Mobilization of Indian Americans.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

Introduction: Indian American Christianity in Motion 1

1 Syrian Christian Encounters with Colonial Missionaries and Indian Nationalism 27

2 The Role of the Church in Migration and Settlement 71

3 Coupling versus Decoupling Religion and Ethnicity in the First and Second Generations 108

4 Class, Culture, and the Performance of Gendered Christianity 143

5 Religion, Social Incorporation, and Civic Engagement among Generations 169

6 International Migration and Its Impact on the Mar Thoma Denomination 195

Conclusion: Transnational Processes, Immigrant Incorporation, and Religious Change 221

Notes 247

References 253

Index 267

About the Author 281

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