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Words upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study


Words upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study

Paperback by Bielo, James S.

Words upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study

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ISBN:
9780814791226
Publication Date:
1 Apr 2009
Language:
English
Publisher:
New York University Press
Pages:
208 pages
Format:
Paperback
For delivery:
Estimated despatch 24 - 26 May 2024
Words upon the Word: An Ethnography of Evangelical Group Bible Study

Description

Evangelical Bible study groups are the most prolific type of small group in American society, with more than 30 million Protestants gathering every week for this distinct purpose, meeting in homes, churches, coffee shops, restaurants, and other public and private venues across the country. What happens in these groups? How do they help shape the contours of American Evangelical life? While more public forms of political activism have captured popular and scholarly imaginations, it is in group Bible study that Evangelicals reflect on the details of their faith. Here they become self-conscious religious subjects, sharing the intimate details of life, interrogating beliefs and practices, and articulating their version of Christian identity and culture. In Words upon the Word, James S. Bielo draws on over nineteen months of ethnographic work with five congregations to better understand why group Bible study matters so much to Evangelicals and for Evangelical culture. Through a close analysis of participants' discourse, Bielo examines the defining themes of group life-from textual interpretation to spiritual intimacy and the rehearsal of witnessing. Bielo's approach allows these Evangelical groups to speak for themselves, illustrating Bible study's uniqueness in Evangelical life as a site of open and critical dialogue. Ultimately, Bielo's ethnography sheds much needed light on the power of group Bible study for the ever-evolving shape of American Evangelicalism.

Contents

Figures and Tables Acknowledgments Introduction: Conceptualizing Emerging Evangelicalism 1 Stories of Deconversion 2 Ironies of Faith 3 Ancient-Future I: Experiencing God 4 Ancient-Future II: Everyday Monastics 5 Missional I: Everyday Missionaries 6 Missional II: Kingdom Theologies 7 Church Planting I: A New Work 8 Church Planting II: Sense of Place Conclusion: Dialogic Evangelicalism Appendix References Index About the Author

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