The city, the countryside and nature in the discourse of two charismatic revival communities: Two visions of society and politics?

Journal/Book: Soc Compass. 1999; 46: 6 Bonhill Street, London, England EC2a 4Pu. Sage Publications Ltd. 85-99.

Abstract: French charismatic revival takes several forms. There are currently around 20 large communities (Fondations du Monde Nouveau Chemin Neuf; Emmanuel, Pain de Vie or Beatitudes, and so on) and more than a thousand ''groupes de priere''. The author considers that, despite a common history, charismatic communities remain very specific and that it is difficult to discern any homogeneity in the revival movement. Comparing representations of city, countryside and nature in two important communities (Beatitudes and Chemin Neuf), the author demonstrates that each community can be seen as a Weberian ideal-type, representing a particular vision of present-day society. Corresponding to these two representations, the author distinguishes two kinds of citizen.

Note: Article Pina C, IEP, CIDSP, CNRS, BP 48, F-38040 Grenoble 9, FRANCE

Zurück | Weiter