Words as things - Language, aesthetics and the objectification of protestant evangelicalism

Journal/Book: J Mat Cult. 1996; 1: 6 Bonhill Street, London, England EC2A 4PU. Sage Publications Ltd. 107-128.

Abstract: Evangelical Protestant worship is frequently characterized as involving the manipulation of language rather than objects or images. However, this paper argues that a coherent aesthetic sensibility rooted in positive attitudes to the material world exists in evangelical practices. It traces the ways in which sacred language and religious experience are believed to be objectified in the body, the physical environment and the mass media. Such means of objectification, often partially controlled by evangelical elites, are shown to aid the reflexive presentation of a unified, imagined community of believers on both a local and global level.

Note: Article Coleman S, Univ Durham, Dept Anthropol, 43 Old Elvet, Durham DH1 3HN, ENGLAND

Keyword(s): aesthetics; Christianity; evangelicalism; language; media

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