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Publication Detailed Description
The committee and the uncommitted: Material assistance to members in need at a Pentecostal Church in Western Kenya
Journal Title
Africa Today
Year (definitive publication)
2022
Language
English
Country
United States of America
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Abstract
In Kenya today, Christian churches serve as a central pillar of socioeconomic support to people in their hour of need. Drawing on ethnographic research at a small Pentecostal church in Kisumu, western Kenya, we present four modes of such material support. This classification lets us examine the provision of church assistance as a subtle balancing act, in which leaders and so-called supermembers seek to bind lay members into greater commitment by projecting institutional dependability while carefully avoiding excessive demands. Rejecting the caricature of the self-enriching charismatic leader and focusing on the intertwinement of religious commitment and class, we offer a fresh examination of churches’ mechanisms of welfare assistance beyond a simple vertical/ horizontal (or institutional/congregational) binarism.
Acknowledgements
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Keywords
Fields of Science and Technology Classification
- Sociology - Social Sciences
- Social and Economic Geography - Social Sciences
Funding Records
| Funding Reference | Funding Entity |
|---|---|
| 10001AL_182304 | Agence Nationale de la Recherche |
| 100013-146301 | Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung |
| 100013-130340 | Schweizerischer Nationalfonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung |
| ANR-18-CE93-0009-01 | Agence Nationale de la Recherche |
