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Key research themes
1. How did missionary encounters transform fundamentalist Pentecostalism into evangelicalism through transculturation?
This theme investigates the cultural and theological transformations within Pentecostal missionaries, particularly those of the Assemblies of God (AG), as a result of their encounters with post-colonial converts. It explores how these 'missionary conversions' challenged rigid fundamentalist doctrines, leading to the emergence of a more outward-facing, culturally diverse evangelical identity within Pentecostalism. This study highlights the multidirectional effects of missionary work, especially the internal shifts among missionaries that then influenced home church theology and practice, offering insights into the anthropology of religious encounter and cultural translation.
Key finding: The study found that during mid-twentieth century, Assemblies of God missionaries experienced profound internal cultural and theological transformation ('missionary conversions') through transculturation in their postcolonial... Read more
2. What are the historiographical challenges and developments in writing evangelical history, balancing faith commitments with scholarly rigor?
This theme addresses the evolution of evangelical historiography, focusing on tensions between pietistic/popular narratives and academic critical approaches. It explores diverse methodologies such as methodological naturalism, critical theism, and postmodern fideism, and debates over including providential interpretation versus maintaining historical neutrality. The theme also considers the implications of evangelical historical writing for identity formation within and outside the church, the negotiation of faith and reason, and the impact of academic historicism on evangelical communities’ self-understanding.
Key finding: This edited volume documents the coexistence of two historiographical streams within evangelical history—popular pietistic accounts and critical academic scholarship. Through case studies from eighteenth-century to... Read more
Key finding: The paper surveys evangelical approaches to historiography, categorizing them into methodological naturalism, critical theism, and postmodern fideism, highlighting their varying capacities to handle supernatural events in... Read more
Key finding: This study explicates the century-long evangelical debate about integrating faith with historical scholarship, highlighting contrasting historiographical methods: one rejecting academic neutrality to preserve providential... Read more
Key finding: Providing a meta-analysis of Australian evangelical historiography, this keynote addresses the institutional and cultural marginalization of evangelical history in broader historiography, the oscillation between acceptance... Read more
3. How have evangelicalism’s social and political identities evolved across different cultures and historical periods?
This theme examines shifts in evangelical social engagement, political identities, and cultural expressions from the nineteenth century to contemporary contexts, accentuating the diversity within evangelical movements globally. It investigates evangelicalism’s historical roles in social reform, education, and missions, as well as the modern political realignments, identity crises, and the contested nature of the evangelical label. Comparative studies of geographic expressions, such as the political divergence between Swedish and American evangelicals, and the reconfiguration of evangelicalism within educational institutions provide insight into the complex social identity constructions and theological responses to globalization and pluralism.
Key finding: The study reveals that post-WWII neo-evangelicalism in the U.S. integrated higher education as a platform for cultural engagement alongside evangelistic ministry. Evangelicals struggled to maintain consistent moral voices... Read more
Key finding: Phoebe Palmer’s ministry in mid-19th century Canada was foundational for the emergence of evangelical egalitarianism, particularly regarding women’s leadership and social reform within evangelical circles. Her advocacy... Read more
Key finding: This work contends that nineteenth-century evangelicalism was a driving force behind progressive social reforms, including abolition and women’s rights, disrupting the dominant narrative that portrays evangelicalism as... Read more
Key finding: This essay compares divergent political trajectories of Swedish and American evangelicalisms, linking Swedish evangelicals’ historical role as democratic activists and progressive social reformers to their contemporary... Read more