a contextual missiology of the spirit - eTheses Repository ...

Coleman’s argument that the modern mass communication media has a significant
role in the globalization of charismatic Christianity 50 is true in respect to
Pentecostals in Rajasthan. Through their access to the media, they are exposed to
global Pentecostal culture, and subsequently the impact on young people is greater
than on the older generation. During participant observation in the gathering of
young people of RPC, most said that they prefer to have the worship service in
English. Almost all of them said that they watch the ‘God Channel’ on TV and
listen to international preachers like Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer and Benny Hinn.
Eight of these seventeen young people live in a rural area. They came to Udaipur
city for higher education as well as for jobs. They said that they want to go back
to their home church if they have the opportunity to do so. However, in a separate
interview, six of the eight said that they are not interested in going back to their
home church as the worship language is in Vagri, their local dialect, and the
worship style is very local. At RPC, they said that they feel they are in a
congregation, similar to other mega churches around the world. ‘We feel the
heavy presence of God. We have the freedom to worship God. We can stand,
jump and dance. We have preaching in English as well as Hindi. We sing both in
English and Hindi.’ 51 During my visit to a village church in Udaipur district, a
young man in the church, who was exposed to urban worship, asked me to preach
in English so that he could translate the message into the local dialect, even
though I wanted to preach in Hindi. 52
50 Coleman, Globalization of Charismatic Christianity, 66-67.
51 Group interview by author, Udaipur, Rajasthan, 13 May 2006.
52 It was not because he knew English better than Hindi, but he wanted to bring some urban taste
to his rural church. He used to attend the worship service at RPC when he joined for his higher
studies.
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