In:
Archive for the Psychology of Religion, SAGE Publications, Vol. 38, No. 1 ( 2016-04), p. 47-71
Abstract:
How should we understand the paradoxical phenomenon that people are showing substantial interest in new events organized by the church in a western-European society that is characterized by dwindling church attendance? An explorative questionnaire study among churchgoers ( n = 1016) and non-churchgoers ( n = 317) was conducted who chose to attend the so-called Night of the Churches in the Netherlands. The majority of the respondents indicated that they experience the Night of the Churches to be a qualitatively different phenomenon from other festivals (e.g., museum night or music festival). Our data suggest that for both churchgoers and non-churchgoers shared bonding experiences (e.g., a special feeling of connectedness, contact with a higher spirit, together with unknown people) are what makes a Night of the Churches unique. Additionally, the results reveal that this event hardly changed respondents’ image of the church and that more churchgoers (22%) than non-churchgoers (13%) were interested in new forms of being church. Again, shared bonding experiences make the difference when it comes to being open to new ways of being church.
Type of Medium:
Online Resource
ISSN:
0084-6724
,
1573-6121
DOI:
10.1163/15736121-12341317
Language:
English
Publisher:
SAGE Publications
Publication Date:
2016
detail.hit.zdb_id:
2190527-7
SSG:
0
SSG:
1
SSG:
5,2
SSG:
5,21
