In this article, 1 explore how the Long Geng Badeng Kenyah community of Sarawak converted to Christianity even though there was no sustained missionary persuasion from the outside. Over a period of study, I eventually...In this article, 1 explore how the Long Geng Badeng Kenyah community of Sarawak converted to Christianity even though there was no sustained missionary persuasion from the outside. Over a period of study, I eventually accept the simple emic explanation that ＂it is easy when you are a Christian＂ to be an important explanation. Central to this view is that Christianity provides an alternative religion that allows the people to avoid the need to observe the many troublesome taboos that hinder frequent traveling and engaging in various kinds of economic activities. The influence of relatives is an important factor, too, and as more people become Christians, the traditional Bungan followers lose the support to continue with the traditional religion and eventually almost all follow their relatives to adopt the new religion, which they find do not hinder practicing their culture other than replacing the traditional worship with the Christian way. The ethnographic study provides the opportunity to relate to recent scholarship on the anthropology of Christianity, and facilitates anthropological reflection on the study of cultural change, in particular, in relation to the work of Marshall Sahlins.展开更多
This paper explores liturgical ministers as ministerial leaders to embrace different liturgical functions as ministries of service. This is against the backdrop of Tridentine liturgy whereby the worship is looked up a...This paper explores liturgical ministers as ministerial leaders to embrace different liturgical functions as ministries of service. This is against the backdrop of Tridentine liturgy whereby the worship is looked up as an exclusive leadership function of the priests alone to lord it over others. It identifies lack of active participation by the lay faithful as one of the major factors escalating passive participation in the liturgical celebrations in Nigeria. In this way, the paper argues that rethinking ministerial leadership is a medium to promote active and parish liturgical participation. Their implications suggest the bishops and priests to ensure that the lay faithful take part fully aware of their ministerial leadership role, actively engaged in the rite and enriched by its effects. Employing descriptive and analytical methods, the mantra of the paper is that in a parish worship where liturgical ministers thrives well as ministerial leaders, it produces mature Christian faithful who know their faith, understand their liturgical roles and diligently exercise them. Such a parish community operates on a level of facilitative and participatory leadership where everyone is carried along through direct participation in directing the liturgical celebrations of the parish.展开更多
文摘In this article, 1 explore how the Long Geng Badeng Kenyah community of Sarawak converted to Christianity even though there was no sustained missionary persuasion from the outside. Over a period of study, I eventually accept the simple emic explanation that ＂it is easy when you are a Christian＂ to be an important explanation. Central to this view is that Christianity provides an alternative religion that allows the people to avoid the need to observe the many troublesome taboos that hinder frequent traveling and engaging in various kinds of economic activities. The influence of relatives is an important factor, too, and as more people become Christians, the traditional Bungan followers lose the support to continue with the traditional religion and eventually almost all follow their relatives to adopt the new religion, which they find do not hinder practicing their culture other than replacing the traditional worship with the Christian way. The ethnographic study provides the opportunity to relate to recent scholarship on the anthropology of Christianity, and facilitates anthropological reflection on the study of cultural change, in particular, in relation to the work of Marshall Sahlins.
文摘This paper explores liturgical ministers as ministerial leaders to embrace different liturgical functions as ministries of service. This is against the backdrop of Tridentine liturgy whereby the worship is looked up as an exclusive leadership function of the priests alone to lord it over others. It identifies lack of active participation by the lay faithful as one of the major factors escalating passive participation in the liturgical celebrations in Nigeria. In this way, the paper argues that rethinking ministerial leadership is a medium to promote active and parish liturgical participation. Their implications suggest the bishops and priests to ensure that the lay faithful take part fully aware of their ministerial leadership role, actively engaged in the rite and enriched by its effects. Employing descriptive and analytical methods, the mantra of the paper is that in a parish worship where liturgical ministers thrives well as ministerial leaders, it produces mature Christian faithful who know their faith, understand their liturgical roles and diligently exercise them. Such a parish community operates on a level of facilitative and participatory leadership where everyone is carried along through direct participation in directing the liturgical celebrations of the parish.
