Importing ‘Faith’: The Effect of American ‘Word of Faith’ Culture on Contemporary English Evangelical Revivalism

This thesis is an investigation of three exemplary ‘faith ministries’ that are or have been<br/>recently active in the South-East of England. These ministries have embraced principles<br/>from the American Health Wealth and Prosperity Movement (HWPM).<br/><br/>The author seeks to demonstrate that key concepts and approaches in the self-presentation<br/>or rhetoric of these church leaders have their foundations in popular<br/>American culture that has developed since the early 19th century, and that distinctive<br/>characteristics of these ministries are particular examples of the globalisation of<br/>American culture and, particularly, its distinctive pragmatism.<br/><br/>The three ministries considered are Michael Reid, Colin Urquhart and Jerry Savelle (an<br/>American with an international ministry and offices in the UK).<br/>An interpretative methodology employing two cultural frameworks to deconstruct the<br/>movement’s rhetoric is applied to the writings, webcasts and other teaching materials<br/>marketed by these ministries. The first of these frameworks is a historical, interpretative<br/>theory acknowledging the distinctive influence of Pragmatism, Scottish Common Sense<br/>Realism, the Protestant Work Ethic and neo-Gnosticism that are an explanation of the<br/>roots and the continuing development of this way of thinking in American culture (and<br/>the globalisation of its religion). The second framework is a more religious<br/>interpretation that explains the nature of the movement’s ethos, worldview and<br/>interpretive assumptions. It acknowledges the influence of Positive Thinking,<br/>Subjective Idealism, Transcendentalism and New Thought.<br/><br/>An analysis of the performative rhetoric and teachings of the three persons considered<br/>(and their mentors) examines the use of mechanistic language and concepts such as<br/>principles, steps and keys to describe how their teachings can work for people’s benefit.<br/><br/>The thesis asks: What social and theological construction of reality, and what factors or<br/>reasons, make these ministries appealing to people, and what is the true nature of what<br/>these ministries offer?<br/><br/>After a literature review and initial methodology, the rhetorical analysis proceeds by<br/>considering the nature of the ministries using insights from narrative theory,<br/>psychology, congregational studies, Maussian analysis, organisational theory, and<br/>theories of enchantment, charisma, class and cognitive dissonance. This thesis observes<br/>that while pragmatic religious solutions attract adherents disenchanted by advanced<br/>secularization in modern Britain, this often results in bewilderment when the promises<br/>of the rhetors fail.<br/><br/>The thesis is original in its finding that many of the miracles claimed by such<br/>charismatic ministries are the result of suggestion similar to the miracles of the mind<br/>cure movement of the nineteenth century and any seemingly miraculous financial<br/>provision to leaders is the result of members of their discourse community giving in the<br/>hope that they may receive in return, these miracles are therefore often socially<br/>constructed.

Name dc:type.qualificationname

Doctor of Philosophy in Theology

Level dc:type.qualificationlevel

Doctoral Thesis

Grantor dc:publisher.institution

King's College London

Year dc:date.issued

2013

Author dc:creator

• Ackerley, Glyn

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Walker, Andrew George

Language dc:language

eng

Identifier

oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/6027989b-8a08-48cf-9d99-aa0718254729

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/6027989b-8a08-48cf-9d99-aa0718254729