The British black Pentecostal `revival`: identity and belief in the `new` Nigerian churches

Abstract

Black Pentecostalism in Britain has proved itself to be a distinctive version of Christianity. Extant academic surveys have tended to interpret it as primarily the means by which black ethnic communities are able to adapt and respond to marginalization and widespread social discrimination. This article seeks to examine the composition and function of what might be designated the 'New Black Pentecostal Churches'. Spreading rapidly on a global scale from West Africa, these churches are of a different genre with a distinctive set of doctrines, practices and ethos which in many respects mark them out from the well-established black Pentecostal churches. With reference to the largest church of its type in Britain, the article suggests that previous theories fail to provide an adequate framework by which to comprehend this new religious movement. Rather, situational responses to British conditions must largely be seen as a reflection of lifestyles adopted to structural restraints within the country of origin.