Especially in times of crisis, religious people and their leaders, such as ministers, interpret what is happening, and place this as much as possible within existing faith frameworks. Tobias Cinjee examined how this works in the orthodox reformed pietist community in the Netherlands, with a study on the cutting edge of sociology, psychology and theology.
"I examine how the beliefs of reformed pietists are related to meaning-making and (group) identity, during times of crisis. To do so, I explore three case studies: the COVID-19 outbreak, the ecological crisis and the debate about gender, as crisis language is also regularly used in that debate.
"Is COVID-19 a punishment from God? If so, for whom? Should people actually attempt to combat climate change, or does that show a lack of trust in God's guidance? While leaders interpret these kinds of things, they also delineate, consciously or unconsciously, the group: who really belongs and who doesn't? The question then is whether their message resonates with the group members and how it impacts their identity and resilience in dealing with crisis."
Tension
"A couple of things stand out. Both leaders and members are skeptical about human 'malleability'. Furthermore, it appears that the strong focus on individual sinfulness and the need for repentance sometimes makes it difficult to interpret crises that transcend the individual; this is the case with COVID-19 and climate. When an interpretation of leaders doesn’t give satisfaction, or when the experiences of members cannot be aligned with their interpretation, this leads to tensions or the search for alternative explanations outside one's own bubble.
"In the gender chapter, it is striking that the rhetoric of reformed pietist opinion makers is much less inward-focused: they instead engage with allies outside their own circle, often (right-wing) conservatives. Their language and sources, employed in this debate, have consequences for the group. Moreover, they can affect vulnerable members in the community and significantly increase the perceived distance from other Christians.”
Strategic
"My research reveals underlying patterns in statements about faith and the Bible: including a sociological and psychological perspective helps to contextualize and better understand them.
"The insights may be more widely applicable to other religious and non-religious minority groups. There, the notion of a 'crisis situation' can be something that, just as in reformed pietist circles, is not only experienced, but also used strategically, which could lead to further alienation or hardening. This therefore requires a critical reflection on alliances that groups forge, as well as on which voices within such a group are heard or ignored."
More information on the thesis
