Narratives in times of crisis
Especially in times of crisis, religious people and their leaders, such as ministers, interpret what is happe ning, and place this as much as possible within existing faith framew orks. Tobias Cinjee examined how this works in the orthodox reformed pietist community in the Netherlands, with a study on the cutting edg e of sociology, psychology and theology.
"I examine ho w the beliefs of reformed pietists are related to meaning-making and (group) identity, during times of crisis. To do so, I explore three c ase studies: the COVID-19 outbreak, the ecological crisis and the deb ate about gender, as crisis language is also regularly used in that d ebate.
"Is COVID-19 a punishment from God? If so, for whom? Sho uld people actually attempt to combat climate change, or does that sh ow a lack of trust in God's guidance? While leaders interpret these k inds of things, they also delineate, consciously or unconsciously, th e group: who really belongs and who doesn't? The question then is whe ther their message resonates with the group members and how it impact s their identity and resilience in dealing with crisis."
"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 wh
en the experiences of members cannot be aligned with their interpreta
tion, this leads to tensions or the search for alternative explanatio
ns outside one's own bubble.
"In the gender chapter, it is str
iking that the rhetoric of reformed pietist opinion makers is much le
ss 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.”
"My research reveals underlying patterns in statements about faith and the Bible: including a sociological an d psychological perspective helps to contextualize and better underst and 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 require s a critical reflection on alliances that groups forge, as well as on which voices within such a group are heard or ignored."
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DESCRIPTION: Narratives in times of crisis Especially in times of crisis, religious people and their leaders, such as ministers, in terpret what is happening, and place this as much as possible within existing faith frameworks. Tobias Cinjee examined how this works in t he orthodox reformed pietist community in the Netherlands, with a stu dy on the cutting edge of sociology, psychology and theology."I examine how the beliefs of reformed pietists are related to meani ng-making and (group) identity, during times of crisis. To do so, I e xplore three case studies: the COVID-19 outbreak, the ecological cris is 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 wh om? 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 unconsciou sly, 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."