Narratives in times of crisis
Especially in times of crisis, religious people and their leaders, such as ministers, interpret what is happening, a nd place this as much as possible within existing faith frameworks. T obias Cinjee examined how this works in the orthodox reformed pietist community in the Netherlands, with a study on the cutting edge of so ciology, psychology and theology.
"I examine how the b eliefs of reformed pietists are related to meaning-making and (group) identity, during times of crisis. To do so, I explore three case stu dies: the COVID-19 outbreak, the ecological crisis and the debate abo ut gender, as crisis language is also regularly used in that debate.< /p>
"Is COVID-19 a punishment from God? If so, for whom? Should peo ple actually attempt to combat climate change, or does that show a la ck 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 th eir message resonates with the group members and how it impacts their identity and resilience in dealing with crisis."
Tensi on
"A couple of things stand out. Both leaders and mem
bers are skeptical about human 'malleability'. Furthermore, it appear
s that the strong focus on individual sinfulness and the need for rep
entance sometimes makes it difficult to interpret crises that transce
nd the individual; this is the case with COVID-19 and climate. When a
n interpretation of leaders doesn’t give satisfaction, or when the
experiences of members cannot be aligned with their interpretation, t
his leads to tensions or the search for alternative explanations outs
ide one's own bubble.
"In the gender chapter, it is striking
that the rhetoric of reformed pietist opinion makers is much less inw
ard-focused: they instead engage with allies outside their own circle
, often (right-wing) conservatives. Their language and sources, emplo
yed in this debate, have consequences for the group. Moreover, they c
an affect vulnerable members in the community and significantly incre
ase the perceived distance from other Christians.”
St rategic
"My research reveals underlying patterns in st atements about faith and the Bible: including a sociological and psyc hological perspective helps to contextualize and better understand th em.
"The insights may be more widely applicable to other religi ous and non-religious minority groups. There, the notion of a 'crisis situation' can be something that, just as in reformed pietist circle s, is not only experienced, but also used strategically, which could lead to further alienation or hardening. This therefore requires a cr itical reflection on alliances that groups forge, as well as on which voices within such a group are heard or ignored."
More informa tion on the thesis
DESCRIPTION: Especially in times of crisis, religious people a nd their leaders, such as ministers, interpret what is happening, and place this as much as possible within existing faith frameworks. Tob ias Cinjee examined how this works in the orthodox reformed pietist c ommunity in the Netherlands, with a study on the cutting edge of soci ology, psychology and theology. "I examine how the beliefs o f reformed pietists are related to meaning-making and (group) identit y, during times of crisis. To do so, I explore three case studies: th e COVID-19 outbreak, the ecological crisis and the debate about gende r, as crisis language is also regularly used in that debate. "Is COVI D-19 a punishment from God? If so, for whom? Should people actually a ttempt 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 b elongs and who doesn't? The question then is whether their message re sonates with the group members and how it impacts their identity and resilience in dealing with crisis." Tension "A coupl e of things stand out. Both leaders and members are skeptical about h uman '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 leader s doesn’t give satisfaction, or when the experiences of members can not be aligned with their interpretation, this leads to tensions or t he search for alternative explanations outside one's own bubble.