Beyond Individualisation: Neo-Evangelical Lessons for Religious Socialisation

Young Christians may be less individualised than some widely shared reflections in the literature suggest. Even though their faith may no longer be exclusively or primarily nourished in the traditional institutional contexts of family, school and church, they often prefer their faith being lived and expressed in new forms of sociality such as festivals and virtual communities. The authors describe one particular current in contemporary Christianity in which such tribal forms of sociality are rampant, namely neo-evangelicalism. They argue that socialisation actually takes place in these seemingly individualised forms of sociality, yet less explicitly than in traditional forms. Furthermore, they explore the lessons that may be learned from the tribal forms of sociality that characterise neo-evangelicalism for religious socialisation in the contexts of church and school. © 2011 Taylor and Francis.