Language Practices as Religious Innovation: The Case of Pentecostal Charismatic Churches in Xenophobic Contexts

Abstract

In the authors’ recent case-study research of migrant-dominated Pentecostal charismatic churches (PCCs) in the South African cities of Johannesburg and Cape Town, language emerged as a prominent feature of religious practice, suggesting a positive correlation between experiences of xenophobia and religious innovation. This perspective is developed through the identification and discussion of two interlinked themes that surfaced from a closer analysis of the findings: (1) belonging and diversity and (2) evangelization. These two themes are assessed through the prism of religious innovation.