News

Book Announcement:

Michael Wilkinson and Peter Althouse, eds., Winds from the North: Canadian Contributions to the Pentecostal Movement, Leiden: E.J. Brill, 2010

Much of the scholarly focus on early twentieth-century Pentecostalism is dominated by the origins debates of the United States. The polarization between those who argue for Parham’s theological contribution or Seymour’s African American experiential contribution are well known. Beyond these debates scholars typically focus on the role of Americans in the development of Pentecostalism. However, the Hebden mission in Toronto, Canadian women, and the Latter Rain revival illustrate the transnational and innovative qualities of the movement. This book contextualizes the global story of Pentecostalism with some important and often neglected contributions by Pentecostals in Canada and their influence on Pentecostalism in the United States and the world.

See details here.

RCI Member Update: New Book and Conference

Jens Zimmerman and Brian Gregor are the editors of Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Continental Thought: Cruciform Theology published by Indiana University Press. He also organized the CCCU funded conference "Reason and Faith" held at Trinity Western University in October, 2009. Zimmerman presented the paper "Christian Humanism in Paul’s Letter to the Romans" at a conference organized by the Catholic Academy in Hamburg, Germany.

RCI Members present at American Academy of Religion 2009 Annual Meeting

Michael Wilkinson and Jens Zimmerman are presenting at the American Academy of Religion meeting held in Montreal, November 6-9. Wilkinson is presenting the paper "Charles W. Chawner and the Missionary Impulse of the Hebden Mission" which examines the impact of the early Canadian Pentecostal movement in Africa. Zimmerman's paper, "Being Human, Becoming Human: Dietrich Bonhoeffer's Christological Humanism" argues for the Christian origins of humanism.

Research Award

Dr Michael Wilkinson (Sociology Department, Director, Religion in Canada Institute), has secured funding for a two-year project as part of the Templeton Foundation Flame of Love Award. It is a collaborative and inter-disciplinary project with Dr Peter Althouse (Southeastern University, Florida) investigating the concept of 'godly love' in the Charismatic movement. The project will focus on understanding the role of prayer within a network of Charismatic prayer centres in the USA. The total amount of the award is $150,000 USD.

RCI Members present at Western Political Science Association

RCI members John Dyck and Paul Rowe will be presenting at the Western Political Science Association General Meeting in Vancouver, held from 19-21 March 2009. Here is a link to the programme.

Culture, Religion, and Integration among Young Adults of Immigrant Background in Canada

Michael Wilkinson will provide leadership for the Vancouver site of this SSHRC funded project. The principal investigator is Peter Beyer, University of Ottawa. The three year project will attempt to understand the role of religion and culture in the social interegration of young adult immigrants in Canada.

New Book

Michael Wilkinson is the editor of a new volume on Pentecostalism in Canada. The book, Canadian Penteocstalism: Transition and Transformation is published by McGill-Queen's University Press, 2009.

Other RCI contributors include Bob Burkinshaw and Bruce Guenther. Link here for further details. Information on ordering is available go to the order form.

Bringing together a previously scattered and somewhat hidden literature, Canadian Pentecostalism provides the first comprehensive overview of the subject. The collection is broad in focus, examining classical Pentecostalism, charismatic movements in the Roman Catholic and mainline Protestant traditions, and neo-Pentecostalism. Contributing authors examine historical debates about the origins of the movement, the response of Pentecostalism to institutionalization and globalization, and the roles of women, aboriginals, and immigrants within the Canadian movement.

RCI Director Awarded Prestigious Research Fellowship

RCI Director Michael Wilkinson, together with colleague Sam Reimer from Atlantic Baptist University, received a large grant to study evangelical churches in Canada.